HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0
Both standards label levels "HSK 1" to "HSK 6" (3.0 adds 7–9), and both are in daily use — which is exactly why "HSK 4" is ambiguous. The numbers below come from our own lists, which in turn come from the published word lists.
Cumulative words per level
| Level | HSK 2.0 (classic, official) | HSK 2.0 (in our list) | HSK 3.0 (official) | HSK 3.0 (in our list) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | 150 | 500 | 506 |
| 2 | 300 | 297 | 1,272 | 1,256 |
| 3 | 600 | 595 | 2,245 | 2,209 |
| 4 | 1,200 | 1,193 | 3,245 | 3,181 |
| 5 | 2,500 | 2,491 | 4,316 | 4,240 |
| 6 | 5,000 | 4,991 | 5,456 | 5,363 |
| 7–9 | — | — | 11,092 | 10,969 |
The official numbers are the published standard. "In our list" is what the word lists on this site actually contain — a few words from the official lists are missing from our source database, so the totals are 4,991 (classic) and 10,969 (3.0) rather than a round 5,000 and 11,092.
Where the classic levels land in HSK 3.0
A classic level does not correspond to one HSK 3.0 level — its words are spread across several. Reading down a row tells you how far into 3.0 that classic level reaches.
| Classic level | 3.0 L1 | 3.0 L2 | 3.0 L3 | 3.0 L4 | 3.0 L5 | 3.0 L6 | 3.0 L7 | Not in 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 136 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| HSK 2 | 82 | 48 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| HSK 3 | 53 | 143 | 51 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| HSK 4 | 15 | 149 | 188 | 138 | 69 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| HSK 5 | 6 | 62 | 326 | 339 | 214 | 83 | 218 | 50 |
| HSK 6 | 0 | 3 | 67 | 111 | 344 | 230 | 1318 | 427 |
Counts are words whose classic level is the row and whose HSK 3.0 level is the column. 4,490 of the 4,991 classic words also appear in HSK 3.0; 501 do not appear there at all, and 6,479 words are only in HSK 3.0.
Which list should you use?
- Follow your material. If your textbook, teacher or app uses six levels and calls a 1,200-word list "HSK 4", you are on 2.0 — use the classic lists.
- Starting fresh, or sitting the exam now? Use HSK 3.0. The overlap above means almost nothing learned from one list is wasted on the other.
- Preparing for a job requirement? Requirements usually quote 2.0 levels ("HSK 5, 2,500 words"), so check which list the number came from before you plan.
Questions
- Is HSK 4 the same in 2.0 and 3.0?
- No. Classic HSK 4 is a cumulative 1,200 words; HSK 3.0 level 4 is a cumulative 3,245 words. The level numbers were kept for continuity, but they cover different amounts of vocabulary.
- How many words does the classic HSK have in total?
- About 5,000 across six levels (150 / 300 / 600 / 1,200 / 2,500 / 5,000 cumulative). Our list has 4,991 of them, 501 of which do not appear in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary at all.
- Which HSK should I study for?
- Follow your material: if your textbook, teacher or app is organised around six levels and a 1,200-word HSK 4, it is HSK 2.0. If you are starting fresh, or preparing for the exam as it is given now, use HSK 3.0 — the word lists overlap for 4,490 words, so almost nothing learned is wasted.