HSK levels against CEFR: A1 to C2
Every European application form wants a CEFR level, and the HSK does not print one. Two mappings exist. The official alignment runs HSK 1 to A1 and HSK 6 to C2; the mapping experienced teachers use runs roughly a level and a half lower at the top. Both are on this page, labeled, because choosing between them silently is how learners end up in a classroom that assumes twice their ability.
The two mappings, side by side
| Level | Vocabulary | Official alignment | Practical equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 150 words | A1 | A1 |
| HSK 2 | 300 words | A2 | A1–A2 |
| HSK 3 | 600 words | B1 | A2 |
| HSK 4 | 1,200 words | B2 | B1 |
| HSK 5 | 2,500 words | C1 | B1–B2 |
| HSK 6 | 5,000 words | C2 | B2–C1 |
The right-hand column is a working consensus among teachers and long-term learners, not a published standard. Treat it as the number to plan your study around and the official column as the number to quote when a form demands one.
Why the columns disagree
CEFR is a description of what you can do with a language across four skills, including speaking to a person who has not slowed down for you. The HSK is a multiple-choice paper over a fixed vocabulary list, plus a small writing section from level 3, with a 60% pass. Three consequences follow directly:
- Nothing on the HSK asks you to speak. CEFR B2 assumes spontaneous conversation on unfamiliar topics. An HSK 6 certificate is compatible with never having said a sentence aloud, which is why the HSKK exists as a separate exam.
- The vocabulary is closed. HSK 5 tests 2,500 listed words. A CEFR B2 reader meets whatever the newspaper printed that morning, and Chinese newspapers use well past 5,000 words.
- Sixty percent passes. A CEFR level describes reliable ability. A scraped HSK pass describes a majority of one paper on one morning.
None of this makes the HSK a bad exam. It makes it a vocabulary-and-comprehension exam that reports one number, and the CEFR question is asking something wider than that number covers.
The nine-band standard
HSK 3.0 reorganizes Chinese proficiency into nine levels rather than six and raises the vocabulary at every step — roughly 300 words at level 1 and 5,400 by level 6 under the November 2025 exam syllabus, against 150 and 5,000 under HSK 2.0, with levels 7 to 9 reaching about 11,000 and a compulsory spoken component from level 3. Two consequences for this page: the new levels sit closer to their claimed CEFR positions than the old ones did, because the word counts went up and speaking is finally being tested; and a new level 4 is a larger claim than an old level 4, so a certificate now needs its standard named. The new HSK, explained covers the transition and the nine-level standard covers the framework.
What to write on the form
Write the exam and the score: HSK 5, 245/300, June 2026. That is checkable, it carries the information a CEFR letter throws away, and nobody can dispute it. If the form insists on a CEFR box, use the official alignment and be ready to demonstrate the level you claimed — an admissions interview is conducted in the language, and the mapping argument never comes up because the conversation settles it in the first minute.
In GraphChinese: the course reports mastery per topic rather than a single level, because a level is exactly the summary that hides which parts are shaky. The free adaptive placement drops you at your true frontier across all 829 topics, whichever level you have a certificate for. How the mastery model works.
Frequently asked questions
What CEFR level is HSK 6?
The official alignment places HSK 6 at C2. Most teachers and long-term learners place a passing HSK 6 nearer B2 or C1 in practice, because the exam requires no spoken production, no spontaneous writing beyond a retelling, and 60% of the paper to pass. Write C1 on an application only if you can back it in an interview.
What CEFR level is HSK 4?
Officially B2. In practice a passing HSK 4 behaves like a solid B1: about 1,200 words, comfortable in everyday topics, still slow with unedited native material.
Why do the official and practical mappings differ?
CEFR describes what you can do, including speaking and spontaneous writing, while the HSK measures recognition of a fixed vocabulary list under multiple choice. A learner can clear 60% of an HSK paper without ever producing a spoken sentence, so the same certificate covers a wide range of real ability.
Does HSK 3.0 change the CEFR mapping?
It moves the numbers under it. The nine-level standard adds levels 7 to 9 above the old HSK 6, so the ladder reaches considerably further, and the November 2025 exam syllabus raises the vocabulary at every level against HSK 2.0 — roughly 300 words at level 1 and 2,000 at level 4, against 150 and 1,200. The lower levels therefore sit closer to their claimed CEFR positions than the old ones did, and a new level 4 is a bigger claim than an old level 4.
What should you write on a CV?
Write the HSK level and the score, for example HSK 5, 245/300. It is a fact rather than a claim, it is verifiable, and it avoids an argument about mappings with whoever reads it.
A level is a summary; a graph is a map. GraphChinese tracks all 829 topics from tones to HSK 6 individually, so you always know which specific things are missing rather than which label you fall under. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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