HSK 6 Characters

How Many Characters Are in HSK 6?

HSK 6 contains 413 characters under the current HSK 3.0 standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus). This level represents near-native comprehension with characters from academic, literary, and specialized domains.

HSK 2.0 vs 3.0: Why the Numbers Differ

Many online resources still cite HSK 2.0 character counts. The HSK 3.0 standard, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) in 2022, significantly restructured all levels. Here's how HSK 6 changed:

HSK 3.0 (Current)HSK 2.0 (Legacy)
Characters413978
Vocabulary Words1,8002,500
Standard2026 SyllabusPre-2022

The per-level character count is lower because HSK 3.0 expanded from 6 to 9 levels. Many characters from levels 4–6 were moved to the new advanced bands 7–9. The total number of characters across all HSK levels increased from about 2,600 to over 3,000.

About HSK 6

HSK 6 represents near-native reading and writing ability. The characters at this level come from academic, literary, and specialized domains — classical Chinese references, rare but important vocabulary, and characters that distinguish nuanced shades of meaning. This is the highest level of the original HSK system (pre-2022), now repositioned within the HSK 3.0 framework.

Many HSK 6 characters appear in four-character idioms (成语), literary allusions, and formal set phrases. Understanding these characters requires not just memorization but cultural and historical context — knowing why a character carries a particular connotation.

Reaching HSK 6 proficiency corresponds to CEFR level C2. You can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. You can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation, and express yourself spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely.

HSK 6 Character Statistics

10
Avg. Strokes
3–24
Stroke Range
107
Unique Radicals
413
Total Characters

Most Common Radicals at This Level

扌手 (hand)31 chars木木 (tree)24 chars氵水 (water)24 chars口口 (mouth)16 chars忄心 (heart)13 chars

Study Tips for HSK 6

1

Study four-character idioms (成语) and literary allusions systematically — many HSK 6 characters appear primarily in these set phrases, and understanding the idiom gives you context for remembering the character.

2

Focus on distinguishing visually similar characters. At this level, subtle stroke differences matter — characters like 己/已/巳 or 戊/戌/戍 require careful attention to avoid confusion in reading and writing.

3

Read Chinese translations of books you already know in English. Familiar narrative context helps you absorb advanced characters without constantly reaching for a dictionary, building reading stamina for dense text.

For a detailed comparison of how this level differs from the previous HSK standard, see our HSK 2026 changes guide.

All HSK 6 Characters

焦jiāoanxious, burnt爆bàoto explode, to quick-fry煤méicoal枝zhībranch, twig吐tǔto spit, to vomit恨hènto hate妙miàowonderful委wěicommittee, to entrust嫌xiánto dislike晕yūndizzy肝gānliver肠chángintestine朗lǎngbright, clear铜tóngcopper镇zhèntown, to suppress链liànchain钻zuānto drill钓diàoto fish坡pōslope埋máito bury坛tánaltar, forum碍àito hinder砖zhuānbrick田tiánfield略lüèstrategy, slightly编biānto edit, to compile纳nàto accept, to pay袖xiùsleeve裕yùabundant馈kuìgift, feedback官guānofficial审shěnto examine寂jìquiet, lonely寞mòlonely蜜mìhoney廊lángcorridor庄zhuāngvillage, manor疲pítired症zhèngsymptom痒yǎngitch痕hénmark, scar盼pànto hope for瞧qiáoto look at瞬shùnmoment耽dānto delay踩cǎito step on踏tàto step, to tread跌diēto fall跪guìto kneel踪zōngtrace, track透tòupenetrate, thorough蜂fēngbee融róngto melt, to blend英yīnghero, England蓄xùto store up雷léithunder露lùdew, reveal鲨shāshark轮lúnwheel辈bèigeneration轨guǐtrack, rail闪shǎnto flash, to dodge阔kuòwide, broad闯chuǎngto rush财cáiwealth贸màotrade贫pínpoor贯guànto penetrate贷dàiloan策cèpolicy亡wángto die仰yǎngto face upward佩pèito respect侧cèthe side刊kānto print叙xùto narrate吓hèto scare呆dāifoolish嗓sǎngthroat恰qiàexactly愁chóuto worry about截jiéto cut off (a length)扭niǔto turn抄chāoto make a copy捉zhuōto clutch捕bǔto catch探tànto explore摆bǎito arrange攻gōngto attack旋xuánto revolve枪qiānggun柔róusoft柴cháifirewood栏lánfence欲yùdesire泡pāopuffed涌chōng(used in place names)液yè(bound form) a liquid混hùnto mix潮cháotide烂lànsoft畅chàngfree盛shèngflourishing粉fěnpowder纯chúnpure罪zuìguilt肩jiānshoulder胸xiōngchest臂bìarm跃yuèto jump蹲cún(dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing辅fǔto assist逃táoto escape野yěfield陷xiànpitfall障zhàngto block隐yǐn(bound form) secret顶dǐngapex骤zhòusudden嘿hēihey罕hǎnrare脖bóneck宵xiāonight洁jiéclean盲mángblind椒jiāopepper谦qiānmodest帝dìemperor怜liánto pity惧jùto fear旱hàndrought虹hóngrainbow劣lièinferior王wángking or monarch兵bīngsoldiers寸cùna unit of length恶èevil骨gǔbone归guīto return毫háohair劲jìnstrength迫pòto persecute圈juānto confine尚shàngstill谓wèito speak岸ànbank拔báto pull up拜bàito bow to悲bēisad壁bìwall偿chángto repay脆cuìbrittle德déGermany毒dúpoison豪háogrand核hépit击jīto hit夹jiāto press from either side胶jiāoto glue戒jièto guard against俱jù(literary) all摩móto rub喷pēnto spout披pīto drape over one's shoulders启qǐQi son of Yu the Great 禹, reported founder of the Xia Dynasty 夏朝 (c. 2070-c. 1600 BC)绒róngvelvet杀shāto kill射shèto shoot寿shòulong life偷tōuto steal托tuōto hold up in one's hand歇xiēto rest雄xióngmale艳yànbright央yāngcenter灾zāidisaster珠zhūbead榜bǎngnotice or announcement胞bāoplacenta奔bēnto hurry逼bīto compel残cánto destroy仓cāngbarn撤chèto remove撑chēngto support崇chónghigh储chǔTaiwan pr.串chuànto string together醋cùvinegar搭dāto put up诞dànbirth岛dǎoisland滴dīto drip抵dǐto press against吊diàoto suspend督dū(bound form) to supervise渡dùto cross端duān(bound form) tip夺duóto seize额éforehead凡fánordinary犯fànto violate肺fèilung氛fēnmiasma愤fènindignant峰fēng(of a mountain) high and tapered peak or summit奉fèngto offer (tribute)浮fúto float岗gǎng(bound form) hillock港gǎngHong Kong (abbr. for 香港)稿gǎomanuscript宫gōngpalace巩gǒng(bound form) to fix in place孤gūlone股gǔthigh拐guǎito turn (a corner etc)耗hàoto waste狠hěnruthless横hénghorizontal宏hónggreat洪hóngflood壶húpot幻huànfantasy患huànto suffer (from illness)皇huángemperor绘huìto draw吉jíabbr. for Jilin 吉林省尖jiānpointed监jiānto supervise剑jiàndouble-edged sword鉴jiànbronze mirror (used in ancient times)箭jiànarrow酱jiàngthick paste of fermented soybean杰jié(bound form) hero井jǐngJing, one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy径jìngfootpath纠jiūto gather together菌jūngerm抗kàngto resist酷kùruthless啦lā(onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc赖lài(Tw) (coll.) LINE messaging app牢láofirm梁liángLiang Dynasty (502–557)嘛mamodal particle indicating that sth is obvious麦màiwheat梅méiplum棉miángeneric term for cotton or kapok灭mièto extinguish or put out泥nímud怒nùanger诺nuòto consent扑pūto throw oneself at铺pùstore欺qīto take unfair advantage of旗qíflag牵qiānto lead along潜qiánhidden倾qīngto overturn渠qúhow can it be that?券quànbond (esp. document split in two, with each party holding one half)塞sāito plug丧sāngmourning舌shétongue涉shè(literary) to wade across a body of water薯shǔpotato塔tǎpagoda (abbr. for 塔婆, a loanword from Sanskrit stūpa)掏tāoto fish out (from pocket)添tiānto add徒tú(bound form) disciple吞tūnto swallow挖wāto dig娃wábaby哇wāWow!顽wánmischievous乌wūabbr. for country names that begin with 烏|乌: Ukraine 烏克蘭|乌克兰, Uzbekistan 烏茲別克斯坦|乌兹别克斯坦 etc祥xiángauspicious谐xié(bound form) harmonious械xièappliance薪xīn(literary) firewood循xúnto follow讯xùn(bound form) to ask炎yánflame宴yàn(bound form) feast氧yǎngoxygen (chemistry)仪yíapparatus异yìdifferent忧yōuto worry予yú(archaic) I誉yùto praise援yuánto help遭zāoto meet by chance (usually with misfortune)扎zhāto prick宅zháiresidence殖zhíto grow肿zhǒngto swell粥zhōucongee诸zhūall壮zhuàngZhuang ethnic group of Guangxi, the PRC's second most numerous ethnic group奏zòuto play music祖zǔancestor昂ángto lift刹chàBuddhist monastery, temple or shrine (abbr. for 剎多羅|刹多罗, Sanskrit "ksetra")嘲cháoto ridicule臣chénstate official or subject in dynastic China尘chéndust趁chènto avail oneself of呈chéngto present to a superior惩chéngto punish筹chóuchip (in gambling)垂chuíto hang (down)瓷cíchinaware匆cōnghurried挫cuòobstructed稻dàopaddy栋dòngclassifier for houses or buildings逗dòuto tease (playfully)帆fānsail妨fángto hinder肪fánganimal fat赋fùpoetic essay覆fùto cover尬gà(bound form) embarrassing尴gānused in 尷尬|尴尬割gēto cut罐guàncan龟guītortoise棍gùnstick涵hánto contain惑huòto confuse饥jī(bound form) hungry嫁jià(of a woman) to marry稼jiàto sow grain兼jiāndouble捷jiéquick颈jǐngneck舅jiùmaternal uncle菊jú(bound form) chrysanthemum矩jǔcarpenter's square砍kǎnto chop枯kū(of plants) withered夸kuāto boast兰lánabbr. for Lanzhou 蘭州|兰州, Gansu拦lánto block sb's path狼lángwolf粒lìgrain淋línto sprinkle笼lóngenclosing frame made of bamboo, wire etc履lǚshoe迈màito take a step眉méieyebrow弥mífull勉miǎnto exhort拟nǐdoubtful庞páng(bound form) huge抛pāoto throw捧pěngto hold or offer with both hands飘piāoto float (in the air)朴pǔ(bound form) plain棋qíchess腔qiāng(bound form) cavity屈qūbent娶qǔto take a wife壤rǎng(bound form) soil撒sāto let go筛shāi(bound form) a sieve狮shī(bound form) lion竖shùto erect衰shuāi(bound form) to decay艘sōuclassifier for ships汰tàito discard碳tàncarbon (chemistry)烫tàngto scald淘táoto wash (rice, sand etc in water to remove impurities)筒tǒngtube歪wāiaskew沃wòfertile晰xīclear媳xídaughter-in-law携xiéto carry旬xúnten days讶yàastounded淹yānto flood遥yáo(bound form) distant抑yìto restrain疫yì(bound form) epidemic姻yīnmarriage connections婴yīnginfant颖yǐnghead of grain浴yùbath匀yúneven孕yùnpregnant噪zào(literary) (of birds or insects) to chirp燥zàodry粘niánto glue崭zhǎntowering仗zhàngweaponry枕zhěn(bound form) pillow睁zhēngto open (one's eyes)脂zhīfat秩zhì(literary) salary according to rank州zhōuprefecture株zhūtree trunk妆zhuāng(of a woman) to adorn oneself粽zòngrice dumplings wrapped in leaves蚂mǎant (in 蚂蚁)蚁yǐant (in 蚂蚁)侄zhívariant of 姪|侄[zhi2]晾liàngto dry in the air棕zōngpalm椎chuíhammer漱shùto rinse one's mouth with water甥shēng(bound form) sister's son

Frequently Asked Questions

How many characters are in HSK 6?
HSK 6 contains 413 unique characters under the current HSK 3.0 standard (per the official CLEC 2022 syllabus, effective 2026). Under the older HSK 2.0 standard, Level 6 had only 978 characters from 2,500 vocabulary items. Many online resources still cite the outdated HSK 2.0 count — if you see a different number, check whether the source references HSK 3.0 or 2.0.
How many words are in HSK 6?
HSK 6 includes 1,800 vocabulary words under the HSK 3.0 standard (CLEC 2022). Word count and character count are different: a single character like 学 can appear in multiple vocabulary words (学生 "student," 学习 "to study," 大学 "university"). HSK 6 has 413 unique characters but 1,800 vocabulary words formed from those and other characters.
What's the difference between HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 Level 6?
The HSK 3.0 standard, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) in 2022 and effective from 2026, significantly restructured all levels. Level 6 went from 978 characters and 2,500 vocabulary words (HSK 2.0) to 413 characters and 1,800 vocabulary words (HSK 3.0). The per-level character count decreased because HSK 3.0 expanded from 6 levels to 9 — many characters that were at levels 4–6 under the old system are now classified under the new advanced bands 7–9. The total number of characters across all HSK levels increased from about 2,600 to over 3,000. If you see conflicting character counts for HSK 6 on different websites, it is almost certainly because one source references the outdated HSK 2.0 data.
How long does it take to learn HSK 6?
Most learners report reaching HSK 6 proficiency after approximately 1,200–1,800 cumulative hours of study from a beginner level. This varies significantly based on native language (speakers of Japanese or Korean progress faster due to shared characters), study method, daily practice time, and immersion opportunities. Consistent spaced-repetition practice — reviewing characters at increasing intervals as you master them — can accelerate character retention considerably.
What are the hardest HSK 6 characters?
By stroke complexity, the most challenging HSK 6 characters include 罐 (guàn, 24 strokes), 露 (lù, 21 strokes), 壤 (rǎng, 20 strokes), 爆 (bào, 19 strokes), 臂 (bì, 19 strokes). The average stroke count at this level is 10. Characters with more strokes generally require more practice to write correctly and distinguish visually — using animated stroke-order guides and spaced repetition helps build muscle memory for complex characters.
What topics does HSK 6 cover?
HSK 6 focuses on academic texts, literary works, specialized professional domains, rare vocabulary, classical Chinese references, and subtle rhetorical distinctions. Mastering this level equips you for academic research conducted in Chinese, native-level media consumption, professional translation, and understanding cultural allusions and literary references.
What is the CEFR equivalent of HSK 6?
HSK 6 corresponds to CEFR level C2 under the HSK 3.0 framework (CLEC 2022). The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) alignment was established as part of the HSK 3.0 restructuring to provide an international reference point. At this mastery level, you can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning.
What's the difference between HSK 6 and HSK 7-9?
HSK 6 covers 413 characters and 1,800 vocabulary words, while HSK 7-9 introduces 1342 characters and 5,600 vocabulary words. HSK 6 maps to CEFR C2, while HSK 7-9 maps to CEFR C2+. The step up requires learning new characters, mastering more complex grammar, and expanding into new topic areas such as classical Chinese, rare and literary characters, specialized academic vocabulary.

Sources & Standards

Character data on this page is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. The standard took effect as the official syllabus for HSK examinations beginning in 2026.

Character counts, vocabulary word counts, and level classifications reflect the official CLEC syllabus. CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) equivalences follow the alignment established in the HSK 3.0 specification. All character statistics (stroke counts, radical classifications, frequency rankings) are computed from HanziFeed's curated dataset of 413 characters at this level.