HSK 4 Vocabulary List: 598 Words with Pinyin, Tones & Audio
Every word on the HSK 4 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.
Hear it, then test your tones
Take the free 2-minute tones test and get a score for every tone.
How many words are in HSK 4?
Under the original HSK 2.0 standard, HSK 4 adds 600 new words, for a cumulative 1,200 counting every level below it. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard is bigger: 1,000 new words at HSK 4, or 3,245 cumulative. This page lists 598 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.
117 are single-syllable words, 459 are two-syllable and 22 are longer — 1,101 syllables to pronounce in total.
This page shows the first 100 of 598 words. The rest continue in the parts below; search and the exports cover the whole list.
| # | Character | Pinyin | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 对對 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding | |
| 2 | 过過 | Guō | surname Guo | |
| 3 | 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so | |
| 4 | 等 | děng | class; rank; grade | |
| 5 | 与與 | yú | variant of 欤 | |
| 6 | 当噹 | dāng | (onom.) dong; ding dong (bell) | |
| 7 | 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的); him; her | |
| 8 | 以㕥 | yǐ | old variant of 以 | |
| 9 | 起来起來 | qǐ lai | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qǐ lái] | |
| 10 | 死 | sǐ | to die; impassable; uncrossable | |
| 11 | 却㕁 | què | old variant of 却 | |
| 12 | 生活 | shēng huó | to live; life; livelihood | |
| 13 | 发生發生 | fā shēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out | |
| 14 | 不过不過 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than | |
| 15 | 所有 | suǒ yǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own | |
| 16 | 情况情況 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation | |
| 17 | 最后最後 | zuì hòu | final; last; finally | |
| 18 | 成为成為 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into | |
| 19 | 行 | háng | row; line; commercial firm | |
| 20 | 感觉感覺 | gǎn jué | feeling; impression; sensation; to feel; to perceive | |
| 21 | 继续繼續 | jì xù | to continue; to proceed with; to go on with | |
| 22 | 场場 | cháng | threshing floor; classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout | |
| 23 | 进行進行 | jìn xíng | to advance; to conduct; underway | |
| 24 | 内內 | nèi | inside; inner; internal | |
| 25 | 通过通過 | tōng guò | to pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation); to pass (a test) | |
| 26 | 无無 | wú | not to have; no; none | |
| 27 | 一切 | yī qiè | everything; every; all | |
| 28 | 由 | yóu | to follow; from; because of; due to | |
| 29 | 任何 | rèn hé | any; whatever; whichever | |
| 30 | 安全 | ān quán | safe; secure; safety; security | |
| 31 | 结果結果 | jiē guǒ | to bear fruit | |
| 32 | 完全 | wán quán | complete; whole; totally; entirely | |
| 33 | 发發 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue | |
| 34 | 计划計劃 | jì huà | plan; project; program | |
| 35 | 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed | |
| 36 | 连連 | Lián | surname Lian | |
| 37 | 呀 | ya | (particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt) | |
| 38 | 原因 | yuán yīn | cause; origin; root cause | |
| 39 | 消息 | xiāo xi | news; information | |
| 40 | 只要 | zhǐ yào | if only; so long as | |
| 41 | 干乹 | gān | old variant of 干 | |
| 42 | 接受 | jiē shòu | to accept; to receive | |
| 43 | 其中 | qí zhōng | among; in; included among these | |
| 44 | 成功 | Chéng gōng | Chenggong or Chengkung town in Taitung County 台东县, southeast Taiwan | |
| 45 | 甚至 | shèn zhì | even; so much so that | |
| 46 | 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag | |
| 47 | 肯定 | kěn dìng | to be certain; to be positive; assuredly | |
| 48 | 当时當時 | dāng shí | then; at that time; while | |
| 49 | 调查調查 | diào chá | investigation; inquiry; to investigate | |
| 50 | 部分 | bù fen | part; share; section | |
| 51 | 能力 | néng lì | capability; ability | |
| 52 | 保护保護 | bǎo hù | to protect; to defend; to safeguard | |
| 53 | 真正 | zhēn zhèng | genuine; real; true; really; indeed | |
| 54 | 支持 | zhī chí | to be in favor of; to support; to back | |
| 55 | 掉 | diào | to fall; to drop; to lag behind | |
| 56 | 改变改變 | gǎi biàn | to change; to alter; to transform | |
| 57 | 方法 | fāng fǎ | method; way; means | |
| 58 | 保证保證 | bǎo zhèng | guarantee; to guarantee; to ensure | |
| 59 | 直接 | zhí jiē | direct (opposite: indirect 间接); immediate; straightforward | |
| 60 | 组织組織 | zǔ zhī | to organize; organization; (biology) tissue | |
| 61 | 永远永遠 | yǒng yuǎn | forever; eternal | |
| 62 | 方面 | fāng miàn | respect; aspect; field | |
| 63 | 也许也許 | yě xǔ | perhaps; maybe | |
| 64 | 活动活動 | huó dòng | to exercise; to move about; to operate | |
| 65 | 考虑考慮 | kǎo lǜ | to think over; to consider; consideration | |
| 66 | 份 | fèn | classifier for gifts, newspaper, magazine, papers, reports, contracts etc; variant of 分 | |
| 67 | 提供 | tí gōng | to offer; to supply; to provide | |
| 68 | 指 | zhǐ | finger; to point at or to; to indicate or refer to | |
| 69 | 精神 | jīng shén | spirit; mind; consciousness | |
| 70 | 使用 | shǐ yòng | to use; to employ; to apply | |
| 71 | 代表 | dài biǎo | representative; delegate; to represent | |
| 72 | 任务任務 | rèn wu | mission; assignment; task; duty; role | |
| 73 | 联系聯係 | lián xì | variant of 联系 | |
| 74 | 因此 | yīn cǐ | thus; consequently; as a result | |
| 75 | 台 | Tái | Taiwan (abbr.); surname Tai | |
| 76 | 算 | suàn | to regard as; to figure; to calculate | |
| 77 | 获得獲得 | huò dé | to obtain; to receive; to get | |
| 78 | 留㽞 | liú | old variant of 留 | |
| 79 | 生命 | shēng mìng | life (as the characteristic of living beings); living being; creature | |
| 80 | 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money) | |
| 81 | 全部 | quán bù | whole; all | |
| 82 | 刚刚剛剛 | gāng gang | just recently; just a moment ago | |
| 83 | 正常 | zhèng cháng | regular; normal; ordinary | |
| 84 | 另外 | lìng wài | additional; in addition; besides | |
| 85 | 血 | xuè | blood; colloquial pr. [xiě] | |
| 86 | 挺 | tǐng | straight; erect; to stick out (a part of the body) | |
| 87 | 好像 | hǎo xiàng | as if; to seem like | |
| 88 | 到底 | dào dǐ | finally; in the end; when all is said and done | |
| 89 | 感谢感謝 | gǎn xiè | (express) thanks; gratitude; grateful | |
| 90 | 坚持堅持 | jiān chí | to persevere with; to persist in; to insist on | |
| 91 | 座 | zuò | seat; base; stand | |
| 92 | 技术技術 | jì shù | technology; technique; skill | |
| 93 | 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards | |
| 94 | 严重嚴重 | yán zhòng | grave; serious; severe | |
| 95 | 包括 | bāo kuò | to comprise; to include; to involve | |
| 96 | 原来原來 | yuán lái | original; former; originally | |
| 97 | 光 | guāng | light; ray; bright; shiny; only; merely | |
| 98 | 法律 | fǎ lǜ | law | |
| 99 | 父亲父親 | fù qīn | father; also pr. [fù qin] | |
| 100 | 并且並且 | bìng qiě | and; besides; moreover |
Tones in HSK 4
Vocabulary lists tell you what to memorize. Tone counts tell you what to practise. Here is how the 1,101 syllables of HSK 4 break down.
Tone distribution
Fourth tone is the workhorse of Mandarin, and HSK 4 is no exception: tone 4 covers 35% of the syllables on this list.
Most common tone pairs
459 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.
- 4–460 wordse.g. 不过 bù guò
- 1–442 wordse.g. 通过 tōng guò
- 3–438 wordse.g. 可是 kě shì
- 2–436 wordse.g. 情况 qíng kuàng
- 4–233 wordse.g. 进行 jìn xíng
- 2–227 wordse.g. 成为 chéng wéi
- 1–323 wordse.g. 结果 jiē guǒ
- 1–222 wordse.g. 生活 shēng huó
0 = neutral tone
Pronunciation traps in this list
Counted straight from the pinyin above — these are the words worth recording yourself on.
HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0 at level 4
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) | 600 | 1,200 |
| HSK 3.0 (2021) | 1,000 | 3,245 |
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 4 courses and exam papers still use.
How many words are in HSK 4?
HSK 4 adds 600 new words under the HSK 2.0 standard (1,200 cumulative from HSK 1), or 1,000 under HSK 3.0 (3,245 cumulative). This page lists 598 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 4 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 4?
HSK 2.0 (2009) sets HSK 4 at 600 new words. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard raises it to 1,000 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 4 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 4?
Tone 4 is the most frequent, covering 35% of the 1,101 syllables on this list. 22 of the words contain two third tones in a row, where third-tone sandhi applies.
How long does it take to learn the HSK 4 vocabulary?
At ten new words a day, 598 words is roughly 9 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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