HSK 2.0 · old six-level system
Old HSK word lists (HSK 2.0)
These are the word lists for the six-level HSK used until the new HSK starts on 13 December 2026. They are here for tests before that date and for anyone matching an older textbook or deck to the new levels.
| Level | New words | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Old HSK 1 | 150 | 150 |
| Old HSK 2 | 150 | 300 |
| Old HSK 3 | 299 | 599 |
| Old HSK 4 | 598 | 1,197 |
| Old HSK 5 | 1,300 | 2,497 |
| Old HSK 6 | 2,500 | 4,997 |
Where the old words are in the new HSK
For each old level, the share of its words that the 2025 syllabus puts at the same level, a lower one, a higher one, or leaves out.
| Old level | Same level | Lower | Higher | Not on new list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old HSK 1 | 95% | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Old HSK 2 | 48% | 37% | 11% | 4% |
| Old HSK 3 | 76% | 14% | 7% | 4% |
| Old HSK 4 | 77% | 10% | 10% | 2% |
| Old HSK 5 | 59% | 10% | 29% | 2% |
| Old HSK 6 | 27% | 7% | 61% | 5% |
Words are matched by their characters. A word missing from the new list may still appear there in a slightly different form.
Should I still study these lists?
Only if your admission ticket shows a test date before 13 December 2026. From that date, every HSK 1–6 test uses the new syllabus, and the new lists are larger at every level: 300 words for HSK 1 instead of 150, and 2,000 for HSK 4 instead of 1,200.
If you already know an old list, you are not starting again. The old vs new comparison shows exactly which words you already have and which to add.
About these lists
These are the standard HSK 2.0 lists of 150, 300, 600, 1,200, 2,500 and 5,000 cumulative words. A few entries are merged or appear twice across sources, so our counts can differ from those round numbers by one or two. The “New HSK” column on each list shows the level the word has in the 2025 syllabus.