HSK 2.0 · old six-level system
Old HSK 3 word list
This is the HSK 3 list from the old six-level HSK: 299 words new at this level, 599 counting earlier levels. The last column shows where each word sits in the new HSK.
Where these words went
In the new syllabus, 226 of these 299 words are still HSK 3 words. 41 moved down to an earlier level. 21 moved up to a later level. 11 are not in the new word list as written here (some appear inside longer words or in a slightly different form).
- New HSK 1: 7
- New HSK 2: 34
- New HSK 3: 226
- New HSK 4: 20
- New HSK 6: 1
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | New HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 阿姨 | ā yí | maternal aunt; step-mother | 3 |
| 啊 | a | modal particle ending sentence; showing affirmation | 2 |
| 矮 | ǎi | low; short (in length) | 3 |
| 爱好 | ài hào | to like; to take pleasure in | 2 |
| 安静 | ān jìng | quiet; peaceful | 3 |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to contain | 3 |
| 搬 | bān | to move; to shift | 3 |
| 班 | bān | team; class | 2 |
| 半 | bàn | half; semi- | 1 |
| 办法 | bàn fǎ | means; method | 3 |
| 办公室 | bàn gōng shì | office; business premises | 3 |
| 帮忙 | bāng máng | to help; to lend a hand | 2 |
| 包 | bāo | to cover; to wrap | 2 |
| 饱 | bǎo | to eat till full; satisfied | 3 |
| 北方 | běi fāng | north; the northern part a country | 3 |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; by | 3 |
| 鼻子 | bí zi | nose | 4 |
| 比较 | bǐ jiào | to compare; to contrast | 3 |
| 比赛 | bǐ sài | competition (sports etc); match | 3 |
| 必须 | bì xū | to have to; must | 3 |
| 变化 | biàn huà | change; variation | 3 |
| 表示 | biǎo shì | to express; to show | 4 |
| 表演 | biǎo yǎn | play; show | 3 |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others | 3 |
| 宾馆 | bīn guǎn | guesthouse; lodge | 3 |
| 冰箱 | bīng xiāng | icebox; freezer cabinet | 3 |
| 才 | cái | a moment ago; just now | 3 |
| 菜单 | cài dān | menu | 3 |
| 参加 | cān jiā | to participate; to take part | 3 |
| 草 | cǎo | grass; straw | 3 |
| 层 | céng | layer; stratum | 3 |
| 差 | chà | to differ from; to fall short of | 3 |
| 超市 | chāo shì | supermarket (abbr.) | 1 |
| 衬衫 | chèn shān | shirt; blouse | 3 |
| 成绩 | chéng jì | achievement; performance records | 3 |
| 城市 | chéng shì | city; town | 3 |
| 迟到 | chí dào | to arrive late | 3 |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise | 4 |
| 除了 | chú le | besides; apart from (... also...) | 3 |
| 厨房 | chú fáng | kitchen | 4 |
| 春 | chūn | spring (time); gay | – |
| 词语 | cí yǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term) | 4 |
| 聪明 | cōng ming | acute (of sight and hearing); clever | 3 |
| 打扫 | dǎ sǎo | to clean; to sweep | 3 |
| 打算 | dǎ suàn | to plan; to intend | 3 |
| 带 | dài | band; belt | 3 |
| 担心 | dān xīn | anxious; worried | 3 |
| 蛋糕 | dàn gāo | cake | 3 |
| 当然 | dāng rán | only natural; as it should be | 3 |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective | 2 |
| 灯 | dēng | lamp; light | 3 |
| 低 | dī | low; beneath | 4 |
| 地方 | dì fang | area; place | 3 |
| 地铁 | dì tiě | subway; metro | 2 |
| 地图 | dì tú | map | 3 |
| 电梯 | diàn tī | elevator; escalator | 3 |
| 电子 | diàn zǐ | electronic; electron (particle physics) | – |
| 冬 | dōng | sound of beating a drum; onomatopoeia for rat-a-tat etc | – |
| 东 | dōng | east; host (i.e. sitting on east side of guest) | 3 |
| 动物 | dòng wù | animal; 群 | 3 |
| 短 | duǎn | short or brief; to lack | 3 |
| 段 | duàn | paragraph; section | 3 |
| 锻炼 | duàn liàn | to engage in physical exercise; to work out | 3 |
| 多么 | duō me | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) | 4 |
| 饿 | è | to be hungry; hungry | 3 |
| 而且 | ér qiě | (not only ...) but also; moreover | 3 |
| 耳朵 | ěr duo | ear; 個|个 | 3 |
| 发烧 | fā shāo | to have a high temperature (from illness); to have a fever | 3 |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to find; to discover | 3 |
| 方便 | fāng biàn | convenient; to help out | 3 |
| 放 | fàng | to release; to free | 3 |
| 放心 | fàng xīn | to feel relieved; to feel reassured | 3 |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate | 1 |
| 附近 | fù jìn | (in the) vicinity; nearby | 3 |
| 复习 | fù xí | to revise; to review | 3 |
| 干净 | gān jìng | clean; neat | 3 |
| 敢 | gǎn | to dare; daring | 4 |
| 感冒 | gǎn mào | to catch cold; (common) cold | 3 |
| 刚才 | gāng cái | (just) a moment ago | 3 |
| 根据 | gēn jù | according to; based on | 3 |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely | 2 |
| 更 | gèng | more; even more | 3 |
| 公园 | gōng yuán | public park | 3 |
| 故事 | gù shi | narrative; story | 3 |
| 刮 | guā | to blow (of the wind) | 3 |
| 关 | guān | mountain pass; to close | 3 |
| 关系 | guān xì | relationship; connection | 3 |
| 关心 | guān xīn | to care for sth; caring | 3 |
| 关于 | guān yú | pertaining to; concerning | 3 |
| 国家 | guó jiā | country; nation | 3 |
| 果汁 | guǒ zhī | fruit juice | 4 |
| 过去 | guò qu | (in the) past; former | 2 |
| 还是 | hái shi | or; still | 2 |
| 害怕 | hài pà | to be afraid; to be scared | 3 |
| 河 | hé | river | 3 |
| 黑板 | hēi bǎn | blackboard | 3 |
| 护照 | hù zhào | passport | 3 |
| 花 | huā | flower; blossom | 2 |
| 花园 | huā yuán | garden | 3 |
| 画 | huà | to draw; picture | 2 |
| 坏 | huài | bad; spoiled | 2 |
| 环境 | huán jìng | environment; circumstances | 3 |
| 换 | huàn | to change; to exchange | 3 |
| 黄 | huáng | yellow; pornographic | 6 |
| 会议 | huì yì | meeting; conference | 3 |
| 或者 | huò zhě | or; possibly | 3 |
| 机会 | jī huì | opportunity; chance | 3 |
| 几乎 | jī hū | almost; nearly | 3 |
| 极 | jí | extremely; pole (geography | 3 |
| 记得 | jì de | to remember | 2 |
| 季节 | jì jié | time; season | 3 |
| 检查 | jiǎn chá | inspection; to examine | 3 |
| 简单 | jiǎn dān | simple; not complicated | 3 |
| 见面 | jiàn miàn | to meet; to see sb | 3 |
| 健康 | jiàn kāng | health; healthy | 3 |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain | 3 |
| 教 | jiāo | to teach | 2 |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg | 3 |
| 角 | jiǎo | angle; corner | 3 |
| 接 | jiē | to receive; to answer (the phone) | 3 |
| 街道 | jiē dào | street; subdistrict | 4 |
| 节目 | jié mù | program; item (on a program) | 3 |
| 节日 | jié rì | holiday; festival | 3 |
| 结婚 | jié hūn | to marry; to get married | 3 |
| 结束 | jié shù | termination; to finish | 3 |
| 解决 | jiě jué | to settle (a dispute); to resolve | 3 |
| 借 | jiè | to lend; to borrow | 3 |
| 经常 | jīng cháng | day to day; everyday | 2 |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass; to go through | 3 |
| 经理 | jīng lǐ | manager; director | 3 |
| 久 | jiǔ | (long) time; (long) duration of time | 3 |
| 旧 | jiù | old; opposite: new 新 | 3 |
| 举行 | jǔ xíng | to hold (a meeting; ceremony etc) | 4 |
| 句子 | jù zi | sentence | 3 |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide (to do something); to resolve | 3 |
| 渴 | kě | thirsty | 3 |
| 可爱 | kě ài | adorable; cute | 3 |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (hour); moment | 3 |
| 客人 | kè rén | visitor; guest | 3 |
| 空调 | kōng tiáo | air conditioning | 3 |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; domestic animals | 1 |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep | 3 |
| 裤子 | kù zi | trousers; pants | 2 |
| 筷子 | kuài zi | chopsticks; 根 | 3 |
| 蓝 | lán | blue; indigo plant | 3 |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people) | 3 |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave | 3 |
| 礼物 | lǐ wù | gift; present | 3 |
| 历史 | lì shǐ | history | 3 |
| 脸 | liǎn | face | 3 |
| 练习 | liàn xí | exercise; drill | 3 |
| 辆 | liàng | measure word for vehicles | 3 |
| 了解 | liǎo jiě | to understand; to realize | 3 |
| 邻居 | lín jū | neighbor; next door | 3 |
| 楼 | lóu | house with more than 1 story; storied building | 2 |
| 绿 | lǜ | green | – |
| 马 | mǎ | horse; horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess | 3 |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | at once; right away | 3 |
| 满意 | mǎn yì | satisfied; pleased | 3 |
| 帽子 | mào zi | hat; cap | 4 |
| 米 | mǐ | rice; meter (classifier) | 3 |
| 面包 | miàn bāo | bread; 袋 | 1 |
| 面条 | miàn tiáo | noodles | – |
| 明白 | míng bai | clear; obvious | 3 |
| 拿 | ná | to hold; to seize | 2 |
| 奶奶 | nǎi nai | (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother); (respectful) mistress of the house | 2 |
| 南 | nán | south | 3 |
| 难 | nán | difficult (to...); problem | 3 |
| 难过 | nán guò | to feel sad; to feel unwell | 3 |
| 年级 | nián jí | grade | 3 |
| 年轻 | nián qīng | young | 3 |
| 鸟 | niǎo | bird | 2 |
| 努力 | nǔ lì | great effort; to strive | 3 |
| 爬山 | pá shān | to climb a mountain; to mountaineer | – |
| 盘子 | pán zi | tray; plate | 3 |
| 胖 | pàng | fat; plump | 3 |
| 啤酒 | pí jiǔ | beer; 瓶 | 3 |
| 葡萄 | pú tao | grape | 4 |
| 普通话 | pǔ tōng huà | Mandarin (common language); Putonghua (common speech of the Chinese language) | 4 |
| 骑 | qí | to ride (an animal or bike); to sit astride | 3 |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually; in fact | 3 |
| 其他 | qí tā | other; the others | 3 |
| 奇怪 | qí guài | strange; odd | 3 |
| 铅笔 | qiān bǐ | (lead) pencil; 枝 | 3 |
| 清楚 | qīng chu | clear; distinct | 3 |
| 秋 | qiū | a swing | – |
| 裙子 | qún zi | skirt | 3 |
| 然后 | rán hòu | after; then (afterwards) | 3 |
| 热情 | rè qíng | cordial; enthusiastic | 3 |
| 认为 | rèn wéi | to believe; to think | 3 |
| 认真 | rèn zhēn | conscientious; earnest | 3 |
| 容易 | róng yì | easy; likely | 3 |
| 如果 | rú guǒ | if; in case | 3 |
| 伞 | sǎn | umbrella; parasol | 3 |
| 上网 | shàng wǎng | to be on the internet; to stretch a net (in a sports game or for covering sth) | 2 |
| 生气 | shēng qì | angry; mad | 3 |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | voice; sound | 3 |
| 使 | shǐ | to make; to cause | 4 |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world | 3 |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; to lose weight | 3 |
| 舒服 | shū fu | comfortable; feeling well | 2 |
| 叔叔 | shū shu | father's younger brother; uncle | 3 |
| 树 | shù | tree; to cultivate | 3 |
| 数学 | shù xué | mathematics; mathematical | 3 |
| 刷 | shuā | to brush; to paint | 3 |
| 双 | shuāng | two; double | 3 |
| 水平 | shuǐ píng | level (of achievement etc); standard | 3 |
| 司机 | sī jī | chauffeur; driver | 3 |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though | 2 |
| 太阳 | tài yáng | sun | 3 |
| 糖 | táng | sugar; sweets | 3 |
| 特别 | tè bié | especially; special | 3 |
| 疼 | téng | (it) hurts; sore | 2 |
| 提高 | tí gāo | to raise; to increase | 3 |
| 体育 | tǐ yù | sports; physical education | 3 |
| 甜 | tián | sweet | 3 |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item | 2 |
| 同事 | tóng shì | colleague; co-worker | 3 |
| 同意 | tóng yì | to agree; to consent | 3 |
| 头发 | tóu fa | hair (on the head) | 3 |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt | 3 |
| 图书馆 | tú shū guǎn | library | 3 |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg | 3 |
| 完成 | wán chéng | to complete; to accomplish | 3 |
| 碗 | wǎn | bowl; cup | 3 |
| 万 | wàn | ten thousand; a great number | 2 |
| 忘记 | wàng jì | to forget | 3 |
| 为了 | wèi le | in order to; for the purpose of | 3 |
| 为什么 | wèi shén me | why?; for what reason? | 2 |
| 位 | wèi | position; location | 2 |
| 文化 | wén huà | culture; civilization | 3 |
| 西 | xī | west | 3 |
| 习惯 | xí guàn | habit; custom | 3 |
| 洗手间 | xǐ shǒu jiān | toilet; lavatory | 2 |
| 洗澡 | xǐ zǎo | to bathe; to take a shower | 3 |
| 夏 | xià | summer | – |
| 先 | xiān | early; prior | 3 |
| 香蕉 | xiāng jiāo | banana; 根 | 3 |
| 相同 | xiāng tóng | identical; same | 4 |
| 相信 | xiāng xìn | to be convinced (that sth is true); to believe | 3 |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like | 3 |
| 小心 | xiǎo xīn | to be careful; to take care | 3 |
| 校长 | xiào zhǎng | (college; university) president | 3 |
| 鞋 | xié | shoe | 3 |
| 新闻 | xīn wén | news | 3 |
| 新鲜 | xīn xiān | fresh (experience; food etc) | 3 |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail | 3 |
| 行李箱 | xíng li xiāng | suitcase | – |
| 兴趣 | xìng qù | interest (desire to know about sth); interest (thing in which one is interested) | 3 |
| 熊猫 | xióng māo | panda | – |
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want | 3 |
| 选择 | xuǎn zé | to select; to pick | 3 |
| 眼镜 | yǎn jìng | spectacles; eyeglasses | 4 |
| 要求 | yāo qiú | to request; to require | 3 |
| 爷爷 | yé ye | (informal) father's father; paternal grandfather | 2 |
| 一定 | yī dìng | surely; certainly | 3 |
| 一共 | yī gòng | altogether | 3 |
| 一会儿 | yī huì r | a while; also pr. | 2 |
| 一样 | yī yàng | same; like | 3 |
| 以后 | yǐ hòu | after; later | 3 |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before; formerly | 3 |
| 以为 | yǐ wéi | to believe; to think | 3 |
| 一般 | yī bān | same; ordinary | 3 |
| 一边 | yī biān | one side; either side | 3 |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously | 3 |
| 音乐 | yīn yuè | music; 曲 | 3 |
| 银行 | yín háng | bank | 3 |
| 应该 | yīng gāi | ought to; should | 3 |
| 影响 | yǐng xiǎng | an influence; an effect | 3 |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to employ | 3 |
| 游戏 | yóu xì | game; to play | 3 |
| 有名 | yǒu míng | famous; well-known | 3 |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also | 3 |
| 遇到 | yù dào | to meet; to run into | 3 |
| 愿意 | yuàn yì | to wish; to want | 3 |
| 越 | yuè | to exceed; to climb over | 3 |
| 月亮 | yuè liang | moon | 3 |
| 云 | yún | cloud | 4 |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand | 2 |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious | 3 |
| 照顾 | zhào gu | to take care of; to show consideration | 3 |
| 照片 | zhào piàn | photograph; picture | 3 |
| 照相机 | zhào xiàng jī | camera; 架 | – |
| 只 | zhī | one of a pair; some utensils | 1 |
| 只 | zhǐ | but; only | 1 |
| 终于 | zhōng yú | at last; in the end | 3 |
| 中间 | zhōng jiān | between; intermediate | 3 |
| 种 | zhǒng | abbr. for 物種|物种; genus | 3 |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant | 3 |
| 周末 | zhōu mò | weekend | 3 |
| 主要 | zhǔ yào | main; principal | 3 |
| 祝 | zhù | to wish; to express good wishes | 4 |
| 注意 | zhù yì | to take note of; to pay attention to | 3 |
| 字典 | zì diǎn | dictionary; character dictionary | 3 |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; one's own | 2 |
| 总是 | zǒng shì | always | 3 |
| 最近 | zuì jìn | recent; recently | 3 |
| 作业 | zuò yè | school assignment; homework | 3 |
| 作用 | zuò yòng | to act on; to affect | 4 |