HSK Levels

HSK (Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì, 汉语水平考试) is China's official standardized test of Chinese language proficiency — similar to TOEFL for English. It's used by universities and employers worldwide to measure Mandarin ability.

The current HSK 3.0 standard (2025) has 9 levels from beginner to expert. The words below are drawn from the official HSK 3.0 vocabulary list, focusing on the most useful and frequently encountered words at each level. Click any level to browse its words.