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HSK 6 Vocabulary

HSK 6 Vocabulary List: 5,000 Words

HSK 6 assumes 5,000 cumulative words — 2500 of them new at this level. They cover chengyu, formal and classical register, and the layered vocabulary of serious written Chinese.

By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026

What is on the HSK 6 word list?

The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 6 assumes 5,000 words in total — 2,500 of them introduced at this level.

They cover chengyu, formal and classical register, and the layered vocabulary of serious written Chinese.

HSK proficiency ladderThe six HSK levels with cumulative vocabulary requirements: HSK 1 requires 150 words, HSK 2 requires 300, HSK 3 requires 600, HSK 4 requires 1,200, HSK 5 requires 2,500, and HSK 6 requires 5,000 words. Word counts follow the official Hanban HSK 2.0 standard.HSK levels by cumulative vocabularyHSK 1beginner150 wordsHSK 2elementary300 wordsHSK 3pre-intermediate600 wordsHSK 4intermediate1,200 wordsHSK 5upper-intermediate2,500 wordsHSK 6advanced5,000 wordsSource: Hanban HSK 2.0 standard
Cumulative vocabulary required at each HSK level — bar width is proportional to the word count.

HSK 6 word list

All 4,991 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 2,500 words new at HSK 6 come first, then earlier levels.

Pinyin and definitions come from CC-CEDICT. Tap any word to see its other senses without leaving the list. Words with a full Fluentide entry — character breakdown, usage notes, example sentences — link out from there.

Showing 48014850 of 4,991 · page 97 of 100

希望xīwàngHSK 2

to hope

HSK 2

to wash

  • to wash
  • to bathe
  • to develop (photographs)
  • to shuffle (cards etc)
  • to erase (a recording)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiàngHSK 2

surname Xiang

小时xiǎoshíHSK 2

hour

xiàoHSK 2

old variant of 笑

xīnHSK 2

surname Xin

  • surname Xin
  • abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆
  • abbr. for Singapore 新加坡
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xìngHSK 2

family name

  • family name
  • surname
  • to be surnamed ...
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
休息xiūxiHSK 2

rest

xuěHSK 2

surname Xue

颜色yánsèHSK 2

color

  • color
  • countenance
  • appearance
  • facial expression
  • pigment
  • dyestuff
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
眼睛yǎnjingHSK 2

eye

羊肉yángròuHSK 2

mutton

yàoHSK 2

leaf of the iris

yāoHSK 2

(bound form) to demand

HSK 2

surname Ye

一起yīqǐHSK 2

(in) the same place

  • (in) the same place
  • together
  • in company (with)
  • altogether
  • in total
  • an instance of
  • a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
已经yǐjīngHSK 2

already

意思yìsiHSK 2

idea

  • idea
  • opinion
  • meaning
  • wish
  • desire
  • interest
  • fun
  • token of appreciation, affection etc
  • CL:个
  • to give as a small token
  • to do sth as a gesture of goodwill etc
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
因为yīnwèiHSK 2

because

yīnHSK 2

surname Yin

游泳yóuyǒngHSK 2

swimming

右边yòubianHSK 2

right side

HSK 2

surname Yu

yuánHSK 2

surname Yuan

  • surname Yuan
  • Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
yuǎnHSK 2

far

  • far
  • distant
  • remote
  • (intensifier in a comparison) by far
  • much (lower etc)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
运动yùndòngHSK 2

to move

  • to move
  • to exercise
  • sports
  • exercise
  • motion
  • movement
  • campaign
  • CL:场
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zàiHSK 2

again

  • again
  • once more
  • re-
  • further
  • beyond this point of time
  • (before an adjective) more
  • then (after sth, and not until then)
  • no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, and then (usually) 也 or 都 for emphasis)
  • (used to introduce additional information, as in 再则, 再就是 etc)
  • (literary) to reappear
  • to reoccur
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
早上zǎoshangHSK 2

early morning

zhāngHSK 2

surname Zhang

chángHSK 2

long

  • long
  • (bound form) length
  • (bound form) strong point
  • forte
  • (bound form) to be good at
  • (literary) surplus
  • spare (Taiwan pr. )
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
丈夫zhàngfuHSK 2

husband

zhǎoHSK 2

to try to find

  • to try to find
  • to look for
  • to call on sb
  • to find
  • to seek
  • to return
  • to give change
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zhāoHSK 2

a move in chess (Taiwan pr. )

  • a move in chess (Taiwan pr. )
  • trick
  • tactic
  • (dialect) okay
  • all right
  • (dialect) to put in
  • to add
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zhēnHSK 2

really

正在zhèngzàiHSK 2

to be in the process of (doing sth)

  • to be in the process of (doing sth)
  • to be currently ...-ing
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
知道zhīdàoHSK 2

to know

  • to know
  • to become aware of
  • also pr.
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
准备zhǔnbèiHSK 2

preparation

  • preparation
  • to prepare
  • to intend
  • to be about to
  • reserve (fund)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
自行车zìxíngchēHSK 2

bicycle

zǒuHSK 2

to walk

  • to walk
  • to go
  • to run
  • to move (of vehicle)
  • to visit
  • to leave
  • to go away
  • to die (euph.)
  • from
  • through
  • away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走)
  • to change (shape, form, meaning)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zuìHSK 2

variant of 最

左边zuǒbianHSK 2

left

àiHSK 1

to love

  • to love
  • to be fond of
  • to like
  • affection
  • to be inclined (to do sth)
  • to tend to (happen)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 1

eight

爸爸bàbaHSK 1

(coll.) father

杯子bēiziHSK 1

cup

北京běijīngHSK 1

Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (abbr. to 京)

  • Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (abbr. to 京)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
běnHSK 1

(bound form) root

  • (bound form) root
  • stem
  • (bound form) origin
  • source
  • (bound form) one's own
  • this
  • (bound form) this
  • the current (year etc)
  • (bound form) original
  • (bound form) inherent
  • originally
  • initially
  • capital
  • principal
  • classifier for books, periodicals, files etc
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 1

no

不客气bùkèqiHSK 1

you're welcome

  • you're welcome
  • don't mention it
  • impolite
  • rude
  • blunt
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
càiHSK 1

vegetable

  • vegetable
  • greens (CL:棵)
  • dish (of food) (CL:样,道,盘)
  • (of one's skills etc) weak
  • poor
  • (coll.) (one's) type
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →

How to actually learn HSK 6 vocabulary

A word list is a checklist, not a method. Recognising a word on a page is a different skill from catching it at speed in a sentence — and the HSK listening section only tests the second one.

1

Read the list once, do not memorise it

You are looking for which words feel unfamiliar, not trying to learn them here.

2

Listen at your level daily

Fluentide's HSK 6 episodes are written inside this vocabulary band, so the words arrive in sentences instead of flashcards.

3

Look a word up only after you have heard it

A word you have already met in audio sticks in one reading. A word you meet cold takes many.

4

Come back to this list monthly

Use it as a progress check, not a study plan. The gaps you find are what to listen for next.

The method in practice

Hear HSK 6 vocabulary in real Mandarin

Every HSK 6 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 6 speed, so words stick because you have heard them in a sentence. Full transcript, pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English on every episode. Five free episodes after a one-tap magic-link sign-in — no password, no payment.

More HSK 6