Which HSK system should you use?
Use current HSK 1–6 when your exam registration, school or course uses the familiar six-level format. Use HSK 3.0 when the program explicitly refers to the new syllabus or when you want a long-term nine-level roadmap.
If certification is your immediate goal, the version on the booking matters more than a generic online level chart.
Current HSK Levels 1–6
| Level | Cumulative unified headwords | What the level represents | Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 150 | Survival communication: greetings, identity, numbers and basic everyday needs. | Quiz |
| HSK 2 | 300 | Short exchanges about family, routines, shopping, travel and familiar situations. | Quiz |
| HSK 3 | 600 | Connected communication for study, work, travel and common social topics. | Quiz |
| HSK 4 | 1,200 | Discuss a wider range of topics and understand more connected spoken and written Chinese. | Quiz |
| HSK 5 | 2,500 | Read broader texts, follow media and produce more detailed spoken and written responses. | Quiz |
| HSK 6 | 5,000 | Understand complex material and express ideas fluently across unfamiliar topics. | Quiz |
What changes from one current HSK level to the next?
Vocabulary is cumulative, but difficulty is not only a word count. Listening becomes longer and less controlled, reading requires faster processing, and writing appears from HSK 3. By HSK 5 and HSK 6, learners must manage larger texts and organize more complex responses.
Each HSK Atlas level hub connects the facts learners need in one place: exam format, vocabulary, derived character coverage, study plan, grammar guidance and a no-account quiz.
HSK 3.0 Levels 1–9
The official new syllabus has elementary Levels 1–3, intermediate Levels 4–6 and advanced Levels 7–9. Its unified headword totals are larger at the early levels and the advanced vocabulary is published as one shared range.
| Level | Cumulative unified headwords | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 3.0 Level 1 | 300 | Elementary |
| HSK 3.0 Level 2 | 497 | Elementary |
| HSK 3.0 Level 3 | 988 | Elementary |
| HSK 3.0 Level 4 | 1,978 | Intermediate |
| HSK 3.0 Level 5 | 3,557 | Intermediate |
| HSK 3.0 Level 6 | 5,334 | Intermediate |
| HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 | 11,000 | Advanced shared range |
Can an old level be converted directly to a new one?
No reliable one-line conversion exists. A test result includes several skills, while a vocabulary list only measures list overlap. Two learners with the same certificate can also have different active vocabulary.
The useful comparison is concrete: source words, target words, shared words, source-only words, target-only words and level shifts. HSK Atlas calculates those sets without claiming that list membership proves mastery.
Compare two HSK vocabulary targets
How to choose your starting level
- Start with your real task. Passing a booked exam, entering a class and building general Chinese require different choices.
- Sample the vocabulary. If most of a cumulative list is unfamiliar, begin lower.
- Check listening and reading. Recognition of isolated words is not enough for exam readiness.
- Use a short quiz. Review errors, then decide whether to move up or consolidate.
- Reassess after one week. A sustainable study level is more useful than an impressive label.
Common mistakes
- writing “HSK Level 3” without checking which system the source uses;
- treating vocabulary count as a complete measure of proficiency;
- calling a vocabulary-derived character set an official character requirement;
- assuming publication of a syllabus means every exam center switched immediately;
- restarting from zero instead of comparing what is shared.