HSK 2 Vocabulary List: All 150 Words with Example Sentences

HSK 2 adds 150 new words to the 150 you learn for HSK 1, making 300 in total. That's level 2 of the HSK 2.0 exam, the six-level version of China's official Chinese test that has been sat since 2010. All 150 new words are below, sorted by topic, each with its pinyin, its meaning and a short example sentence. The page assumes you already know the first 150. If you don't yet, start with the HSK 1 vocabulary list.

The example sentences come from Mandarin Mosaic's sentence library, and every one except the sentence for 羊肉 (yángròu, lamb) has been checked by a native speaker. We looked for short, everyday sentences that use each word in its HSK 2 sense. Some still include a word from a later level, because sentences made only from 300 words soon sound forced. A few HSK 2 words are shown inside a longer word they usually appear in, such as 晴 in 晴天 (qíngtiān, a sunny day).

Which HSK 2? 300, 500 or 1,272 Words

The size of "HSK 2" depends on which version of the test you mean. These are the level 2 figures from Wikipedia's HSK article. The totals include the level 1 words:

The date of the first official sitting comes from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. If you're booking a test, ask your test centre which version your sitting uses. Our post on whether to take the HSK covers what each level tests, and HSK vs CEFR explains how HSK 2 compares with European levels like A1 and A2.

For learning rather than exams, the version matters less. These 150 words cover family, travel, food, weather and the small grammar words that join simple sentences together, so they're worth learning whichever list you move on to. Mandarin Mosaic has lesson packs for the HSK 2.0 levels and for the new HSK 3.0 levels.

The HSK 2 Word List

Each row gives the simplified characters, with the traditional form in brackets where it's different. The pinyin next to the word has its dictionary tones. The pinyin under each sentence writes 一 and 不 the way they're spoken, so 一个 is yí ge and 不要 is bú yào, but it doesn't mark third-tone changes. Both rules are explained in our guide to tone sandhi. To hear any syllable, use the pinyin chart, and if the tone marks are new to you, start with the four tones.

Time and Weather

日 (rì) is the written word for the day of the month, so printed dates use 日 where people say 号 (hào): 四月三日 is 3 April.

Numbers and Measure Words

Before a measure word, "two" is 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr): 两个人 (liǎng ge rén) is "two people". 次 (cì) counts how many times you do something and goes after the verb. 一下 (yíxià) after a verb makes the action short or casual, as in 等一下 (děng yíxià), "wait a moment".

People and Family

Chinese has separate words for older and younger brothers and sisters. 您 (nín) is the polite "you", for older people, customers and anyone you want to show respect to.

Places and Transport

The sentence for 宾馆 is the longest on the page. It's the only native-checked sentence we have for the word, so we kept it.

Directions and Distance

Distance uses 离 (lí): 我家离学校很近 (wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn) is "my home is close to the school". 从 (cóng) means "from" and 往 (wǎng) means "towards".

Food and Drink

Things, the Body and Colours

School, Work and Questions

Sport and Free Time

唱歌 (chànggē), 跳舞 (tiàowǔ) and 游泳 (yóuyǒng) are each a verb plus its object, so other words can go between the two halves: 唱了一首歌 (chàng le yì shǒu gē) is "sang a song".

Verbs: Daily Life

完 (wán) often follows another verb to say the action is finished: 吃完 (chī wán) is "to finish eating", and 用完 (yòng wán) is "to use up".

Verbs: Coming, Going and Giving

给 (gěi) is a verb, "to give", and also means "for" or "to" before a person: 给你打电话 (gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà) is "to phone you".

Verbs: Talking, Knowing and Helping

觉得 (juéde) is for opinions and feelings, and 知道 (zhīdào) is for knowing facts. To say you know a person, use 认识 (rènshi) from HSK 1.

Verbs: Want, Hope, Can, Might and Let

要 (yào) is "want to" or "going to", 希望 (xīwàng) is "to hope", 可以 (kěyǐ) asks for or gives permission, and 可能 (kěnéng) says something might happen. 让 (ràng) is "let" or "make", as in 让我想一想 (let me think).

Adjectives

快 (kuài) also means "soon": 快…了 says something is about to happen, as in the example for 手机 above, 我手机快没电了 (my phone is about to die).

Adverbs: Very, Also, Still, Again

Most of these go before the verb or adjective (每, "every", goes before a measure word or noun). English can put "too" or "again" at the end of a sentence, but Chinese can't: 我也喜欢 (wǒ yě xǐhuan) is "I like it too". 别 (bié) before a verb means "don't".

Because, So, Although, But and Why

These often come in pairs: 因为…所以… (because… so…) and 虽然…但是… (although… but…). English uses one word from each pair, but Chinese often uses both.

Grammar Words: 着, 过, 得, 吧, 正在 and 比

These six do grammatical jobs, so the example sentence tells you more than the meaning column:

• 着 (zhe) after a verb shows an ongoing action or state: 她打着雨伞 (tā dǎ zhe yǔsǎn) is "she's holding an umbrella".
• 过 (guo) after a verb says you've done something at some time: 我去过北京 (wǒ qù guo běijīng) is "I've been to Beijing".
• 得 (de) goes between a verb and a description of how it's done: 说得很好 (shuō de hěn hǎo) is "speaks well".
• 吧 (ba) at the end of a sentence makes it a suggestion or a guess: 走吧 (zǒu ba) is "let's go".
• 正在 (zhèngzài) before a verb says it's happening right now.
• 比 (bǐ) makes comparisons: 他比我高 (tā bǐ wǒ gāo) is "he's taller than me". Don't put 很 before the adjective in a 比 sentence.

How to Learn the 150 HSK 2 Words

A table like this is for checking and looking things up. To make the words stick, practise them this way:

• Learn each word in a sentence, not on its own. Words like 着, 过 and 得 have almost no translation, so a sentence is the only place you can see what they do. Learning from sentences with one new word in each is the idea behind sentence mining.
• Use spaced repetition. Review each word just before you'd forget it, with gaps that grow from a day to a week to a month. Reviews of words you half know take seconds, and they keep HSK 1 fresh while you add HSK 2.
• Recall, don't just reread. Cover the Chinese and try to produce it from the English, or fill in a missing word. It feels harder than reading the list again, and that's why it works.

At 5 to 10 new words a day, the 150 words take two to five weeks, plus a few minutes of reviews each day. If you're not sure what pace suits you, see how many characters to learn per day. Our Chinese study plan covers HSK 2 in its second stage, which runs from month two to month six and goes on to HSK 3.

Mandarin Mosaic's HSK 2 lessons take you through these words in sentences, with one new word per sentence where possible. You fill in the missing word, tap any word for its meaning and audio, and spaced repetition brings each word back in Review Lessons when it's due. The app is on iPhone and Android. At the time of writing, Premium's first month is free, and there's a limited free plan. Get it on iOS or Android.

Not sure whether you're already past HSK 2? The free Chinese level test estimates your HSK level in about five minutes, so you know which list to start from.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Words Are in HSK 2?

300 on the HSK 2.0 exam: the 150 HSK 1 words plus the 150 new words on this page. The 2021 standard puts 1,272 words at level 2, and the exam syllabus published in November 2025 puts 500 words at level 2. Both of those totals include level 1.

How Long Does It Take to Learn HSK 2?

If you already know the HSK 1 words, about two to five weeks for the 150 new ones, at 5 to 10 a day with daily reviews. Starting from zero, add the time for HSK 1 and for learning pinyin and tones first. Being ready for the exam takes a little longer, because you also need to follow the words at normal speaking speed.

Can I Skip HSK 1 and Go Straight to HSK 2?

You can sit the HSK 2 exam without having taken HSK 1, but you can't skip the words. HSK 2 assumes all 150 HSK 1 words, and almost every sentence on this page uses some of them. If you think you know most of them already, a quick run through the HSK 1 list will show up any gaps.

What Can You Say at HSK 2?

Quite a lot more than at HSK 1. You can talk about your family, your day and what you did yesterday, the weather, sport and hobbies, prices (贵 and 便宜) and getting around (机场, 火车站, 离…远). You can say you've done something before with 过, and compare two things with 比. Conversations are still simple, and native speakers will need to slow down for you.

Want to learn these 150 words in sentences, with audio and spaced repetition built in? Mandarin Mosaic has HSK 2 lessons made of short sentences with one new word at a time. It's on iPhone and Android, and at the time of writing Premium's first month is free, and there's a limited free plan. Get it on iOS or Android.

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