HSK Guide

Curriculum

The four curriculum tracks, compared honestly

HSK Guide carries HSK 1–4 of the classic six-level HSK, the three-band nine-level standard, the HSKK speaking examination and an examination-independent General Mandarin path. Each is a separate inventory with its own vocabulary list, and nothing is silently mixed.

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Vocabulary from different standards is stored and labelled separately

A word exists once in HSK Guide’s dictionary. Its membership of a level is a separate record, one per standard that lists it, each carrying the source it was taken from. So the same word can be labelled HSK 3 by one standard and Level 4 by another, and both labels stay visible with the name of the document they came from.

Nothing is merged, renumbered or silently carried across. A level number in the six-level ladder and the same number in the nine-level standard are two different claims about two different word lists — HSK Guide never treats them as interchangeable, and neither should your study plan.

Levels

Every ladder, side by side

Switching track swaps the whole ladder rather than renumbering it — which is the honest way to show that these are different inventories.

These figures are transcribed from the published standard and are awaiting editorial verification against the primary source.

  1. HSK 1

    Greetings, names, numbers, family and the first everyday sentences.

    words
    150
    characters
    174
  2. HSK 2

    Simple routine exchanges: time, shopping, transport, school and work.

    words
    300
    characters
    347
  3. HSK 3

    Handle most situations while travelling or studying in China, and describe experiences.

    words
    600
    characters
    617
  4. HSK 4

    Discuss a wide range of topics fluently enough for university life and everyday work.

    words
    1,200
    characters
    1,064

Choosing

What each standard is, and who should pick it

The description and the publishing body come from the curriculum record. The guidance under “pick this if” is HSK Guide’s own editorial advice.

HSK 1–4 (classic)

Learners whose textbook, university application or test centre still counts 1 to 6.

Examination track

Levels 1 through 4 of the six-level HSK used by most textbooks, universities and scholarship applications published before the nine-level standard. HSK Guide does not yet publish levels 5 and 6.

Published by
Chinese Testing International
Levels
4

Pick this if

  • Your course book, scholarship form or admissions page names a level between HSK 1 and HSK 6.
  • You want the shortest ladder to a usable everyday level.
  • You are following a class that was built around the six-level sequence.

Registration arrangements differ by country and by test centre, and they change. Confirm which standard your centre is running before you book anything.

Not yet verified. The figures in this ladder are transcribed from the published standard and no editor has confirmed them against the primary document yet.

HSK 1HSK 2HSK 3HSK 4

Three-band, nine-level standard

Learners preparing for an examination reported on a nine-level scale.

Examination track

The grading standard that organises proficiency into three bands and nine levels, with a substantially larger vocabulary and character inventory at each stage.

Published by
Ministry of Education of the PRC
Levels
7

Pick this if

  • The level you were asked for is written as a number from 1 to 9, or as a band.
  • You are aiming at an academic or professional target well beyond everyday conversation.
  • You want the larger vocabulary and character inventory the standard describes.

The inventories here are much larger at every step than the six-level ladder. A level number in this standard is not the same thing as the same number in the classic one.

Not yet verified. The figures in this ladder are transcribed from the published standard and no editor has confirmed them against the primary document yet.

Level 1 to Level 3Level 4 to Level 6Levels 7–9

HSKK speaking examination

Anyone sitting the spoken examination alongside a written one.

Examination track

The separate spoken examination, taken alongside the written HSK. Practice here is recorded, scored for tone and fluency, and timed like the real thing.

Published by
Chinese Testing International
Levels
3

Pick this if

  • You need a speaking result as well as a written one.
  • Your speaking lags behind your reading and you want that measured.
  • You want recording practice that is timed rather than open-ended.

The speaking examination is a separate sitting from the written one. What it requires and how it is scheduled is decided by the examination authority, not by HSK Guide.

Not yet verified. The figures in this ladder are transcribed from the published standard and no editor has confirmed them against the primary document yet.

HSKK Beginner to HSKK Advanced

General Mandarin

Learners who want to use Chinese rather than certify it.

No examination

An examination-independent path for learners who want to speak, read and live in Chinese without sitting a test.

Published by
HSK Guide editorial team
Levels
4

Pick this if

  • You have no examination date and do not want one.
  • You are moving to, working in, or travelling through a Chinese-speaking place.
  • You would rather spend your time on speaking and everyday reading than on test formats.

This track is HSK Guide editorial material, not a published standard. It will not tell you whether you are ready for a particular examination.

FoundationsEveryday ChineseLiving in ChinaTowards fluency

Side by side

The same question asked of every track

Word and character figures are the target stated for the highest level of each ladder, as recorded in the curriculum data.

Comparison of the four curriculum tracks available in HSK Guide
TrackPublished byLevelsTop-level wordsTop-level charactersVerification
HSK 1–4 (classic)Chinese Testing International41,2001,064Not yet verified
Three-band, nine-level standardMinistry of Education of the PRC711,0923,000Not yet verified
HSKK speaking examinationChinese Testing International3——Not yet verified
General MandarinHSK Guide editorial team44,0002,000HSK Guide editorial

HSK Guide is an independent preparation platform. Figures shown here are transcriptions of published standards held in HSK Guide’s content database, each attached to the source it came from; they are not a statement of any examination authority’s current rules. Always confirm level requirements, registration and scoring with your own test centre.

Not sure which rung you are on?

About 8 minutes. It adapts as you answer, so it gets harder or easier quickly. Answer honestly — guessing makes your plan worse, not better.

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