HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0

What the HSK is

The HSK (汉语水平考试, Chinese Proficiency Test) is the standard Chinese exam for non-native speakers. Its word lists are the most common way learners, textbooks, and employers describe how much Chinese someone knows.

HSK 2.0: six levels (2010)

The six-level HSK launched in 2010 and is what most existing materials mean by “HSK”. It has three stages — levels 1–2 (beginner), 3–4 (intermediate), and 5–6 (advanced) — with about 5,000 words in total. HSK exams before 13 December 2026 use these levels. One naming trap: this 2010 test was itself introduced as the “new HSK” (新HSK), and some books still use that name.

HSK 3.0: the 2021 standard

In 2021 China’s Ministry of Education published the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (国际中文教育中文水平等级标准, GF 0025-2021). It grades Chinese in nine bands in three stages — bands 1–3 (beginner), 4–6 (intermediate), and 7–9 (advanced) — with 11,092 words in all. This is the list most apps and course books call HSK 3.0, and the one this dictionary uses for its word lists and word pages.

The 2025 exam syllabus

In November 2025 the Center for Language Education and Cooperation published 《HSK 考试大纲》, the syllabus of the HSK exam itself. It keeps the nine levels, with one exam for levels 7–9, but it has its own word list: 300 words for HSK 1 and 11,000 up to HSK 7–9. For each level it also lists the characters to read and to write, and the grammar points. The first exams on this syllabus are on 13 December 2026. People call this list HSK 3.0 too, so check the word counts when a book or app says “HSK 3.0”.

The word lists side by side

Words you are expected to know up to each level:

The table compares word counts only. The lists also divide the words differently: a word at HSK 3 in an old textbook can sit at band 2 or band 4 in the 2021 standard, and many words appear in only one list.

Which list should you follow?

For an HSK exam on or after 13 December 2026, follow the 2025 exam syllabus. Our HSK levels guide uses it, and the HSK 1 guide has free PDF word lists of the new and the old HSK 1. For an exam before that date, follow HSK 2.0.

For a textbook series, an app course, or a job or university requirement, follow the list it names, and check the word counts when the name alone is unclear. When you compare your progress across materials, the level numbers only line up roughly.

On this site, each word page shows its band in the 2021 standard and, when it differs, its level in HSK 2.0. Start from the HSK word lists, or look any word up in the dictionary.

Word counts checked on 13 November 2026 against the official 《HSK 考试大纲》 PDF and the GF 0025-2021 standard.