HSK level checker for Chinese text (HSK 3.0)
Paste Chinese text below and this checker marks every word with its level in the new HSK 3.0 vocabulary list, then tells you what level you need to read it. It is free, needs no signup, and nothing you paste is stored.
How the checker works
- The list. Words are matched against the HSK 3.0 vocabulary: 10,902 words across seven bands, HSK 1 to HSK 6 plus the single 7-9 band.
- The split. Chinese has no spaces, so at each position the checker takes the longest word the list contains, up to four characters. A character that begins no listed word takes its level from the HSK 3.0 character list, and one that is in neither is marked as outside the list.
- The level. Words are counted every time they occur. The level reported is the lowest one at which a reader who knows every word up to that band knows 95% of the words in the text.
Limits. Longest-match splitting does not read grammar, so a few word boundaries will be wrong in a long text, and a word used in a rare sense still shows its list level. Names and places are not on the list. Use the result as a guide to difficulty, and the dictionary for any single word.
What the levels mean
HSK 3.0 keeps levels 1 to 6 and adds an advanced 7-9 band. The word counts are 302, 198, 491, 991, 1,580 and 1,778 new words for levels 1 to 6, and 5,562 for the 7-9 band. To find your own level, take the free HSK placement test, and to read texts already written at a level, see the graded readings.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check the HSK level of a Chinese text?
Paste it into the box on this page and press Check. Every word is matched against the HSK 3.0 vocabulary list and marked with its band, and the summary tells you the lowest level at which a reader knows 80%, 90% and 95% of the words.
What HSK level do I need to read a text comfortably?
Reading research usually puts comfortable reading at about 95% of running words known, and 98% for reading without a dictionary. The checker reports the HSK 3.0 level that reaches 80%, 90% and 95% so you can see how far a text is from that line.
Does it use HSK 3.0 or the old HSK?
HSK 3.0: the 10,902-word list of the new nine-band standard, where levels 1 to 6 hold 5,340 words and the 7-9 band adds 5,562. The same word often sits at a different level in the old six-level list. What changed, word by word.
Why are some words marked as not in HSK?
Names, places, rare words and new slang are not on the list, so they are marked as outside it. A text can also be split wrongly: the checker takes the longest listed word at each position, and it does not read grammar, so a few boundaries will be off in any long text.
Is my text stored?
No. The text is analysed for this one response and is not saved. Only the length of the text is logged, to count how often the tool is used.
GraphChinese teaches the HSK words in dependency order and gives you graded readings written inside the words you already know. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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