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Levels

Chinese in seven levels, as the HSK syllabus sets them out. Each has its words, its characters and its grammar, and an exam: study for it however you like, and take it when you feel ready.

Beginner

  1. 1 HSK 1 The first 300 words: greetings and names, numbers, dates and times, prices, family and home, and short sentences about everyday things. 294 words, 294 in all 248 new characters 52 grammar points Exam: 40 questions, 30 minutes
  2. 2 HSK 2 The next 200 words, to 500 in all: getting around town, school and work, sport and free time, health and the weather, and sentences that compare things and give reasons. 197 words, 491 in all 123 new characters 73 grammar points Exam: 50 questions, 40 minutes, coming soon
  3. 3 HSK 3 500 more words, for 1,000 in all: getting around, shopping, health and the weather, school and work, and sentences joined with if, although and as long as. 487 words, 978 in all 282 new characters 92 grammar points Exam: 65 questions, 50 minutes, coming soon

Intermediate

  1. 4 HSK 4 A thousand more words, to 2,000 in all: work and study, travel, health, feelings and opinions, and longer sentences that compare, give reasons and link one idea to the next. 972 words, 1,950 in all 439 new characters 127 grammar points Exam: 75 questions, 60 minutes, coming soon
  2. 5 HSK 5 Words up to 3,600 in all: work and money, health and nature, society and the news, feelings and opinions, and longer texts that tell a story or argue a point. 1,547 words, 3,497 in all 432 new characters 85 grammar points Exam: 85 questions, 75 minutes, coming soon
  3. 6 HSK 6 5,400 words in all: words built with prefixes and suffixes, adverbs that show what the speaker thinks, the set phrases of everyday talk, and the longer, joined sentences of written Chinese. 1,684 words, 5,181 in all 404 new characters 56 grammar points Exam: 95 questions, 90 minutes, coming soon

Advanced

  1. 7-9 HSK 7–9 The words grow to about 11,000 in all: formal and written Chinese, set phrases and idioms, the press, literature, and the talk of specialists. 4,876 words, 10,057 in all 1038 new characters 150 grammar points Exam: 100 questions, 120 minutes, coming soon

The words, characters and grammar follow the HSK 3.0 syllabus of 2025. The exams are our own, not the HSK, and give no certificate. A level's exam opens once its sentences are written: HSK 1's first.