HSK 2 vocabulary list
HSK 2 adds 147 new words, bringing the cumulative total to about 300. That is the level where you can handle everyday exchanges — shopping, directions, daily routine. Every word below links to its full dictionary entry — meaning, the characters it is built from, and example sentences.
A word list is not a syllabus. These 147 words are not independent: most HSK 2 words are built from characters and patterns introduced below this level, which is why drilling a list top-to-bottom stalls so often. The levels are a dependency chain, not six equal buckets.
All 147 HSK 2 words
| Word | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 别 | Bié | surname Bie; to leave; to part (from); (literary) to differentiate; to distinguish |
| 报纸 | bào zhǐ | newspaper; newsprint |
| 白 | Bái | surname Bai; white; snowy |
| 吧 | bā | bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc); to puff (on a pipe etc); (onom.) bang |
| 帮助 | bāng zhù | assistance; aid; to help; to assist |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai; hundred; numerous |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利时 |
| 船 | chuán | variant of 船; boat; vessel |
| 穿 | chuān | to wear; to put on; to dress |
| 唱歌 | chàng gē | to sing a song |
| 长 | cháng | length; long; forever |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to occur |
| 错 | Cuò | surname Cuo; mistake; wrong |
| 次 | cì | next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc) |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 从; surname Cong; from |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 但是 | dàn shì | but; however |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain |
| 弟弟 | dì di | younger brother |
| 第一 | dì yī | first; number one; primary |
| 打篮球 | dǎ lán qiú | to play basketball |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand; to comprehend |
| 房间 | fáng jiān | room |
| 服务员 | fú wù yuán | waiter; waitress; attendant |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 贵 | guì | expensive; noble; precious |
| 告诉 | gào sù | to press charges; to file a complaint; to tell; to inform; to let know |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao; high; tall |
| 哥哥 | gē ge | older brother |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of |
| 公共汽车 | gōng gòng qì chē | bus |
| 公斤 | gōng jīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 公司 | gōng sī | company; firm; corporation |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan; still; still in progress |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 欢迎 | huān yíng | to welcome; welcome |
| 号 | hào | ordinal number; day of the month; mark; sign |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 红 | Hóng | surname Hong; red; popular |
| 黑 | Hēi | abbr. for Heilongjiang province 黑龙江; black; dark |
| 好吃 | hǎo chī | tasty; delicious; to be fond of eating |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 教室 | jiào shì | classroom |
| 介绍 | jiè shào | to introduce (sb to sb); to give a presentation; to present (sb for a job etc) |
| 就 | jiù | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 是) |
| 姐姐 | jiě jie | older sister |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 近 | jìn | near; close to; approximately |
| 进 | jìn | to go forward; to advance; to go in |
| 机场 | jī chǎng | airport; airfield; (slang) service provider for Shadowsocks or similar software for circumventing Internet censorship |
| 鸡蛋 | jī dàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed |
| 快乐 | kuài lè | happy; joyful |
| 课 | kè | subject; course; class |
| 咖啡 | kā fēi | coffee (loanword) |
| 开始 | kāi shǐ | to begin; beginning; to start |
| 可能 | kě néng | might (happen); possible; probable |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible |
| 考试 | kǎo shì | to take an exam; exam |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some |
| 离 | lí | to leave; to part from; to be away from |
| 路 | Lù | surname Lu; road; journey |
| 累 | lěi | to accumulate; to involve or implicate (Taiwan pr. [lèi]); continuous |
| 旅游 | lǚ yóu | trip; journey; tourism |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 忙 | máng | busy; hurriedly; to hurry |
| 妹妹 | mèi mei | younger sister; young woman |
| 门 | Mén | surname Men; gate; door |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 牛奶 | niú nǎi | cow's milk |
| 男人 | nán rén | a man; a male; men |
| 您 | nín | you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你) |
| 女人 | nǚ rén | woman; wife |
| 票 | piào | ticket; ballot; banknote |
| 便宜 | pián yi | cheap; inexpensive; (biàn yí) convenient |
| 旁边 | páng biān | side; adjacent place |
| 跑步 | pǎo bù | to run; to jog; (military) to march at the double |
| 千 | qiān | thousand; see 秋千 |
| 晴 | qíng | clear; fine (weather) |
| 去年 | qù nián | last year |
| 妻子 | qī zǐ | wife and children; wife |
| 起床 | qǐ chuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth |
| 上班 | shàng bān | to go to work; to be on duty; to start work |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 时间 | shí jiān | time; period |
| 身体 | shēn tǐ | the body; one's health; in person |
| 生病 | shēng bìng | to fall ill |
| 生日 | shēng rì | birthday |
| 手表 | shǒu biǎo | wristwatch |
| 手机 | shǒu jī | cell phone; mobile phone |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so |
| 送 | sòng | to send; to deliver; to transmit; to give (as a present); to see (sb) off |
| 跳舞 | tiào wǔ | to dance |
| 题 | Tí | surname Ti; topic; problem for discussion |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 踢 | tī | to kick; to play (e.g. soccer); (slang) butch (in a lesbian relationship) |
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole |
| 玩 | wán | to play; to have fun; to trifle with |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 问题 | wèn tí | question; problem; issue |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; in the evening |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; towards; to face |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 休息 | xiū xi | rest; to rest |
| 小时 | xiǎo shí | hour |
| 雪 | Xuě | surname Xue; snow; (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc) |
| 姓 | xìng | family name; surname; to be surnamed |
| 西瓜 | xī guā | watermelon |
| 希望 | xī wàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 疆 or Singapore 坡; surname Xin; new |
| 洗 | xǐ | to wash; to bathe; to develop (photographs); to shuffle (cards etc) |
| 元 | Yuán | surname Yuan; the Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368); currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan) |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote |
| 药 | yào | leaf of the iris; variant of 药; medicine |
| 要 | yào | to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should |
| 颜色 | yán sè | color; countenance; appearance |
| 羊肉 | yáng ròu | mutton; goat meat |
| 意思 | yì si | idea; opinion; meaning |
| 右边 | yòu bian | right side; right, to the right |
| 游泳 | yóu yǒng | swimming; to swim |
| 运动 | yùn dòng | to move; to exercise; sports |
| 鱼 | Yú | surname Yu; fish |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye; (adverb) also; both ... and ... (before predicates only); (literary) particle having functions similar to 啊 |
| 一起 | yī qǐ | in the same place; together; with |
| 阴 | Yīn | surname Yin; overcast (weather); cloudy |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 着 | zhe | (particle: action or state continuing); (zháo) to touch; to be affected by |
| 丈夫 | zhàng fu | husband |
| 正在 | zhèng zài | just at (that time); right in (that place); right in the middle of (doing sth) |
| 张 | Zhāng | surname Zhang; to open up; to spread |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhī dao] |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb |
| 准备 | zhǔn bèi | preparation; to prepare; to intend |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最; old variant of 最; most |
| 左边 | zuǒ bian | left; the left side; to the left of |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; second; another; then (after sth, and not until then) |
| 自行车 | zì xíng chē | bicycle; bike |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | early morning |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run |
Frequently asked questions
How many words are in HSK 2?
HSK 2 introduces 147 new words. Counting everything below it, you are expected to know roughly 300 words by the end of the level.
How long does it take to learn HSK 2 vocabulary?
At fifteen new words a day with spaced review, the 147 new words take about 10 days. The real constraint is rarely how fast you can meet a word — it is whether the material underneath is automatic enough for the new word to attach to anything. That is why learners who skip levels end up re-learning them.
Is this the 2021 nine-band list?
No — this is the six-level HSK 2.0 vocabulary, which is what the exams most learners sit still follow. The HSK levels page explains how the nine-band standard relates to it.
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