HSK 3.0 replaces HSK 2.0 worldwide on 13 December 2026: 9 levels in 3 bands, about 11,000 words, compulsory speaking and writing. Word counts per level, the timeline, and which list to study.
The HSK — China's official Mandarin proficiency exam — has been rebuilt. HSK 3.0 has nine levels instead of six, more than twice the vocabulary at the top, and no way to skip speaking or writing. It becomes the exam worldwide on 13 December 2026. This guide covers what is different, how many words each level now needs, and whether you should switch lists today.
HSK 2.0, the six-level exam most learners know, has been in use since 2010. Its lists are short at the bottom — 150 words for level 1 — and stop at 5,000 words, which left a wide gap between passing HSK 6 and actually working or studying in Chinese.
HSK 3.0 is the answer to that gap. It keeps the name and the idea of numbered levels, but redraws every one of them and adds a new advanced band on top.
Levels: 9, in three bands — elementary (1–3), intermediate (4–6), advanced (7–9)Vocabulary: about 11,000 words in total, up from 5,000Skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking are compulsory at every levelSyllabus published: November 2025Worldwide from: 13 December 2026
The six levels become nine, grouped into three bands of three. Levels 1–3 are the elementary band, 4–6 the intermediate band and 7–9 the advanced band. Levels 1 to 6 each have their own exam, as before. Levels 7, 8 and 9 share a single exam: everyone sits the same paper and the score decides which of the three levels is awarded.
Every level asks for more words than the level with the same number did under HSK 2.0. The jump is steepest at the bottom: level 1 doubles from 150 words to about 300, and level 3 goes from 600 to about 1,000. Level 6 barely moves — 5,000 to about 5,400 — because the real growth at the top comes from the new band above it.
Under HSK 2.0 the spoken test, HSKK, was a separate exam that many candidates never took, and levels 1 and 2 had no writing section at all. Under HSK 3.0 speaking and writing are part of the exam at every level. For learners who have studied by recognition only — flashcards, reading, multiple choice — this is the change that matters most, more than any word count.
HSK 2.0 had nothing above level 6. The advanced band roughly doubles the ceiling, from about 5,400 words to about 11,000, and is aimed at people who use Chinese for research, translation or professional work rather than for daily life.
Vocabulary gets the attention, but the standard behind HSK 3.0 also sets out, level by level, the syllables, characters and grammar points a learner is expected to command. That is one more reason to learn characters properly rather than leaning on pinyin.
HSK totals are cumulative: the figure for level 3 includes everything from levels 1 and 2. The table shows the old and new totals side by side, plus the number of words that are new at each level in the list HanziBook publishes.
The official syllabus quotes rounded totals. The published word list we use has 10,057 entries across all nine levels, which is why the per-level counts above add up to slightly less than the headline numbers.
Two things stand out. The lower levels are much heavier than they used to be, so an HSK 2.0 level is not equivalent to the HSK 3.0 level with the same number. And nearly half of all the vocabulary sits in the 7–9 band — most learners will never need it, and that is by design.
Check your own date. Before you choose a word list, confirm with your test centre which version of the exam your sitting will be.
It comes down to one question: which exam will you actually sit?
You have a confirmed HSK 2.0 sitting before 13 December 2026. Changing lists a few weeks before an exam costs more than it gains — finish what you started. The HanziBook lists for HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5 and HSK 6 stay online for exactly this reason.
You are following a course or textbook built on HSK 2.0 and are not planning to take the exam soon. The words are the same Chinese either way; you can map across later.
Your exam is on or after 13 December 2026, or you have not booked one yet. Any certificate you earn from now on will be measured against the new levels.
You are starting from zero. There is no reason to learn a list that is being retired — begin with HSK 3.0 level 1.
You need a level for a university application or a job in 2027 or later. Ask the institution which version it expects, and assume the new one unless told otherwise.
Nothing you have learned is wasted — the two standards overlap heavily, and a word you know is a word you know. What changes is where the level boundaries fall.
The syllabus was published in November 2025, pilot exams were held on 31 January 2026, implementation began on 1 July 2026, and HSK 3.0 becomes the exam worldwide on 13 December 2026.
About 11,000 across all nine levels. The cumulative totals are roughly 300, 500 and 1,000 for levels 1–3; 2,000, 3,600 and 5,400 for levels 4–6; and about 11,000 for the combined 7–9 band.
Level for level, yes: each level needs more words than its HSK 2.0 namesake, and speaking and writing can no longer be avoided. But the Chinese itself has not changed. A learner who could really use the language at HSK 2.0 level 4 has not lost anything — the scale has simply been re-marked.
Yes. Speaking and writing are compulsory at every HSK 3.0 level, including the elementary band. At the lowest levels the tasks are short and simple, but they are part of the exam.
An existing certificate is not cancelled by the new exam, but whether it is accepted is decided by whoever asks you for it — a university, a scholarship programme, an employer. Check their current requirements rather than relying on a general rule.
The advanced band, new in HSK 3.0. The three levels share one word list and one exam, and your score determines whether you are awarded level 7, 8 or 9. See the HSK 3.0 levels 7–9 word list.
Right here: the download box at the top of this page has the full list, and each level page has its own file, as CSV and as an Anki import. They are free and need no account.
Each page has the complete list of words first introduced at that level, with pinyin and meaning, a filter box and downloads.
HSK 3.0 level 1 vocabulary list — 294 words, about 300 in totalHSK 3.0 level 2 vocabulary list — 197 new words, about 500 in totalHSK 3.0 level 3 vocabulary list — 487 new words, about 1,000 in totalHSK 3.0 level 4 vocabulary list — 972 new words, about 2,000 in totalHSK 3.0 level 5 vocabulary list — 1,547 new words, about 3,600 in totalHSK 3.0 level 6 vocabulary list — 1,684 new words, about 5,400 in totalHSK 3.0 levels 7–9 vocabulary list — 4,876 new words, about 11,000 in total
HSK 3.0 level 1 · HSK 3.0 level 2 · HSK 3.0 level 3 · HSK 3.0 level 4 · HSK 3.0 level 5 · HSK 3.0 level 6 · HSK 3.0 levels 7–9 · HSK 1 list (HSK 2.0)
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