How many HSK levels are there?
There are six HSK levels: HSK 1 through HSK 6. They run from about 150 words to about 5,000. A revised standard taking effect from July 2026 renumbers the ladder into nine levels in three stages, and the advanced HSK 7–9 exam above the old HSK 6 has been running since 2022. Both answers are current, which is why you see both — here is which one applies to you.
The six levels
| Level | Cumulative words | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 150 | Very simple phrases: introduce yourself, count, tell the time. |
| HSK 2 | 300 | Simple everyday exchanges — shopping, directions, routines. |
| HSK 3 | 600 | Most daily situations. The level where conversations become sustainable. |
| HSK 4 | 1,200 | A wide range of topics with native speakers; the common university bar. |
| HSK 5 | 2,500 | Newspapers, films, structured presentations. |
| HSK 6 | 5,000 | Long texts and lectures; fluent written and spoken expression. |
Each level is a separate exam with its own certificate. You register for one, sit it, and get a score out of 200 (levels 1–2) or 300 (levels 3–6), passing at 60%.
And the nine
The revised standard groups nine levels into three stages: elementary (1–3), intermediate (4–6) and advanced (7–9). It is not six levels plus three — the vocabulary changes at every level, roughly 300 / 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,600 / 5,400 cumulative words for levels 1 to 6 and about 11,000 across all nine, and a spoken component becomes compulsory from level 3.
| Stage | Levels | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary 初等 | 1–3 | Daily life and simple exchanges, to about 1,000 words. |
| Intermediate 中等 | 4–6 | Work, study and argument, to about 5,400 words. |
| Advanced 高等 | 7–9 | Academic, professional and literary Chinese, to about 11,000 words. |
The full transition — the dates, the two different sets of word counts in circulation, and how to tell which paper you are sitting — is on the new HSK, explained.
Which numbering applies to you
Read your booking, not a calendar. HSK 7–9 has always been the new standard. Levels 1 to 6 moved across at different speeds, so the exam you are registered for is named at registration and printed on your admission ticket. That document is the authority.
The level nobody counts
Neither numbering includes what comes before level 1: the four tones, the pinyin system, stroke order, and the radicals that make characters memorable instead of arbitrary. The exam never tests them directly and every level above assumes them, which is why skipping them is the most common reason self-study stalls. GraphChinese calls that layer HSK 0 and teaches it as 19 explicit topics — see the four tones, explained.
Can you skip levels?
Yes, as an exam. There is no prerequisite certificate: you may register for HSK 4 having never sat HSK 1, and many people do because only the highest certificate usually matters to an institution.
No, as a language. An HSK 4 paper is built almost entirely out of HSK 1–3 vocabulary and grammar plus a few new elements, so a candidate whose lower levels are shaky is not attempting a hard exam — they are attempting an unreadable one. Which level to register for covers how to tell the difference in advance.
In GraphChinese: the whole ladder is one dependency graph of 829 topics rather than six or nine buckets, and a topic stays locked until its prerequisites are proven. The free adaptive placement drops you at your true frontier, whichever numbering your test center uses.
Frequently asked questions
How many HSK levels are there?
Six: HSK 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, running from about 150 cumulative words to about 5,000. A revised standard taking effect from July 2026 renumbers the ladder into nine levels in three stages, and the advanced HSK 7–9 exam that sits above the old HSK 6 has existed since 2022.
How many HSK levels are there now?
Nine on paper, six in most test centers. The nine-level standard is official and the advanced 7–9 exam runs on it, but levels 1 to 6 moved across at different speeds through 2026, so the numbering that applies to you is the one named on your own booking.
Is there an HSK 7, 8 or 9?
Yes, as one combined exam rather than three. You sit a single advanced paper and your result places you at level 7, 8, 9 or below 7. It tests listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking, and it is computer-based only.
What is HSK 0?
Not an official level. It is the name GraphChinese gives the foundations every HSK level silently assumes — the four tones, pinyin, stroke order and the common radicals. The exam never tests them directly and every level above depends on them.
Do you have to take every HSK level in order?
No. You can register for any level directly, with no prerequisite certificate — a first-time candidate may sit HSK 4. What you cannot skip is the material, because each paper is built almost entirely from the levels underneath it.
How many words are in each HSK level?
Cumulatively under the six-level exam: 150, 300, 600, 1,200, 2,500 and 5,000. Under the November 2025 syllabus for the new nine-level standard: roughly 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,600 and 5,400 for levels 1 to 6, and about 11,000 across all nine.
Six levels, nine levels, or 829 topics. GraphChinese teaches the ladder as a dependency graph, so you always know the next thing to learn rather than the next label to earn. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level