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Facts checked on · sources
Standard GF0025-2021 · 2025 exam syllabus dotted
| Level | Syllables | Characters | Words | Grammar | 2025 exam (words) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | +269 / 269 | +300 / 300 | +500 / 500 | +48 / 48 | 300 |
| HSK 2 | +199 / 468 | +300 / 600 | +772 / 1,272 | +81 / 129 | 500 |
| HSK 3 | +140 / 608 | +300 / 900 | +973 / 2,245 | +81 / 210 | 1,000 |
| HSK 4 | +116 / 724 | +300 / 1,200 | +1,000 / 3,245 | +76 / 286 | 2,000 |
| HSK 5 | +98 / 822 | +300 / 1,500 | +1,071 / 4,316 | +71 / 357 | 3,600 |
| HSK 6 | +86 / 908 | +300 / 1,800 | +1,140 / 5,456 | +67 / 424 | 5,400 |
| HSK 7-9 | +202 / 1,110 | +1,200 / 3,000 | +5,636 / 11,092 | +148 / 572 | 11,000 |
A frequent source of confusion: the 2021 standard (11,092 words) describes target proficiency, while the exam syllabus published in November 2025 defines what the exam actually tests, with shorter lists at levels 1-6. The two lists don’t fully overlap: the exam places some words at a different level and adds a few, mostly at levels 7-9. Hanlu follows the full standard; before the exam, also go through your level’s official exam list.
Understand and use very simple words and phrases to introduce yourself, greet people, count and express immediate needs.
Handle short, routine exchanges on familiar topics (family, shopping, transport, hobbies) and read short, simple texts.
Communicate about everyday life, study and work, recount a simple event and write short messages.
Hold fairly complete conversations on a wide range of general topics, give opinions in connected sentences and start translating simple texts.
Discuss social and cultural topics in some detail, read longer articles and write a structured, multi-paragraph text.
Speak fluently and appropriately on complex topics, compare and argue, and understand most mainstream media.
Use Chinese in academic and professional settings: complex discourse, formal register, and both written and oral translation.
Exam duration : ≈ 210 min
Levels
HSK 2.0: 6 levels
HSK 3.0: 9 levels in 3 stages; levels 7-9 share a single exam
Total vocabulary
HSK 2.0: 5,000 words
HSK 3.0: About 11,000 words (11,092 in the standard)
Level 1 vocabulary
HSK 2.0: 150 words
HSK 3.0: 300 words for the exam (500 in the 2021 standard)
Characters
HSK 2.0: No separate official list
HSK 3.0: 3,000 characters to recognise, 1,200 of which must be handwritten
Skills tested
HSK 2.0: Listening, reading, writing
HSK 3.0: Listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation
Speaking
HSK 2.0: Optional HSKK, taken separately
HSK 3.0: Mandatory from level 3, registered together with the written exam
Handwriting
HSK 2.0: Characters required from level 3
HSK 3.0: Tested from level 2, based on an official character list
Translation
HSK 2.0: Not tested
HSK 3.0: At levels 5-6 and 7-9
Framework
HSK 2.0: 2009 exam syllabuses
HSK 3.0: National standard GF0025-2021 and the 2025 exam syllabus
January 2010
The "new HSK" (now called HSK 2.0) becomes the norm: 6 levels, 5,000 words.
March 2021
China's Ministry of Education and State Language Commission publish standard GF0025-2021: 3 stages, 9 levels.
July 1, 2021
Standard GF0025-2021 takes effect.
November 26, 2022
First worldwide sitting of the advanced HSK 7-9 exam.
November 15, 2025
The new official HSK exam syllabus is released (300 words at level 1, 5,400 at level 6).
January 31, 2026
First worldwide HSK 3.0 pilot for levels 1-6, on paper and on computer.
September 8, 2026
Chinese Testing International announces the official HSK 3.0 launch date.
December 13, 2026
Official worldwide launch of HSK 3.0; the old format will no longer run in parallel.
January 2027
HSK 3.0 becomes the standard version of the exam worldwide.
The standard has applied since July 2021 and the HSK 7-9 exam since 2022. For levels 1-6, the new format officially starts on 13 December 2026, after pilot sessions in 2026.
Both figures are real. The 2021 standard lists 500 words, but the exam syllabus published in 2025 keeps only 300. If you are preparing for the exam, the 300-word list is the one that matters.
If you sit the exam after 13 December 2026, study the new lists. The two overlap a lot, but many words have moved to a different level.
Yes, the certificate does not expire. For admission to a Chinese university, however, the score report is usually only accepted for two years.
Yes, from level 3 upwards: the speaking test is taken together with the written exam and can no longer be booked separately. Levels 1 and 2 have no speaking test.
Yes, from level 2, but only characters from an official list: about 100 at level 2, growing to 1,200 by levels 7-9. You need to recognise far more characters for reading.
It is a single exam of about 3.5 hours (98 items) covering listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking. Your results place you at level 7, 8 or 9.
No. With its 5,000 words, the old HSK 6 is closer to the new level 6 (5,400 words), which also requires speaking and translation. There is no official equivalence table.
Because there are two official documents: the 2021 standard, which describes language proficiency, and the 2025 exam syllabus, which defines what is actually tested. Many sites mix them up.
No official figures exist. As a rough guide, allow a few months of regular practice for level 1 and several years for levels 7-9. Consistency matters more than intensity.