What changes from one HSK level to the next: the word list, the CEFR band it roughly matches, and how long and dense the reading texts get. The text figures are medians measured across the 419 graded readings on this site, not estimates.
| Level | Words (total) | New words | CEFR (approx.) | Sentences per text | Characters per text | Characters per sentence | Grammar patterns | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1入门 | 150 | 150 | A1 | 6 | 57 | 10 | 110 | 69 |
| HSK 2基础 | 300 | 150 | A2 | 6 | 91 | 14 | 181 | 99 |
| HSK 3进阶 | 600 | 300 | B1 | 7 | 133 | 18 | 161 | 94 |
| HSK 4提高 | 1,200 | 600 | B2 | 8 | 195 | 24 | 77 | 55 |
| HSK 5高级 | 2,500 | 1,300 | C1 | 9 | 236 | 26 | 71 | 51 |
| HSK 6精通 | 5,000 | 2,500 | C2 | 8 | 268 | 33 | 69 | 51 |
The opening line of one reading per level. Read down the list and the step up is easy to see: longer clauses, more linking words, then written-register phrasing.
Under HSK 2.0: 150 words for HSK 1, 300 for HSK 2, 600 for HSK 3, 1,200 for HSK 4, 2,500 for HSK 5 and 5,000 for HSK 6. Each level roughly doubles the one before.
On this site the typical HSK 1 reading is 6 sentences and 57 characters; HSK 3 is 7 sentences and 133 characters; HSK 6 is 8 sentences and 268 characters. The number of sentences barely changes. What grows is how much each sentence carries: about 10 characters per sentence at HSK 1, 24 at HSK 4 and 33 at HSK 6.
Most learners find HSK 3 and HSK 5 the hardest steps. HSK 3 is where sentences start carrying complements and linking words; HSK 5 is where the register switches from spoken Chinese written down to written Chinese.
The word counts and levels here are HSK 2.0, the six-level scheme these readings are graded against. The newer HSK 3.0 standard (2021) regroups the levels into nine bands with larger word lists. If you are preparing for a specific exam sitting, check which version it uses.