HSK vs CEFR: How Chinese Levels Compare (A1 to C2)

There's no single official conversion between the HSK and the CEFR. When the six-level HSK launched in 2010, its organisers said HSK 1 to 6 matched CEFR A1 to C2. Teachers of Chinese in Europe rejected that, and their estimate is about two levels lower: HSK 4 is roughly A2, HSK 5 roughly B1 and HSK 6 roughly B2. Nobody has published an official CEFR label for the newer nine-level HSK. Below are the main estimates side by side, with their sources, then what each level means in practice and how to work out your own.

The short answer, for the six-level HSK most certificates still show:

If you need one answer, the teachers' column is the more realistic guide to what you can actually do. If an employer or university asks for a CEFR level, ask which conversion they use, because both are in circulation.

What the HSK and the CEFR Are

The HSK (汉语水平考试, hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì) is China's official proficiency exam for learners of Chinese, run by Chinese Testing International. It comes in two versions:

• The six-level HSK (HSK 2.0), used since 2010. Its word lists run from 150 words at HSK 1 to 5,000 at HSK 6.
• The nine-level HSK (HSK 3.0), set out in a 2021 standard as "three stages and nine levels" (三等九级, sān děng jiǔ jí). The exam syllabus published in November 2025 revised its word lists. New-format levels 1–6 launch worldwide on 13 December 2026 (Shanghai Municipal Education Commission), at the time of writing. Levels 7–9 have been examined since 2022.

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the Council of Europe's scale for any language, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (near-native mastery). It describes what you can do (order a meal, follow a lecture, write a report) rather than how many words you know. Most European schools, universities and language apps, Duolingo included, describe their levels in CEFR terms. That's why learners and employers in Europe so often want an HSK level translated into one.

Why There's No Official HSK to CEFR Conversion

Linking an exam to the CEFR is up to the exam's organisers and the countries that use it. The Council of Europe publishes a manual for relating examinations to the CEFR, but it says that checking and validating those links isn't its role. So an exam's CEFR level is a claim made by its organisers, and other people are free to dispute it. For Chinese, they have.

The HSK's Own Claim (2010)

When the six-level HSK was introduced in 2010, Hanban (the body that ran it then) stated that its six levels corresponded to the six CEFR levels: HSK 1 to A1, up to HSK 6 to C2 (see the HSK article on Wikipedia, which links the archived Hanban pages). Some Confucius Institutes still present the levels this way, for example the Confucius Institute at the University of Valencia. The current official HSK pages at chinesetest.cn describe each level without mentioning the CEFR.

The German Teachers' Statement (2010)

In June 2010 the Fachverband Chinesisch, the association of Chinese teachers in German-speaking countries, published a statement that "categorically" denied the HSK's CEFR links. Its reasons:

• Vocabulary. For other foreign languages, it said, A1 needs about 500 lexical units, A2 about 1,000 and B1 about 2,000. The HSK suggested a third of that would do.
• Hours. Hanban's official figures expected B2 (HSK 4) after two years of 2–4 hours of lessons a week, 160–320 hours in all. The Fachverband called that "out of the question, even for European languages", and estimated 1,200–1,600 hours of teaching, plus private study, for B2 in Chinese.

Its own proposal: HSK 1 has no CEFR equivalent, HSK 2 is A1.1 (without characters), HSK 3 is A1, HSK 4 A2, HSK 5 B1 and HSK 6 B2.

French Teachers and the EBCL Project

French teachers of Chinese reached a similar view. Wikipedia's HSK article, citing Joël Bellassen (2011), gives their estimate as A1–A2 for HSK 3, A2 for HSK 4, B1–B2 for HSK 5 and B2–C1 for HSK 6. That's slightly more generous than the German one at the top, but still well below the HSK's own claim.

Europe also tried to describe Chinese directly in CEFR terms. The European Benchmarks for the Chinese Language (EBCL) project brought together experts from England, France, Germany and Italy and finished in 2012. It wrote can-do descriptors for A1 to A2 only (with A1+ and A2+ sub-levels), and added something the CEFR doesn't have: character thresholds, of 320 characters for A1 and 630 for A2 (as described in Lin-Zucker, Bellassen and Zucker, 2025). A follow-up project, EBCL II, was set up in 2024 to cover B1 to C1, running until May 2026. At the time of writing we haven't seen its results published.

The Nine-Level HSK and the CEFR

We couldn't find any statement from the HSK's organisers giving CEFR levels for the 2021 standard or the 2025 syllabus, and the official exam pages don't mention the CEFR. Any chart you see that maps "new HSK 1–9" to A1–C2 is someone's estimate, not an official one. The section below shows how the new levels line up with the old ones by word count, which is the fairest way we know to place them.

HSK and CEFR Comparison Table

The Six-Level HSK (HSK 2.0)

This is where the published estimates are. Word counts are cumulative, from Wikipedia's HSK article. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Sources: the HSK claim as reported by Wikipedia and repeated in the Fachverband's statement; the Fachverband Chinesisch statement; the French estimate via Wikipedia (Bellassen, 2011). Universities use the teachers' version too. For example, the Sinology department at Leipzig University publishes a conversion table with HSK 1–2 below A1, HSK 3 at A1, HSK 4 at A2, HSK 5 at B1 and HSK 6 at B2, and nothing on the HSK for C1 or C2.

The Nine-Level HSK (2021 Standard and 2025 Syllabus)

There are no published CEFR estimates for these levels, so this table compares them with the old HSK by word count instead. You can then read across to the estimates above. The counts are cumulative, from Wikipedia's HSK article, and match the figures in our Chinese study plan.

Word count isn't the whole story. The new levels also set character, grammar and syllable lists, and from level 3 the new exam includes speaking, so a new-format level is generally harder than the old level with the same number. On the teachers' scale, new HSK 6 sits around B2, and only HSK 7–9 reaches into C1 territory. That last part is our reading of the word counts, not a published mapping.

Taiwan's TOCFL, Which Does Use the CEFR

Taiwan's exam, the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language), was built with the CEFR in mind. Its official brochure (TOCFL, PDF) maps its six levels straight onto A1 to C2, and gives the vocabulary and the course hours it suggests for each, both for studying in a Chinese-speaking country ("immersion") and elsewhere:

The word counts are the TOCFL's vocabulary bases, as listed in the brochure and in Wikipedia's TOCFL article; there's also a Novice band below Level 1. Look at B2: the TOCFL expects about 5,000 words, the size of the old HSK 6 list, while the HSK's 2010 claim put B2 at HSK 4 and 1,200 words. That gap fits the teachers' estimate of HSK 6 as B2, and Leipzig's table puts HSK 6 level with TOCFL Level 4.

Why the Same CEFR Level Takes Longer in Chinese

For an English speaker, a CEFR level in Chinese costs far more hours than the same level in French or Spanish. The figures above show it:

• English as a foreign language: Cambridge estimates about 500–600 guided learning hours from scratch to B2.
• Chinese, TOCFL: 480–960 hours of courses to B2 if you study in a Chinese-speaking country, and 960–1,920 if you don't.
• Chinese, German teachers: 1,200–1,600 hours of teaching for B2, plus private study.
• Chinese, US Foreign Service Institute: about 2,200 class hours of full-time study for professional working proficiency, which puts Mandarin in its hardest group for English speakers (US State Department).

The main reason is the writing system. In most European languages, once you can say a word you can more or less read it. In Chinese, every character has to be learned separately, so reading and writing grow more slowly than listening and speaking. That's why the EBCL project added character thresholds, and why one learner can be B1 in conversation and A2 in reading. Tones and the lack of shared vocabulary with English add to it. Our post on how long it takes to learn Mandarin has hours for different goals.

What Each Level Means in Chinese

The CEFR describes each level with can-do statements (the full list is in the Council of Europe's global scale). Here's what they look like in Chinese, with the HSK levels the two main estimates give for each.

A1 in Chinese: First Phrases

You can introduce yourself, ask and answer simple questions about people and places, and understand slow, clear speech on familiar things. In Chinese that means pinyin, the four tones and a few hundred words, such as 我叫……，我是英国人 (wǒ jiào…, wǒ shì yīngguó rén, my name is…, I'm British). EBCL sets the character threshold at 320. HSK claim: HSK 1. Teachers' estimate: HSK 3. Our HSK 1 vocabulary list covers the words to start with.

A2: Everyday Situations

You can deal with routine tasks such as shopping, transport, directions and your daily routine, and talk about your background in simple sentences: 我想买一张去北京的火车票 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhāng qù běijīng de huǒchē piào, I'd like to buy a train ticket to Beijing). EBCL sets the threshold at 630 characters. HSK claim: HSK 2. Teachers' estimate: HSK 4.

B1: Getting By on Your Own

You can handle most situations while travelling, describe experiences and plans, give reasons for an opinion, and follow the main points of clear speech on familiar topics: 我去年在上海工作过半年 (wǒ qùnián zài shànghǎi gōngzuò guo bàn nián, I worked in Shanghai for six months last year). HSK claim: HSK 3. Teachers' estimate: HSK 5. TOCFL: Level 3, about 2,500 words.

B2: Independent User

You can follow the main ideas of complex texts and discussions, talk with native speakers without much strain on either side, and argue a point with pros and cons. In Chinese, this is where simplified news and native podcasts become usable with a dictionary to hand. HSK claim: HSK 4. Teachers' estimate: HSK 6. TOCFL: Level 4, about 5,000 words.

C1 and C2: Advanced and Mastery

C1 means using the language flexibly for work and study, following long texts and implied meaning, and speaking fluently without obviously searching for words. C2 means understanding virtually everything you hear or read. In Chinese this includes 成语 (chéngyǔ, four-character idioms), formal written style and fast, unscripted speech. HSK claim: HSK 5 and 6. Teachers' estimate: beyond the six-level HSK. On the new HSK, levels 7–9 (about 11,000 words) are the advanced levels, for academic and professional use.

Which Tests and Courses Use Which Scale

Duolingo is the one most learners meet first. Its Chinese course has used CEFR levels since its rebuild, and Duolingo's only HSK claim dates from 2017, when the course ended at A2. Our post on what HSK level Duolingo Chinese gets you to goes through its CEFR claims and score bands in detail. The Chinese Grammar Wiki is the handiest free resource if you want grammar points by CEFR level.

If you're choosing an exam rather than converting one, our post on whether you should take the HSK covers who needs a certificate, the old and new formats, and how to prepare.

How to Find Your Own Level

You don't need to sit an exam to get a fair idea. Check four things, and expect them to give slightly different answers:

1. Count the words you know. Go through an HSK word list for your level and mark the words you'd recognise in a sentence. As a rough guide of our own, combining the teachers' scale and the TOCFL's word counts, under about 500–600 known words is below A1, around 1,000–1,200 is roughly A2, around 2,500 is B1 and around 5,000 is B2. Our guide to how many words you need explains what each stage feels like.
2. Read the can-do statements honestly. Take the level descriptions above and ask whether you could do each one today, without preparing. The highest level where you can say yes to almost everything is your level for that skill.
3. Test each skill separately. Most learners of Chinese are a level higher in listening or speaking than in reading and writing, or the other way round if they learned from books. A CEFR level is really one level per skill.
4. Try a sample paper. An HSK sample or past paper, done under time, shows how you cope with unfamiliar texts at natural speed, which word lists alone can't tell you.

Once you know where you are, our Chinese study plan gives weekly targets from beginner to HSK 4–5, and how long it takes to learn Mandarin shows the hours to each goal.

Learning Level by Level with Mandarin Mosaic

Whichever scale you use, the work between levels is mostly the same: learning a few thousand words well enough to understand them in real sentences. Mandarin Mosaic is built around that. Its Lessons are HSK lesson packs for both versions of the exam, HSK 1–6 and the New HSK 3.0 levels 1–7. Each lesson is made of sentences with one new word where possible, which you fill in yourself, and spaced repetition brings each word back just before you'd forget it. Your Vocabulary shows how many words you know at each HSK level, which makes the word-count check above easy to repeat every month.

Mandarin Mosaic is on iPhone and Android, with Simplified and Traditional characters. At the time of writing, Premium's first month is free, and there's a limited free plan. Get it on iOS or Android.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CEFR Level Is HSK 4?

The HSK's own 2010 documents called HSK 4 B2. European teachers of Chinese put it at A2, and Leipzig University's conversion table does the same. With a 1,200-word list, the old HSK 4 is closer to A2 in practice. The new-format HSK 4 (2,000 words in the 2025 syllabus) is a step above that, but has no official CEFR label.

Is HSK 6 C1 or C2?

Neither, on most European estimates. The HSK claimed C2 in 2010, but German teachers of Chinese put HSK 6 at B2 and French teachers at B2 to C1. Taiwan's TOCFL, which is aligned to the CEFR, expects about 5,000 words for B2, the same size as the HSK 6 list.

What Is A1 in Chinese?

A1 is the first CEFR level: you can introduce yourself, ask simple questions and understand slow, clear speech about familiar things. In Chinese that's about 500 words on the TOCFL and 320 characters on the European EBCL benchmark. The HSK equivalent is HSK 1 by the HSK's own claim, or HSK 3 by European teachers' estimate.

Does Duolingo Use CEFR for Chinese?

Yes. Duolingo's Chinese course is organised by CEFR levels, and since April 2026 it runs to B2. Its Duolingo Score is linked to CEFR bands. It doesn't use HSK levels in the app, and its only HSK claim is from 2017, when the course reached A2.

Is There a CEFR Chinese Test?

There's no CEFR exam as such: the CEFR is a scale, and each exam decides how its results relate to it. The TOCFL is the main Chinese exam that reports its levels as A1 to C2. The HSK uses its own levels, and its claim to match the CEFR is disputed.

How Long Does It Take to Reach B1 or B2 in Chinese?

Much longer than in a European language. The TOCFL suggests 360–480 course hours for B1 and 480–960 for B2 if you study in a Chinese-speaking country, and double that elsewhere. German teachers of Chinese estimate 1,200–1,600 hours of teaching for B2. For comparison, Cambridge puts B2 in English at about 500–600 hours.

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