HSK 3 Vocabulary List — 298 Words with Pinyin, Tones & Audio

Every word on the HSK 3 list with pinyin, English meaning and audio you can play. Filter by tone pattern, search any character, and export the list to CSV, Anki or PDF.

Word list based on the HSK 2.0 standard.

How many words are in HSK 3?

Under the original HSK 2.0 standard, HSK 3 adds 300 new words, for a cumulative 600 counting every level below it. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard is bigger: 973 new words at HSK 3, or 2,245 cumulative. This page lists 298 unique entries with pinyin, English meanings and audio — the de-duplicated HSK 2.0 list, so the figure can differ by a word or two from the headline number.

Listed here

298

HSK 2.0

New at this level

300

HSK 2.0

Cumulative

600

HSK 2.0

Unique characters

393

Most common tone

Tone 4

33%

92 are single-syllable words, 198 are two-syllable and 8 are longer — 512 syllables to pronounce in total.

Tone pattern0 = neutral tone

#	Character	Pinyin	Meaning
1	啊	ā	interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh!
2	把	bǎ	to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar
3	被	bèi	quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune)
4	自己	zì jǐ	oneself; one's own
5	用	yòng	to use; to employ; to have to
6	如果	rú guǒ	if; in case; in the event that
7	又	yòu	(once) again; also; both... and...
8	只	zhǐ	only; merely; just
9	更	gēng	to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided
10	需要	xū yào	to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs
11	地	de	-ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct
12	才	cái	ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual
13	跟	gēn	heel; to follow closely; to go with
14	像	xiàng	to resemble; to be like; to look as if
15	还是還是	hái shi	still (as before); had better; unexpectedly
16	认为認為	rèn wéi	to believe; to think; to consider; to feel
17	应该應該	yīng gāi	ought to; should; must
18	带帶	dài	band; belt; girdle
19	位	wèi	position; location; place
20	种種	zhǒng	seed; species; kind
21	发现發現	fā xiàn	to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery
22	一定	yī dìng	surely; certainly; necessarily
23	一直	yī zhí	straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through
24	为了為了	wèi le	for; for the purpose of; in order to
25	一样一樣	yī yàng	same; like; equal to
26	世界	shì jiè	world
27	而且	ér qiě	(not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition
28	重要	zhòng yào	important; significant; major
29	必须必須	bì xū	to have to; must; compulsory
30	地方	dì fāng	region; regional (away from the central administration); local
31	老	lǎo	prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person)
32	其他	qí tā	other; (sth or sb) else; the rest
33	比赛比賽	bǐ sài	competition (sports etc); match; to compete
34	然后然後	rán hòu	then; after that; afterwards
35	担心擔心	dān xīn	anxious; worried; uneasy
36	条條	tiáo	strip; item; article
37	放	fàng	to put; to place; to release
38	拿㧱	ná	old variant of 拿
39	为什么為什麼	wèi shén me	why?; for what reason?
40	先	xiān	early; prior; former
41	关系關係	guān xi	relation; relationship; to concern
42	出现出現	chū xiàn	to appear; to arise; to emerge
43	了解	liǎo jiě	to understand; to realize; to find out
44	过去過去	guò qù	(in the) past; former; previous
45	参加參加	cān jiā	to participate; to take part; to join
46	国家國家	guó jiā	country; nation; state
47	决定決定	jué dìng	to decide (to do something); to resolve; decision
48	分	fēn	to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad)
49	选择選擇	xuǎn zé	to select; to pick; choice
50	或者	huò zhě	or; possibly; maybe; perhaps
51	机会機會	jī huì	opportunity; chance; occasion
52	别人別人	bié ren	other people; others; other person
53	站	zhàn	station; to stand; to halt
54	使	shǐ	to make; to cause; to enable
55	其实其實	qí shí	actually; in fact; really
56	以后以後	yǐ hòu	after; later; afterwards
57	要求	yāo qiú	to request; to require; requirement
58	信	xìn	letter; mail; to trust
59	当然當然	dāng rán	only natural; as it should be; certainly
60	接	jiē	to receive; to answer (the phone); to meet or welcome sb
61	相信	xiāng xìn	to be convinced (that sth is true); to believe; to accept sth as true
62	花	Huā	surname Hua
63	虽然雖然	suī rán	although; even though (often used correlatively with 是 or 是 etc)
64	解决解決	jiě jué	to solve; to resolve; to settle (a problem); to eliminate; to wipe out (an enemy, bandits etc)
65	关于關於	guān yú	pertaining to; concerning; with regard to
66	完成	wán chéng	to complete; to accomplish
67	结束結束	jié shù	termination; to finish; to end
68	努力	nǔ lì	to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious
69	以前	yǐ qián	before; formerly; previous
70	办法辦法	bàn fǎ	means; method; way (of doing sth)
71	特别特別	tè bié	unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose
72	难難	nán	difficult (to...); problem; difficulty
73	注意	zhù yì	to take note of; to pay attention to
74	讲講	jiǎng	to speak; to explain; to negotiate
75	离开離開	lí kāi	to depart; to leave
76	万	mò	used in 俟
77	以为以為	yǐ wéi	to think (i.e. to take it to be true that ...) (Usually there is an implication that the notion is mistaken – except when expressing one's own current opinion.)
78	越	Yuè	generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南
79	城市	chéng shì	city; town
80	影响影響	yǐng xiǎng	influence; effect; to influence
81	游戏遊戲	yóu xì	game; to play
82	马馬	Mǎ	surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 马来西亚
83	比较比較	bǐ jiào	to compare; to contrast; comparatively
84	最近	zuì jìn	recently; soon; nearest
85	换換	huàn	to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute
86	终于終於	zhōng yú	at last; in the end; finally
87	脸臉	liǎn	face
88	口	kǒu	mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls
89	除了	chú le	besides; apart from (... also...); in addition to
90	总是總是	zǒng shì	always
91	双雙	Shuāng	surname Shuang
92	突然	tū rán	sudden; abrupt; unexpected
93	段	Duàn	surname Duan
94	检查檢查	jiǎn chá	inspection; to examine; to inspect
95	米	Mǐ	surname Mi
96	容易	róng yì	easy; straightforward; likely; liable to; apt to
97	明白	míng bai	clear; obvious; unequivocal
98	根据根據	gēn jù	according to; based on; basis
99	记得記得	jì de	to remember
100	辆輛	liàng	classifier for vehicles
101	简单簡單	jiǎn dān	simple; not complicated
102	半	bàn	half; semi-; incomplete
103	愿意願意	yuàn yì	to wish; to want; ready
104	音乐音樂	yīn yuè	music
105	包	Bāo	surname Bao
106	楼樓	Lóu	surname Lou
107	清楚	qīng chu	clear; distinct; to understand thoroughly
108	照片	zhào piàn	photograph; picture
109	银行銀行	yín háng	bank
110	故事	gù shì	old practice
111	一般	yī bān	same; ordinary; so-so
112	可爱可愛	kě ài	adorable; cute; lovely
113	新闻新聞	xīn wén	news
114	声音聲音	shēng yīn	voice; sound
115	马上馬上	mǎ shàng	at once; right away; immediately
116	表示	biǎo shì	to express; to show; to say
117	经过經過	jīng guò	to pass; to go through; process
118	历史歷史	lì shǐ	history
119	哭	kū	to cry; to weep
120	敢	gǎn	to dare; daring; (polite) may I venture
121	会议會議	huì yì	meeting; conference
122	经常經常	jīng cháng	frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily
123	低	dī	low; beneath; to lower (one's head)
124	节目節目	jié mù	program; item (on a program)
125	健康	jiàn kāng	health; healthy
126	作用	zuò yòng	to act on; to affect; action
127	西	Xī	the West; abbr. for Spain 牙; Spanish
128	差	chā	difference; discrepancy; (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction); (literary) a little; somewhat; slightly
129	结婚結婚	jié hūn	to marry; to get married
130	短	duǎn	short; brief; to lack
131	同意	tóng yì	to agree; to consent; to approve
132	教	Jiào	surname Jiao
133	几乎幾乎	jī hū	almost; nearly; practically
134	附近	fù jìn	nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood
135	认真認真	rèn zhēn	conscientious; earnest; serious
136	脚腳	jiǎo	foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object)
137	主要	zhǔ yào	main; principal; major
138	遇到	yù dào	to meet; to run into; to come across
139	年轻年輕	nián qīng	young
140	久	jiǔ	(long) time; (long) duration of time
141	画畫	huà	to draw; to paint; picture; painting; to draw (a line) (variant of 划)
142	表演	biǎo yǎn	play; show; performance
143	关關	Guān	surname Guan
144	刚才剛才	gāng cái	just now; a moment ago
145	办公室辦公室	bàn gōng shì	office; business premises; bureau
146	环境環境	huán jìng	environment; circumstances; surroundings
147	关心關心	guān xīn	to be concerned about; to care about
148	祝	Zhù	surname Zhu
149	层層	céng	to pile on top of one another; layer; stratum; floor (of a building); story
150	腿	tuǐ	leg
151	班	Bān	surname Ban
152	坏壞	huài	bad; spoiled; broken
153	一边一邊	yī biān	one side; either side; on the one hand
154	鞋	xié	shoe
155	习惯習慣	xí guàn	habit; custom; usual practice
156	变化變化	biàn huà	(intransitive) to change; to vary; change; variation
157	周末週末	zhōu mò	weekend
158	忘记忘記	wàng jì	to forget
159	打算	dǎ suàn	to plan; to intend; to calculate
160	极極	jí	extremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost
161	小心	xiǎo xīn	to be careful; to take care
162	举行舉行	jǔ xíng	to hold (a meeting, ceremony etc)
163	动物動物	dòng wù	animal
164	饿餓	è	to be hungry; hungry; to starve (sb)
165	树樹	shù	tree; to cultivate; to set up
166	水平	shuǐ píng	level (of achievement etc); standard; horizontal
167	借	jiè	to lend; to borrow; by means of
168	东東	Dōng	surname Dong
169	头发頭髮	tóu fa	hair (on the head)
170	害怕	hài pà	to be afraid; to be scared
171	鸟鳥	diǎo	variant of 屌; penis
172	蓝藍	Lán	surname Lan
173	照顾照顧	zhào gu	to take care of; to show consideration; to attend to
174	文化	wén huà	culture; civilization; cultural
175	疼	téng	(it) hurts; sore; to love dearly
176	奇怪	qí guài	strange; odd; to marvel
177	礼物禮物	lǐ wù	gift; present
178	南	Nán	surname Nan
179	提高	tí gāo	to raise; to increase; to improve
180	满意滿意	mǎn yì	satisfied; pleased; to one's satisfaction
181	旧舊	jiù	old; opposite: new 新; former
182	司机司機	sī jī	chauffeur; driver
183	黄黃	Huáng	surname Huang or Hwang
184	经理經理	jīng lǐ	manager; director
185	兴趣興趣	xìng qù	interest (desire to know about sth); interest (thing in which one is interested); hobby
186	帮忙幫忙	bāng máng	to help; to lend a hand; to do a favor
187	电子電子	diàn zǐ	electronic; electron (particle physics)
188	见面見面	jiàn miàn	to meet; to see each other
189	成绩成績	chéng jì	achievement; performance records; grades
190	中间中間	zhōng jiān	the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among; during; in the meantime
191	聪明聰明	cōng ming	intelligent; clever; bright
192	多么多麼	duō me	how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc); however (difficult it may be etc)
193	灯燈	dēng	lamp; light; lantern
194	太阳太陽	tài yang	sun; abbr. for 太阳穴
195	方便	fāng biàn	convenient; suitable; to facilitate
196	糖	táng	sugar; sweets; candy
197	相同	xiāng tóng	identical; same
198	生气生氣	shēng qì	to get angry; to take offense; angry
199	公园公園	gōng yuán	park (for public recreation)
200	热情熱情	rè qíng	cordial; enthusiastic; passion
201	一会儿一會兒	yī huì r	a moment; a while; in a moment
202	骑騎	jì	(Tw) saddle horse; mounted soldier
203	河	hé	river
204	搬	bān	to move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift
205	同事	tóng shì	colleague; co-worker
206	舒服	shū fu	comfortable; feeling well
207	体育體育	tǐ yù	sports; physical education
208	角	Jué	surname Jue
209	胖	pán	healthy; at ease
210	干净乾淨	gān jìng	clean; neat
211	放心	fàng xīn	to feel relieved; to feel reassured; to be at ease
212	草艸	cǎo	variant of 草
213	甜	tián	sweet
214	安静安靜	ān jìng	quiet; peaceful; calm
215	作业作業	zuò yè	school assignment; homework; work
216	瘦	shòu	thin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight
217	绿綠	lǜ	green; (slang) (derived from 绿帽子) to cheat on (one's spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend)
218	啤酒	pí jiǔ	beer (loanword)
219	蛋糕	dàn gāo	cake
220	新鲜新鮮	xīn xiān	fresh (experience, food etc); freshness; novel
221	难过難過	nán guò	to feel sad; to feel unwell; (of life) to be difficult
222	客人	kè rén	visitor; guest; customer
223	奶奶	nǎi nai	(informal) grandma (paternal grandmother); (respectful) mistress of the house; (coll.) boobies
224	碗㼝	wǎn	variant of 碗
225	数学數學	shù xué	mathematics; mathematical
226	地铁地鐵	dì tiě	underground railway; subway; subway train
227	刷	shuā	to brush; to paint; to daub
228	厨房廚房	chú fáng	kitchen
229	练习練習	liàn xí	to practice; exercise; drill
230	爷爷爺爺	yé ye	(coll.) father's father; paternal grandfather
231	云	yún	(classical) to say
232	邻居鄰居	lín jū	neighbor; next door
233	校长校長	xiào zhǎng	(college, university) president; headmaster
234	花园花園	huā yuán	garden
235	耳朵	ěr duo	ear; handle (on a cup)
236	节日節日	jié rì	holiday; festival
237	鼻子	bí zi	nose
238	叔叔	shū shu	father's younger brother; uncle; Taiwan pr. [shú shu]
239	洗澡	xǐ zǎo	to bathe; to take a shower
240	地图地圖	dì tú	map
241	帽子	mào zi	hat; cap; (fig.) label
242	街道	jiē dào	street; subdistrict; residential district
243	感冒	gǎn mào	to catch cold; (common) cold; (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative)
244	迟到遲到	chí dào	to arrive late
245	刻	kè	quarter (hour); moment; to carve
246	锻炼鍛鍊	duàn liàn	to toughen; to temper; to engage in physical exercise
247	裤子袴子	kù zi	variant of 裤子, trousers; pants
248	夏	Xià	the Xia or Hsia dynasty c. 2000 BC; Xia of the Sixteen Kingdoms (407-432); surname Xia
249	图书馆圖書館	tú shū guǎn	library
250	电梯電梯	diàn tī	elevator; escalator
251	刮	guā	to scrape; to blow; to shave
252	矮	ǎi	low; short (in length)
253	眼镜眼鏡	yǎn jìng	spectacles; eyeglasses
254	上网上網	shàng wǎng	to go online; to connect to the Internet; (of a document etc) to be uploaded to the Internet
255	春旾	chūn	old variant of 春
256	面包麵包	miàn bāo	bread
257	冰箱	bīng xiāng	icebox; freezer cabinet; refrigerator
258	阿姨	ā yí	maternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker
259	超市	chāo shì	supermarket (abbr. for 超级市场)
260	着急著急	zháo jí	to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhāo jí]
261	季节季節	jì jié	time; season; period
262	饱飽	bǎo	to eat till full; satisfied
263	空调空調	kōng tiáo	air conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode)
264	一共	yī gòng	altogether
265	月亮	yuè liang	the moon
266	北方	běi fāng	north; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River
267	爱好愛好	ài hào	to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby
268	衬衫襯衫	chèn shān	shirt; blouse
269	宾馆賓館	bīn guǎn	guesthouse; lodge; hotel
270	冬	dōng	winter
271	裙子	qún zi	skirt
272	香蕉	xiāng jiāo	banana
273	秋	Qiū	surname Qiu
274	发烧發燒	fā shāo	to have a high temperature (from illness); to have a fever
275	伞傘	sǎn	umbrella; parasol
276	有名	yǒu míng	famous; well-known
277	打扫打掃	dǎ sǎo	to clean; to sweep
278	葡萄	pú tao	grape
279	复习復習	fù xí	to review; revision
280	熊猫熊貓	xióng māo	panda
281	护照護照	hù zhào	passport
282	菜单菜單	cài dān	menu
283	年级年級	nián jí	grade; year (in school, college etc)
284	果汁	guǒ zhī	fruit juice
285	面条麵條	miàn tiáo	noodles
286	盘子盤子	pán zi	tray; plate; dish
287	铅笔鉛筆	qiān bǐ	(lead) pencil
288	渴	kě	thirsty
289	洗手间洗手間	xǐ shǒu jiān	toilet; lavatory; washroom
290	词语詞語	cí yǔ	word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term); expression
291	句子	jù zi	sentence
292	照相机照相機	zhào xiàng jī	camera
293	筷子	kuài zi	chopsticks
294	字典	zì diǎn	Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a 词典, which has entries for words of one or more characters); (coll.) dictionary
295	普通话普通話	pǔ tōng huà	Mandarin (common language); Putonghua (common speech of the Chinese language); ordinary speech
296	爬山	pá shān	to climb a mountain; to mountaineer; hiking
297	黑板	hēi bǎn	blackboard
298	行李箱	xíng li xiāng	suitcase; baggage compartment; overhead bin

Tones in HSK 3

Vocabulary lists tell you what to memorize. Tone counts tell you what to practise. Here is how the 512 syllables of HSK 3 break down.

Tone distribution

Tone 124% · 125

Tone 221% · 107

Tone 316% · 82

Tone 433% · 167

Neutral6% · 31

Fourth tone is the workhorse of Mandarin, and HSK 3 is no exception: tone 4 covers 33% of the syllables on this list.

Most common tone pairs

198 of these words are two syllables long, and a handful of tone pairs account for most of them. Tap a pattern to filter the list.

4–422 wordse.g. 世界 shì jiè
1–418 wordse.g. 需要 xū yào
2–417 wordse.g. 然后 rán hòu
1–216 wordse.g. 一直 yī zhí
3–415 wordse.g. 比赛 bǐ sài
1–114 wordse.g. 应该 yīng gāi
2–010 wordse.g. 还是 hái shi
4–110 wordse.g. 必须 bì xū

0 = neutral tone

Pronunciation traps in this list

Counted straight from the pinyin above — these are the words worth recording yourself on.

third-tone sandhi (3–3)

Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a rising tone.

with a neutral tone

An unstressed syllable with no tone of its own — easy to over-pronounce.

containing 一 or 不

Both change tone depending on what follows them.

with zh / ch / sh / r

The retroflex initials, routinely confused with z / c / s.

100

with j / q / x

The palatal series, where the written u is really ü.

with the ü sound

Rounded lips, front tongue — no English equivalent.

HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0 at level 3

Two vocabulary standards are in circulation, which is why you will see wildly different word counts for the same level.

Standard	New words	Cumulative
HSK 2.0 (2009)	300	600
HSK 3.0 (2021)	973	2,245

HSK 2.0 (2009) is the six-level standard nearly every textbook, course and exam-prep book on the market still teaches. HSK 3.0 — officially the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards, published in 2021 — keeps the level names but roughly doubles the vocabulary and adds a 7–9 band for advanced learners. Exam centres are still migrating, so unless your course explicitly says HSK 3.0, the 2.0 list is the one you are being tested on.

This page follows the HSK 2.0 list, the version most HSK 3 courses and exam papers still use.

How many words are in HSK 3?

HSK 3 adds 300 new words under the HSK 2.0 standard (600 cumulative from HSK 1), or 973 under HSK 3.0 (2,245 cumulative). This page lists 298 unique entries with pinyin, meaning and audio.

What is HSK?

HSK (汉语水平考试) is the official Chinese proficiency test. Each level has a set vocabulary list you are expected to know, and the test assumes you can both read and say every word on it.

Can I download the HSK 3 word list?

Yes, three ways and none of them need an account: Download CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers; Anki deck gives you a tab-separated file you can import straight into Anki or Quizlet; Print / PDF produces a clean printable list with no site furniture.

What is the difference between HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 for HSK 3?

HSK 2.0 (2009) sets HSK 3 at 300 new words. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard raises it to 973 and adds an advanced 7–9 band. Most courses and exam papers still follow the 2.0 list, which is the one on this page.

Does the HSK 3 list include pinyin?

Every entry shows pinyin with tone marks next to the simplified and traditional characters and the English meaning, and the speaker icon plays the word out loud.

Which tones matter most in HSK 3?

Tone 4 is the most frequent, covering 33% of the 512 syllables on this list. 6 of the words contain two third tones in a row, where third-tone sandhi applies.

How long does it take to learn the HSK 3 vocabulary?

At ten new words a day, 298 words is roughly 5 weeks of study — but recognising a word is not the same as saying it. Learners who record themselves from day one hit the speaking sections far more comfortably.

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Other HSK levels

HSK 1 150 words HSK 2 147 words HSK 4 598 words HSK 5 1,298 words HSK 6 2,500 words HSK 7–9 5,606 words

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A guide can explain the tones, but you can't fix your pronunciation by reading. The TonePerfect app lets you actually say the words and scores every syllable — initial, final, and tone — in real time, so you hear your mistakes and correct them on the spot.

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