HSK levels: characters and words
HSK 3.0 has nine levels, the last three tested together as 7-9. Here is every level of the 2025 syllabus with its characters, words, stroke order and a PDF, and the 2021 and HSK 2.0 lists beside them.
The levels
| Level | Characters 2025 | Words 2025 | Characters 2021 | Same level in both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 246 | 300 | 300 | 221 |
| HSK 2 | 125 | 200 | 300 | 54 |
| HSK 3 | 284 | 500 | 300 | 64 |
| HSK 4 | 441 | 1,000 | 300 | 112 |
| HSK 5 | 431 | 1,600 | 300 | 158 |
| HSK 6 | 413 | 1,800 | 300 | 186 |
| HSK 7-9 | 1,148 | 5,600 | 1,200 | 950 |
The 2025 syllabus lists 3,088 characters and the 2021 standard 3,000; 2,944 are in both, many of them at another level.
Which HSK is in force
HSK 3.0 starts on 13 December 2026: Chinese Testing International (CTI) announced on 8 September 2026 that the new HSK launches worldwide that day, with registration for the paper test open until 16 November 2026 and for the computer test until 3 December 2026. It follows the HSK syllabus (中文水平考试 HSK 考试大纲) of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, published in November 2025 and in force from July 2026. Its level lists are the main lists here. CTI's 2026 test calendar lists the HSK levels 1-6 on 11 dates from 24 January to 13 December 2026 (none in February), and the levels 7-9 on 9 May and 22 November 2026. The 2021 standard GF0025-2021, the language standard behind the syllabus, and the HSK 2.0 word lists stay here as tabs, for courses and books that use them.
Checked on chinesetest.cn on 14 October 2026.
Any character
Any single character, in or out of HSK, is on the Chinese stroke order lookup.