New HSK Levels Explained (HSK 3.0): All 9 Levels, Words and Characters

The New HSK (HSK 3.0) has nine levels in three stages: Elementary (1–3), Intermediate (4–6) and Advanced (7–9, taken as one exam). Vocabulary grows from 300 words at Level 1 to 11,000 for Levels 7–9.

Free PDF: HSK 3.0 writing practice (100 characters)

All levels at a glance (official 2025 syllabus)

Level	Stage	New words	Words in total	New characters (reading)	Characters in total	Handwriting (cumulative)
1	Elementary	300	300	246	246	—
2	Elementary	200	500	125	371	100 (Levels 1–2 list)
3	Elementary	500	1,000	284	655	250
4	Intermediate	1,000	2,000	441	1,096	400
5	Intermediate	1,600	3,600	431	1,527	550
6	Intermediate	1,800	5,400	413	1,940	700
7–9	Advanced (one exam)	5,600	11,000	1,148	3,088	1,200

Word and character counts are the numbered entries in the syllabus. A few written forms repeat with different meanings or pronunciations, so a de-duplicated list is slightly shorter.

What changed from the six-level HSK

Bigger start. Level 1 needs 300 words, not 150. See the New HSK 1 word list.
Handwriting from Level 2. A 100-character writing list covers Levels 1–2, growing to 1,200 by Levels 7–9. See the 100 characters.
Three advanced levels. Levels 7, 8 and 9 share one list and one exam; your score decides the level awarded.

For a side-by-side comparison, read HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0 in 2026, or the overview on our New HSK page.

Which level should you aim for?

Complete beginner: Level 1 (300 words). Start with pinyin and HSK 1 lessons.
Can handle simple daily talk: Level 2 (500 words). New HSK 2 word list · HSK 2 lessons.
Want to study or work in Chinese: Levels 3–4. New HSK 3 word list · HSK 3 lessons · HSK 4 lessons.

Not sure where you are? Take the free placement test.

There is no official CEFR mapping for HSK 3.0 in the syllabus. Treat CEFR equivalences you see online as estimates.

Free download: HSK 3.0 writing practice sheets

All 100 characters on the official Levels 1–2 writing list in 田字格 grids, with pinyin, English, an example word, trace and practice boxes, plus exam-style gap-fill drills with answers. Free on Gumroad (pay what you want, $0 is fine).

Get the free PDF Try a free lesson

FAQ

How many levels does the New HSK have?

Nine, in three stages: Elementary (Levels 1–3), Intermediate (Levels 4–6) and Advanced (Levels 7–9). Levels 7–9 are taken as a single exam.

How many words do I need for each New HSK level?

Cumulatively: 300 (Level 1), 500 (Level 2), 1,000 (Level 3), 2,000 (Level 4), 3,600 (Level 5), 5,400 (Level 6) and 11,000 (Levels 7–9), per the 2025 HSK Syllabus.

When does the new HSK exam start?

The first regular sitting of the new Levels 1–6 papers is widely reported for 13 December 2026. Check with your test centre, because sittings before that use the classic exam.

Counts come from the official HSK Syllabus (CLEC, published November 2025, in force from July 2026), counted from the PDF. Exam dates are as reported by test centres and third-party guides; confirm with your test centre or chinesetest.cn. ACA Chinese is independent and not affiliated with the test organiser.