HSK 7-9 Character List 2026
HSK 7-9 introduces 1,148 new recognition characters and 500 new writing characters — the largest single character expansion in the entire HSK system. Together with HSK 1-6, the cumulative total reaches 3,088 recognition characters and 1,350 writing characters.
1,148
New recognition chars
500
New writing chars
3,088
Cumulative recognition
1,350
Cumulative writing
Cumulative Character Progress: HSK 1 to 7-9
Recognition characters = characters you must be able to read. Writing characters = characters you must write from memory. All writing characters are a subset of recognition characters.
| Level | New Recog. | New Writing | Cum. Recog. | Cum. Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 246 | 100 | 246 | 100 |
| HSK 2 | 125 | 150 | 371 | 250 |
| HSK 3 | 284 | 150 | 655 | 400 |
| HSK 4 | 441 | 150 | 1,096 | 550 |
| HSK 5 | 431 | 150 | 1,527 | 700 |
| HSK 6 | 413 | 150 | 1,940 | 850 |
| HSK 7-9 | 1148 | 500 | 3,088 | 1,350 |
Recognition Characters (认读字) — 1,148
All 1,148 new characters introduced at HSK 7-9. Characters highlighted in green are also required writing characters (500 total). Recognition means you must be able to read and understand these characters when encountered in text.
Writing Characters (书写字) — 500
These 500 characters must be written from memory with correct stroke order. They appear in HSK 7-9 production tasks including essay writing, translation, and formal document drafting.
500 characters • All shown above are required writing characters
How to Study 1,148 Characters
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Focus on Semantic Components (部首)
HSK 7-9 chars span every domain. Group by radical: 疒 (illness: 癌/疤/痹/瘫/瘾/瘤), 氵 (water: 澜/澎/瀚/潦/瀑), 扌 (hand: 揣/撬/攒/撵/撼). Radicals reduce memorization by 50%.
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Master Writing Chars as the Core
500 writing characters is your priority. These appear in exam production tasks. Aim for 5 new writing chars per day — that is 100 days for the entire writing list. Recognition chars follow naturally.
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Encounter Characters in Context
At this level, isolated drilling is inefficient. Read Chinese news, academic papers, and formal essays. Characters like 赡/膳/瞻/斟 are best remembered through specific sentences that use them meaningfully.
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Learn Literary & Classical Chars Separately
Some HSK 7-9 chars appear primarily in classical or literary contexts: 矣/兹/乃/若/兢/彬. Learn these through classical texts, proverbs, and formal written Chinese rather than modern conversations.
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Check Pronunciation Carefully
Many HSK 7-9 chars have similar forms with different pronunciations: 辨(bian)/辩(bian)/辫(bian), 侧(ce)/则(ze)/测(ce). Practice pronunciation alongside character recognition from day one.
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Use Mnemonic Stories
Complex HSK 7-9 chars like 鬣/蠢/爨 are too intricate for rote memorization. Build mnemonic stories using component meanings: 蠢 (spring + insect + insect) = bugs coming out in spring = stupidly naive.
Learn HSK 7-9 Characters Systematically
PASS HSK uses spaced repetition with stroke-order animations and contextual sentences for all 1,148 HSK 7-9 characters.
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