HSK 5 vocabulary list

All 1,298 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 5 adds 1,298 new words, bringing the cumulative total to about 2,500. That is the level where you can handle newspapers, films, structured presentations. 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 5 vocabulary list.

Know these already? Take the free HSK 5 test: 20 questions, scored on the page, no signup.

A word list is not a syllabus. These 1,298 words are not independent: most HSK 5 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 5 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 5 opens with 唉. Sorted by what you are ready for, it opens like this:

1. 1
   Reluctance & Sentiment 1 word

   舍不得shě bu de

2. 2
   Conditional & Hedging Words 7 words

   哪怕nǎ pà 难怪nán guài 宁可nìng kě 万一wàn yī 要不yào bù 要是yào shi 一旦yī dàn

3. 3
   Youth, Adolescence & Naivety 8 words

   青qīng 青春qīng chūn 青少年qīng shào nián 天真tiān zhēn 王子wáng zǐ 往返wǎng fǎn 小伙子xiǎo huǒ zi 幼儿园yòu ér yuán

4. 4
   Action, Behavior & Conduct 3 words

   行动xíng dòng 行人xíng rén 作为zuò wéi

5. 5
   Expectation & Time Spans 7 words

   期待qī dài 期间qī jiān 一辈子yī bèi zi 以及yǐ jí 以来yǐ lái 自从zì cóng 自动zì dòng

6. 6
   Groups, Extension & Recommendations 5 words

   团tuán 有利yǒu lì 主席zhǔ xí 主张zhǔ zhāng 组合zǔ hé

All 1,298 HSK 5 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 5?

HSK 5 introduces 1,298 new words. Counting everything below it, you are expected to know roughly 2,500 words by the end of the level.

How long does it take to learn HSK 5 vocabulary?

At fifteen new words a day with spaced review, the 1,298 new words take about 87 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.