HSK 2 Vocabulary List — All 200 Words
Official HSK 3.0 syllabus (2025) · simplified characters, pinyin and English · sorted A–Z by pinyin
HSK 2 is the band the official standard describes as “Basic everyday, study & work”. 200 words are new at this level, and they are all listed below.
The exam is cumulative: an HSK 2 paper can draw on any of the 500 words introduced from level 1 up to and including level 2 — level 1 added 300 of them.
Every entry links to a full word page with stroke-order animation, native audio and the part of speech.
A
2 wordsB
11 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary; anti-communist |
| 班 | bān | team; class; grade; (military) squad; work shift; classifier for groups of people and scheduled transport vehicles; surname Ban |
| 帮 | bāng | to help; to assist; to support; for sb (i.e. as a help); hired (as worker); side (of pail, boat etc) |
| 帮忙 | bāngmáng | to help; to lend a hand; to do a favor; to do a good turn |
| 包 | bāo | to cover; to wrap; to hold; to include; to take charge of; to contract (to or for); surname Bao |
| 本子 | běnzi | book; notebook; Japanese-style self-published comic (esp. an erotic one), aka "dōjinshi" |
| 比 | bǐ | to compare; (followed by a noun and adjective) more {adj.} than {noun}; ratio; to gesture; (Taiwan pr. bì in some compounds derived from Classical Chinese); Belgium; Belgian |
| 笔 | bǐ | pen; writing implement; writing brush (for calligraphy); brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy); (bound form) style of writing; literary manner; technique of brushwork; (classifier) stroke of a Chinese character |
| 别 | bié | to leave; to part (from); (literary) to differentiate; to distinguish; (dialect) to turn away; to turn aside; to avert (one's face, gaze etc); (bound form) other; another; different; don't ...!; to fasten with a pin or clip; surname Bie |
| 不错 | búcuò | correct; right; not bad; pretty good |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing; to be sorry (for inconveniencing sb) |
C
13 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | rail station; bus stop |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed |
| 床 | chuáng | bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on); bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc); frame; chassis; classifier for blankets, quilts etc |
| 出国 | chūguó | to go abroad; to leave the country |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear; to arise |
| 出门 | chūmén | to go out; to leave home; to go on a journey; away from home |
| 出去 | chūqù | to go out |
| 词 | cí | word; statement; speech; lyrics; a form of lyric poetry, flourishing in the Song dynasty 宋朝 |
| 次 | cì | next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary |
| 从 | cóng | from; through; via; (bound form) to follow; (bound form) to obey; (bound form) to engage in (an activity); (used before a negative) ever; (bound form) (Taiwan pr. zòng) retainer; attendant; surname Cong |
| 从小 | cóngxiǎo | from childhood; from a young age |
| 错 | cuò | mistake; wrong; bad; interlocking; complex; to grind; surname Cuo |
D
12 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 打 | dǎ | a semantically light, transitive verb that is combined with various grammatical objects to form compound verbs and verb-object phrases with a diverse range of meanings (e.g. 打伞 "to hold an umbrella", 打电话 "to make a phone call", 打针 "to get an injection", 打手套 "to knit gloves", 打气 "to inflate"); to hit; to strike; to fight; (coll.) from; since (as in 打那以后 "since then") |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket); to turn on; to switch on |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 但是 | dànshì | but; however |
| 得 | de | structural particle: links a verb or adjective to a complement of degree or possibility, e.g. 说得好 |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person) |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway; subway train |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand; to comprehend |
| 动 | dòng | (of sth) to move; to set in movement; to displace; to touch |
F
2 wordsG
11 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高 | gāo | high; tall; above average; loud; your (honorific); surname Gao |
| 告诉 | gàosu | to tell; to inform; to let know |
| 高中 | gāozhōng | senior high school (abbr. for 高级中学) |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb |
| 个子 | gèzi | stature; height; size (of a person or object); (agriculture) bundle of cereal stalks tied together |
| 公交车 | gōngjiāochē | public transport vehicle; town bus |
| 过 | guò | to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to live; to get along; surname Guo |
| 过 | guo | (after a verb) marker of a past experience, e.g. 去过 (have been there) |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage; to handle; to be able to take care of |
| 过年 | guònián | to celebrate the Chinese New Year |
| 过去 | guòqù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
H
11 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 还是 | háishi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 黑色 | hēisè | black |
| 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red (color); revolutionary |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back; later; afterwards |
| 花 | huā | flower; blossom; fancy pattern; florid; to spend (money, time); surname Hua |
| 花 | huā | flower; blossom; fancy pattern; florid; to spend (money, time); surname Hua |
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint; picture; painting; to draw (a line) (variant of 划); stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 划) |
| 坏 | huài | bad; spoiled; broken; to break down |
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 回去 | huíqù | to return; to go back |
J
14 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 间 | jiān | between; among; within a definite time or space; room |
| 教 | jiāo | to teach; to instruct |
| 教室 | jiàoshì | classroom |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport; airfield; (slang) service provider for Shadowsocks or similar software for circumventing Internet censorship |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 介绍 | jièshào | to introduce (sb to sb); to give a presentation; to present (sb for a job etc); introduction |
| 进 | jìn | to go forward; to advance; to go in; to enter |
| 近 | jìn | near; close to; approximately |
| 经常 | jīngcháng | frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 进去 | jìnqù | to go in |
| 机票 | jīpiào | plane ticket; airline ticket |
| 就 | jiù | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly; only; as little as |
| 酒店 | jiǔdiàn | wine shop; pub (public house); hotel; restaurant |
K
10 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | (loanword) coffee |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin; beginning; to start; initial |
| 开学 | kāixué | (of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin; (old) to found a school; the start of a new term |
| 考 | kǎo | to beat; to hit; variant of 考; to inspect |
| 考试 | kǎoshì | to take an exam; exam |
| 可能 | kěnéng | might (happen); possible; probable; possibility |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate |
| 快乐 | kuàilè | happy; joyful |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 裤子 | kùzi | trousers; pants |
L
10 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 篮球 | lánqiú | basketball |
| 累 | lèi | tired; weary; to strain; to wear out; to work hard |
| 离 | lí | to leave; to part from; to be away from; (in giving distances) from; without (sth); independent of; surname Li |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior; also pr. lǐ mian |
| 楼 | lóu | house with more than 1 story; storied building; floor; surname Lou |
| 路 | lù | road; journey; route; line (bus etc); sort; kind; surname Lu |
| 绿茶 | lǜchá | green tea; (slang) (of a girl) seemingly innocent and charming but actually calculating and manipulative; a girl who has these qualities |
| 绿色 | lǜsè | green |
| 路上 | lùshang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 旅游 | lǚyóu | trip; journey; tourism; travel |
M
8 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 没意思 | méi yìsi | boring; of no interest |
| 门 | mén | gate; door; doorway; gateway; opening; valve; switch; other door-like or gate-like structure; way to do sth; knack; method; approach; family; household; lineage; (bound form) sect; school; faction (religious or academic); (bound form) class; category; division; phylum; surname Men |
| 门口 | ménkǒu | doorway; gate |
| 门票 | ménpiào | ticket (for theater, cinema etc) |
| 面 | miàn | face; side; surface; aspect |
| 名 | míng | name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous |
N
8 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 拿 | ná | to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea |
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother); (respectful) mistress of the house; (coll.) boobies |
| 那么 | nàme | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 男孩儿 | nánháir | boy; erhua form of 男孩 |
| 那样 | nàyàng | that kind; that sort |
| 鸟 | niǎo | bird; "bird" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 196); (dialect) to pay attention to; (intensifier) damned; goddamn |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | girl; lass; erhua form of 女孩 |
P
4 wordsQ
5 wordsR
2 wordsS
16 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 商场 | shāngchǎng | shopping mall; shopping center; department store; emporium |
| 上来 | shànglái | to come up; to approach; (verb complement indicating success) |
| 上面 | shàngmiàn | on top of; above-mentioned; also pr. shàng mian |
| 上去 | shàngqù | to go up |
| 上网 | shàngwǎng | to go online; to connect to the Internet; (of a document etc) to be uploaded to the Internet; (tennis, volleyball etc) to move in close to the net |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | the body; one's health |
| 时 | shí | o'clock; time; when; hour; season; period; surname Shi |
| 事情 | shìqing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work |
| 手表 | shǒubiǎo | wristwatch |
| 书包 | shūbāo | schoolbag; satchel; bookbag |
| 舒服 | shūfu | comfortable; feeling well |
| 送 | sòng | to send; to deliver; to transmit; to give (as a present); to see (sb) off; to accompany; to go along with |
| 虽然 | suīrán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 or 但是 etc) |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
T
6 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 疼 | téng | (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly |
| 踢 | tī | to kick; to play (e.g. soccer); (slang) butch (in a lesbian relationship) |
| 题 | tí | topic; problem for discussion; exam question; subject; to inscribe; to mention; surname Ti |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty) |
| 跳舞 | tiàowǔ | to dance |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end |
W
9 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外国 | wàiguó | foreign country |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside (also pr. wài mian for this sense); surface; exterior; external appearance |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete |
| 万 | wàn | ten thousand; a great number; surname Wan; used in 万俟 |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for |
| 忘 | wàng | to forget; to overlook; to neglect |
| 网上 | wǎngshang | online |
| 位 | wèi | position; location; place; seat |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? |
X
11 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洗 | xǐ | to wash; to bathe; to develop (photographs); to shuffle (cards etc); to erase (a recording) |
| 下来 | xiàlái | to come down; (completed action marker); (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.); (indicates continuation from the past towards us) |
| 下面 | xiàmiàn | below; under; next; the following |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | child; erhua variant of 小孩 |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 下去 | xiàqù | to go down; to descend; to go on; to continue |
| 姓 | xìng | family name; surname; to be surnamed ... |
| 姓名 | xìngmíng | full name; surname and given name |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | toilet; lavatory; washroom |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
Y
20 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 眼睛 | yǎnjing | eye |
| 颜色 | yánsè | color; countenance; appearance; facial expression |
| 药 | yào | leaf of the iris; variant of 药 |
| 药店 | yàodiàn | pharmacy; drugstore |
| 爷爷 | yéye | (coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa |
| 一会儿 | yíhuìr | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now... |
| 已经 | yǐjīng | already |
| 阴 | yīn | overcast (weather); cloudy; shady; Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang); negative (electric.); feminine; surname Yin |
| 因为 | yīnwèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 一起 | yìqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc) |
| 意思 | yìsi | idea; opinion; meaning; wish |
| 游 | yóu | to swim; to walk; to tour; to roam; to travel; surname You |
| 右 | yòu | (bound form) right; right-hand side; (bound form) (politics) right of center; (bound form) (old) west; (literary) the right side as the side of precedence |
| 右边 | yòubian | right side; right, to the right |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful; enjoyable; fun |
| 游泳 | yóuyǒng | swimming; to swim |
| 鱼 | yú | fish; surname Yu; used in the names of various aquatic animals that are not fish (including abalone 鲍鱼, alligators and crocodiles 鳄鱼 and octopi 章鱼) |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to move; to exercise; sports; exercise |
Z
15 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop |
| 丈夫 | zhàngfu | husband |
| 着 | zhe | aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state |
| 这么 | zhème | so much; this much; how much?; this way |
| 正 | zhèng | straight; upright; proper; main; principal; to correct |
| 这样 | zhèyàng | this way; like this; so; (before a noun) this kind of; such |
| 周 | zhōu | to make a circuit; to circle; circle; circumference; lap; cycle; surname Zhou; Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC) |
| 准备 | zhǔnbèi | preparation; to prepare; to intend; to be about to |
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle) |
| 走路 | zǒulù | to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart; (informal) to clear off; to beat it; (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out |
| 最 | zuì | (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最 "the greatest in the world") |
| 左 | zuǒ | left; the Left (politics); east; unorthodox; queer; wrong; surname Zuo; variant of 佐 |
| 左边 | zuǒbian | left; the left side; to the left of |
| 足球 | zúqiú | soccer; football; a soccer ball; a football |
All HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists (9 levels, 11,000 words) · Study HSK 2 with flashcards