HSK 5 Vocabulary List: 1,298 Words with Pinyin, Tones & Audio
Every word on the HSK 5 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 5?
Under the original HSK 2.0 standard, HSK 5 adds 1,300 new words, for a cumulative 2,500 counting every level below it. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard is bigger: 1,071 new words at HSK 5, or 4,316 cumulative. This page lists 1,298 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.
183 are single-syllable words, 1,070 are two-syllable and 45 are longer — 2,459 syllables to pronounce in total.
This page shows the first 100 of 1,298 words. The rest continue in the parts below; search and the exports cover the whole list.
| # | Character | Pinyin | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc | |
| 2 | 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year | |
| 3 | 搞 | gǎo | to do; to make; to go in for | |
| 4 | 如何 | rú hé | how; what way; what | |
| 5 | 作为作為 | zuò wéi | one's conduct; deed; activity | |
| 6 | 唯一 | wéi yī | only; sole | |
| 7 | 表现表現 | biǎo xiàn | to show; to show off; to display | |
| 8 | 对于對於 | duì yú | regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to | |
| 9 | 方式 | fāng shì | way; manner; style; mode; pattern | |
| 10 | 处理處理 | chǔ lǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish; to treat sth by a special process; to process | |
| 11 | 政府 | zhèng fǔ | government | |
| 12 | 系统系統 | xì tǒng | system | |
| 13 | 是否 | shì fǒu | whether (or not); if; is or isn't | |
| 14 | 杀殺 | shā | to kill; to murder; to attack | |
| 15 | 以及 | yǐ jí | as well as; too; and | |
| 16 | 片 | piān | disk; sheet | |
| 17 | 同时同時 | tóng shí | at the same time; simultaneously | |
| 18 | 拍 | pāi | to pat; to clap; to slap | |
| 19 | 控制 | kòng zhì | to control | |
| 20 | 整个整個 | zhěng gè | whole; entire; total | |
| 21 | 根本 | gēn běn | fundamental; basic; root | |
| 22 | 目前 | mù qián | at the present time; currently | |
| 23 | 重 | chóng | to repeat; repetition; again | |
| 24 | 信息 | xìn xī | information; news; message | |
| 25 | 存在 | cún zài | to exist; to be; existence | |
| 26 | 个人個人 | gè rén | individual; personal; oneself | |
| 27 | 保持 | bǎo chí | to keep; to maintain; to hold | |
| 28 | 来自來自 | lái zì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) | |
| 29 | 确定確定 | què dìng | definite; certain; fixed | |
| 30 | 目标目標 | mù biāo | target; goal; objective | |
| 31 | 中心 | zhōng xīn | center; heart; core | |
| 32 | 行动行動 | xíng dòng | operation; action; to move about | |
| 33 | 开心開心 | kāi xīn | to feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time | |
| 34 | 合作 | hé zuò | to cooperate; to collaborate; to work together | |
| 35 | 人员人員 | rén yuán | staff; crew; personnel | |
| 36 | 哈 | Hā | abbr. for 哈萨克斯坦, Kazakhstan; abbr. for 哈尔滨, Harbin | |
| 37 | 报告報告 | bào gào | to inform; to report; to make known | |
| 38 | 治疗治療 | zhì liáo | to treat (an illness); medical treatment; therapy | |
| 39 | 家庭 | jiā tíng | family; household | |
| 40 | 明显明顯 | míng xiǎn | clear; distinct; obvious | |
| 41 | 套 | tào | to cover; to encase; cover | |
| 42 | 曾经曾經 | céng jīng | once; already; former | |
| 43 | 行为行為 | xíng wéi | action; conduct; behavior | |
| 44 | 克 | Kè | abbr. for 克罗地亚, Croatia; (Tw) abbr. for 克罗埃西亚, Croatia | |
| 45 | 装裝 | zhuāng | adornment; to adorn; dress | |
| 46 | 绝对絕對 | jué duì | absolute; unconditional | |
| 47 | 派 | pài | clique; school; group | |
| 48 | 设计設計 | shè jì | to design; to plan; design; plan | |
| 49 | 未来未來 | wèi lái | future; tomorrow; approaching | |
| 50 | 利用 | lì yòng | to exploit; to make use of; to use | |
| 51 | 看来看來 | kàn lai | apparently; it seems that | |
| 52 | 倒 | dǎo | to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow | |
| 53 | 建议建議 | jiàn yì | to propose; to suggest; to recommend; proposal; suggestion; recommendation | |
| 54 | 意义意義 | yì yì | sense; meaning; significance | |
| 55 | 便 | biàn | plain; informal; suitable | |
| 56 | 项項 | Xiàng | surname Xiang | |
| 57 | 力量 | lì liang | power; force; strength | |
| 58 | 项目項目 | xiàng mù | item; project; (sports) event | |
| 59 | 造成 | zào chéng | to bring about; to create; to cause | |
| 60 | 某 | mǒu | some; a certain; sb or sth indefinite | |
| 61 | 支 | Zhī | surname Zhi | |
| 62 | 提 | dī | used in 防 and 溜 | |
| 63 | 人生 | rén shēng | life (one's time on earth) | |
| 64 | 非 | Fēi | abbr. for 洲, Africa | |
| 65 | 失去 | shī qù | to lose | |
| 66 | 则則 | zé | (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then; (bound form) standard; norm; (bound form) principle | |
| 67 | 面对面對 | miàn duì | to face; to confront | |
| 68 | 训练訓練 | xùn liàn | to train; to drill; training | |
| 69 | 总统總統 | zǒng tǒng | president (of a country) | |
| 70 | 部门部門 | bù mén | department; branch; section | |
| 71 | 似乎 | sì hū | it seems; seemingly; as if | |
| 72 | 宝贝寶貝 | bǎo bèi | treasured object; treasure; darling | |
| 73 | 位置 | wèi zhi | position; place; seat | |
| 74 | 方 | Fāng | surname Fang | |
| 75 | 参与參與 | cān yù | to participate (in sth) | |
| 76 | 显示顯示 | xiǎn shì | to show; to illustrate; to display | |
| 77 | 秒 | miǎo | second (unit of time); arc second (angular measurement unit); (coll.) instantly | |
| 78 | 属于屬於 | shǔ yú | to be classified as; to belong to; to be part of | |
| 79 | 人类人類 | rén lèi | humanity; human race; mankind | |
| 80 | 手术手術 | shǒu shù | (surgical) operation; surgery | |
| 81 | 比如 | bǐ rú | for example; for instance; such as | |
| 82 | 兄弟 | xiōng dì | brothers; younger brother; I, me (humble term used by men in public speech) | |
| 83 | 自由 | zì yóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted | |
| 84 | 夜亱 | yè | variant of 夜 | |
| 85 | 事实事實 | shì shí | fact | |
| 86 | 基本 | jī běn | basic; fundamental; main | |
| 87 | 居然 | jū rán | unexpectedly; to one's surprise; go so far as to | |
| 88 | 类類 | lèi | kind; type; class | |
| 89 | 专家專家 | zhuān jiā | expert; specialist | |
| 90 | 分析 | fēn xī | to analyze; analysis | |
| 91 | 享受 | xiǎng shòu | to enjoy; to live it up; pleasure | |
| 92 | 以来以來 | yǐ lái | since (a previous event) | |
| 93 | 反应反應 | fǎn yìng | to react; to respond; reaction | |
| 94 | 地区地區 | dì qū | local; regional; district (not necessarily formal administrative unit) | |
| 95 | 资料資料 | zī liào | material; resources; data | |
| 96 | 冠军冠軍 | guàn jūn | champion | |
| 97 | 价值價值 | jià zhí | value; worth; fig. values (ethical, cultural etc) | |
| 98 | 相当相當 | xiāng dāng | equivalent to; appropriate; considerably | |
| 99 | 实现實現 | shí xiàn | to achieve; to implement; to realize | |
| 100 | 产生產生 | chǎn shēng | to arise; to come into being; to come about; to give rise to; to bring into being; to bring about; to produce; to engender; to generate |
Tones in HSK 5
Vocabulary lists tell you what to memorize. Tone counts tell you what to practise. Here is how the 2,459 syllables of HSK 5 break down.
Tone distribution
Fourth tone is the workhorse of Mandarin, and HSK 5 is no exception: tone 4 covers 36% of the syllables on this list.
Most common tone pairs
1,070 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.
- 4–4153 wordse.g. 控制 kòng zhì
- 2–4124 wordse.g. 存在 cún zài
- 1–4102 wordse.g. 方式 fāng shì
- 3–488 wordse.g. 表现 biǎo xiàn
- 1–265 wordse.g. 家庭 jiā tíng
- 2–263 wordse.g. 如何 rú hé
- 4–262 wordse.g. 作为 zuò wéi
- 4–155 wordse.g. 信息 xìn xī
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 5
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) | 1,300 | 2,500 |
| HSK 3.0 (2021) | 1,071 | 4,316 |
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 5 courses and exam papers still use.
How many words are in HSK 5?
HSK 5 adds 1,300 new words under the HSK 2.0 standard (2,500 cumulative from HSK 1), or 1,071 under HSK 3.0 (4,316 cumulative). This page lists 1,298 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 5 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 5?
HSK 2.0 (2009) sets HSK 5 at 1,300 new words. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard raises it to 1,071 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 5 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 5?
Tone 4 is the most frequent, covering 36% of the 2,459 syllables on this list. 33 of the words contain two third tones in a row, where third-tone sandhi applies.
How long does it take to learn the HSK 5 vocabulary?
At ten new words a day, 1,298 words is roughly 19 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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