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Quick answer
Vocabulary and character requirements for every HSK level — new HSK 3.0 figures and old HSK 2.0 counts — plus a plan for learning them.
"How many words do I need for HSK 4?" is one of the most-searched HSK questions — and the answer changed with HSK 3.0. This is your reference table for both standards, plus how to actually get the words into long-term memory.
The HSK 3.0 standard (国际中文教育中文水平等级标准) is explicit about both words and characters. These are cumulative totals:
Under HSK 3.0 (cumulative): band 1 ~500 words, band 2 ~1,272, band 3 ~2,245, band 4 ~3,245, band 5 ~4,316, band 6 ~5,456, with bands 7–9 reaching ~11,092 total. The older HSK 2.0 counts were roughly half at each level (HSK 4 = 1,200; HSK 6 = 5,000).
HSK 3.0 specifies characters as well as words (cumulative): ~300 at band 1, then +300 per band to ~1,800 at band 6, and ~3,000 across bands 7–9. HSK 2.0 did not track characters as strictly, so this is a notable change.
No. Reading recognition covers the large majority; the set you must actively handwrite is smaller. That said, HSK 3.0 raised handwriting expectations, especially from band 4 up, so building stroke-order habits early pays off.
| Band | Vocabulary (cumulative) | Characters (cumulative) |
|---|
| 1 | ~500 | ~300 |
| 2 | ~1,272 | ~600 |
| 3 | ~2,245 | ~900 |
| 4 | ~3,245 | ~1,200 |
| 5 | ~4,316 | ~1,500 |
| 6 | ~5,456 | ~1,800 |
| 7–9 | ~11,092 | ~3,000 |
The characters climb by a clean +300 per band through band 6 — a helpful mental checkpoint.
The jump is the single biggest reason HSK 3.0 feels harder at the same level number:
| Level | HSK 2.0 words | HSK 3.0 words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | ~500 |
| 2 | 300 | ~1,272 |
| 3 | 600 | ~2,245 |
| 4 | 1,200 | ~3,245 |
| 5 | 2,500 | ~4,316 |
| 6 | 5,000 | ~5,456 |
The gap is widest in the middle: HSK 3 roughly tripled and HSK 4 nearly tripled. If you learned with a 2.0 word list, budget extra vocabulary time — details in how to learn HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
A "word" (词) is often two characters (e.g. 学生 = 学 + 生). Knowing the individual characters helps you decode new words you have never seen, which is why HSK 3.0 tracks characters separately. Practically:
The tables tell you the destination. The habit — a little review every day, driven by what you get wrong — is how you get there.
Compiled by the HSK Ace team, updated July 2026. Figures reference the official HSK standard; exam rules, dates and fees change by testing round — always confirm the current format with chinesetest.cn or your test center before registering.
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