HSK 3 vocabulary list

All 298 words · pinyin and English · free, no signup

• HSK 1
• HSK 2
• HSK 3
• HSK 4
• HSK 5
• HSK 6
• HSK 7–9

In the current six-level HSK (HSK 2.0), HSK 3 adds 298 new words, bringing the cumulative total to about 600. That is the level where you can handle most daily situations, opinions in simple terms. Every word below links to its full dictionary entry — meaning, the characters it is built from, and example sentences.

This is the old six-level list. The new HSK 3.0, first sat officially on 13 December 2026, has a different list at this level: the new HSK 3 vocabulary list.

Know these already? Take the free HSK 3 test: 20 questions, scored on the page, no signup.

A word list is not a syllabus. These 298 words are not independent: most HSK 3 words are built from words and characters you meet below this level, which is why drilling a list from the top stalls so often. The levels build on each other rather than sitting in six equal buckets — and the whole climb takes longer than most guides admit.

Where HSK 3 actually starts

Chinese words hold each other up. 白 (bái, white) is HSK 2, and 明白 (míng bai, to understand) is HSK 3 — most of the way free once 白 is solid. 但是 (dàn shì, but) is HSK 2, and 不但 (bù dàn, not only) sits two levels above it and stays guesswork until 但是 is automatic. Meet them in the wrong order and you are memorising. Meet them in the right one and you are mostly recognising.

So we mapped which words hold up which — that map is the graph in GraphChinese — and it decides what you are handed next. Sorted by pinyin, HSK 3 opens with 啊. Sorted by what you are ready for, it opens like this:

1. 1
   Function Words & Prepositions 12 words

   把bǎ 被bèi 跟gēn 根据gēn jù 关于guān yú 除了chú le 为了wèi le 为什么wèi shén me 像xiàng 其他qí tā 自己zì jǐ 地de

2. 2
   Directions & Location 12 words

   东dōng 南nán 西xī 中间zhōng jiān 以后yǐ hòu 以前yǐ qián 马上mǎ shàng 先xiān 分fēn 刻kè 半bàn 万wàn

3. 3
   Extended Family 11 words

   阿姨ā yí 奶奶nǎi nai 爷爷yé ye 叔叔shū shu 邻居lín jū 别人bié ren 客人kè rén 同事tóng shì 经理jīng lǐ 司机sī jī 校长xiào zhǎng

4. 4
   Cognitive & Communication Verbs 11 words

   了解liǎo jiě 记得jì de 忘记wàng jì 发现fā xiàn 认为rèn wéi 相信xiāng xìn 以为yǐ wéi 明白míng bai 决定jué dìng 选择xuǎn zé 讲jiǎng

5. 5
   Sequence, Similarity & Remaining Words 28 words

   一般yī bān 一边yī biān 一样yī yàng 相同xiāng tóng 表示biǎo shì 奇怪qí guài 经过jīng guò 主要zhǔ yào 重要zhòng yào 注意zhù yì 小心xiǎo xīn 久jiǔ 短duǎn 低dī 啊ā 又yòu 只zhǐ 越yuè 多么duō me 蓝lán 黄huáng 绿lǜ 迟到chí dào 要求yāo qiú 方便fāng biàn 清楚qīng chu 教jiāo 角jiǎo

6. 6
   Achievement, Change & Progress 11 words

   变化biàn huà 完成wán chéng 解决jiě jué 提高tí gāo 影响yǐng xiǎng 结束jié shù 出现chū xiàn 努力nǔ lì 水平shuǐ píng 作用zuò yòng 使shǐ

All 298 HSK 3 words

Sorted by pinyin, the way the official list is published — so you can check yourself against it. Tap any word for its full entry.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in HSK 3?

HSK 3 introduces 298 new words. Counting everything below it, you are expected to know roughly 600 words by the end of the level.

How long does it take to learn HSK 3 vocabulary?

At fifteen new words a day with spaced review, the 298 new words take about 20 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, and the band 7–9 list is the level above.