HSK 3.0 · Updated for 2026

HSK 6 Vocabulary List 2026

HSK 6 introduces approximately 1,800 new words — the largest single-level vocabulary expansion in the HSK 1-6 track. By HSK 6 you command roughly 5,000 words total, covering advanced academic, cultural, professional, and formal registers.

~1,800

New words at L6

~5,000

Cumulative vocab

12

Categories

⚖️

Government, Law & Public Affairs

~180 words

Legal procedures, civic rights, government bodies, administrative documents, public safety, and formal civic engagement.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
权力quanlipower; authorityn.
投诉tousuto complain; to appealv.
犯罪fanzuito commit a crimev.
残疾canjidisability; deformityn.
财务caiwufinancial affairsn.
公安gonganpublic securityn.
倒闭daobjto go bankruptv.
排除paichuto eliminate; to rule outv.

Showing 8 of ~180 sample words

🏯

Chinese Culture, History & Thought

~200 words

Classical poetry, dynasties, historical figures, traditional festivals, folk customs, Confucian/Taoist philosophy, and traditional arts.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
古典gudianclassical; traditionaladj.
朝代chaodaidynastyn.
相声xiangshengcross-talk comedy; comic dialoguen.
文艺wenyiliterature and artn.
考古kaoguarchaeologyv./n.
万物wanwuall things; universen.
珠宝zhubaojewelry; gemsn.
粽子zongzisticky rice dumplingn.

Showing 8 of ~200 sample words

📈

Business, Finance & Commerce

~180 words

Investment, banking, stocks, funds, trade activities, business negotiations, commercial disputes, and consumer rights.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
顾问guwenconsultant; advisern.
余额yuebalance (of an account)n.
极端jiduanextreme; extremelyadj./n.
核心hexincore; nucleusn.
流通liutongto circulate; to flowv.
认可renketo approve; to acknowledgev.
要素yaosuessential factor; elementn.
至关重要zhiguanzhengyaovital; extremely importantphrase

Showing 8 of ~180 sample words

🔬

Science, Technology & Engineering

~160 words

Aerospace products, new energy, AI, smart manufacturing, smart cities, research findings, and ancient Chinese scientific achievements.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
验证yanzhengto verify; to validatev.
放大fangdato enlarge; to magnifyv.
容量rongliangcapacity; volumen.
海拔haibaelevation above sea leveln.
融化ronghuato melt; to thawv.
涌现yongxianto emerge in large numbersv.
绿化luhuato plant greenery; to make greenv.
差异chayidifference; divergencen.

Showing 8 of ~160 sample words

🏥

Health, Medicine & Body

~140 words

Medical diagnoses, organ conditions, health management, physical and mental development, patient care, and health science knowledge.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
患者huanzhepatient; sufferern.
脂肪zhifangfat; adipose tissuen.
忍受renshouto bear; to endure; to standv.
瞬间shunjianinstant; split secondn.
强壮qiangzhuangstrong; sturdy; robustadj.
损坏sunhuaito damage; to injurev.
轮椅lunyiwheelchairn.
碰撞pengzhuangto collide; to run intov.

Showing 8 of ~140 sample words

📰

Society, Media & Social Issues

~170 words

Social welfare, aging society, new media, cultural tourism, public interest activities, social morality, and public figures.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
链接lianjielink; to linkn./v.
平凡pingfanordinary; commonadj.
携带xiedaito carry; to bringv.
悲剧beijutragedyn.
号召haozhaoto call; to appealv.
号召haozhaoto call upon; to appeal tov.
捐款juankuanto donate money; donationv./n.
遭遇zaoyto encounter; experiencev./n.

Showing 8 of ~170 sample words

🎓

Education & Academic Life

~130 words

Academic tracks, degree structures, teaching resources, scholarship, learning characteristics, exam types, and academic planning.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
文科wenkeliberal arts; humanitiesn.
才能cainengtalent; abilityn.
承办chengbanto undertake; to hostv.
可行kexingfeasible; practicableadj.
传达chuandato pass on; to conveyv.
吸取xiquto absorb; to draw (lesson)v.
定制dingzhito customize; made-to-orderv.
总计zongjito amount to; to totalv.

Showing 8 of ~130 sample words

🎨

Arts, Literature & Entertainment

~150 words

Paintings, fairy tales, drama, animation, digital games, music performance, calligraphy, film, and literary criticism.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
主演zhuylead actor; to star inn./v.
相声xiangshengcomic dialogue; cross-talkn.
乐器yueqimusical instrumentn.
描写miaoxieto describe; to portrayv.
单调dandiaomonotonous; dulladj.
评选pingxuanto select through appraisalv.
地道didaoauthentic; genuineadj.
以往yiwangin the past; formerlyn.

Showing 8 of ~150 sample words

🌿

Nature, Environment & Geography

~140 words

Continents, poles, geological formations, climate phenomena, natural disasters, energy sources, low-carbon lifestyle, and environmental governance.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
绿化luhuato make green; afforestationv.
融化ronghuato melt; to thawv.
海拔haibaelevation above sea leveln.
蚂蚁mayiantn.
田径tianjingtrack and fieldn.
daoislandn.
maoto emit; to risk; to bravev.
昂贵angguiexpensive; costlyadj.

Showing 8 of ~140 sample words

💼

Work, Career & HR

~130 words

Career roles, workplace relationships, work planning, recruitment, performance assessment, employee benefits, business reports, and career development.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
顾问guwenconsultant; advisern.
值班zhibanto be on duty; to work a shiftv.
陪同peitongto accompanyv.
看重kanzhongto value; to regard as importantv.
会见huijianto meet (formally); to receivev.
可行kexingfeasible; workableadj.
过渡guoduto transition; interimv.
得以deyito be able to; therebyv.

Showing 8 of ~130 sample words

🏡

Everyday Life & Personal Expression

~120 words

Home items, daily routines, interpersonal interactions, emotions, personal values, and common life experiences.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
文具wenjustationeryn.
可怜kelianpitiful; poor; to pityadj./v.
场合changhoccasion; situationn.
启事qishiannouncement; noticen.
多亏duokuithanks to; luckilyv.
自杀zishato commit suicidev.
猜测caiceto guess; to conjecturev.
结实jieshisolid; sturdy; durableadj.

Showing 8 of ~120 sample words

📝

Formal Language, Logic & Discourse

~100 words

Logical connectors, formal written expressions, academic transitions, rhetorical patterns, and high-register vocabulary for essays and reports.

WordPinyinMeaningPOS
为此weicifor this reason; to this endconj.
以往yiwangin the past; previouslyn.
看似kansito look like; to seemv.
只得zhidehave no alternative but toadv.
只顾zhigumerely; only care foradv.
内外neiwaiinside and outside; domestic and foreignn.
赋予fuyuto endow; to entrustv.
涌现yongxianto emerge in large numbersv.

Showing 8 of ~100 sample words

How to Study 1,800 New Words

🏯

Prioritize the China Culture Category

Tasks 19-24 introduce entirely new cultural domains. Words related to history (朝代、历史人物), traditional arts (相声、京剧), and philosophy (儒家、道家) are essential and unlike any previous level.

📰

Read Chinese News Daily

At 1,800 new words, passive acquisition through reading is essential. Aim for 20-30 minutes of Chinese news (people.com.cn, xinhua.net) or cultural articles daily.

🔊

Learn Words in Context

Many HSK 6 words have specific collocations: 至关重要 (vital), 倒闭 (go bankrupt), 顾问 (consultant). Learn them in sentences, not in isolation.

📚

Group by Register

HSK 6 has a clear formal register layer: 赋予、为此、内外、至关重要. Recognize these as written/formal variants of simpler spoken equivalents.

🧠

Use Morpheme Analysis

HSK 6 introduces quasi-prefixes (超—、反—、无—) and quasi-suffixes (—化、—型). Learning these patterns helps you decode hundreds of new words: 超标/现代化/系统型.

⏱️

Plan for 6-9 Months

1,800 new words requires serious commitment. With 10 new words per day, that's 6 months minimum — before adding review time. Use SRS tools to avoid forgetting.

Master 1,800 HSK 6 Words Systematically

PASS HSK schedules your vocabulary reviews with spaced repetition, prioritizing words by exam frequency.

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