HSK 3 sits in the elementary band (levels 1–3). Under the HSK 3.0 syllabus (in force from December 13, 2026) it requires 1,000 words, 655 characters to read and 250 to write by hand; the paper has 70 items in 83 minutes, with a separate 15-item speaking test of about 15 minutes. Under the six-level format, sat until November 2026, HSK 3 means 600 words, 80 items in 90 minutes and a pass mark of 180 out of 300.
In this article
What HSK 3 requires
HSK 3 sits in the elementary band (levels 1–3) of the nine HSK 3.0 levels. The official description of what the level means is:
能用中文就生活、学习、工作场景进行有效交流。
Effective exchanges in daily life, study and work.
Behind that sentence are three lists in the syllabus of November 2025: 1,000 words (counted from level 1, of which 500 first appear at level 3), 655 characters to recognise and 250 to write by hand. Against HSK 2, that is 500 more words, 284 more characters and 150 more to handwrite.
If you test before December 13, 2026, you sit the six-level format: HSK 3 there means 600 words from the old list, 80 items in 90 minutes. The two formats use two different word lists, so check your test date before choosing study material.
The HSK 3 paper
| HSK 3 | Six-level format (until Nov 2026) | HSK 3.0 (from December 13, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Words (cumulative) | 600 | 1,000 |
| Characters to read | not stated | 655 |
| Characters to handwrite | not stated | 250 |
| Listening | 40 items | 30 items |
| Reading | 30 items | 30 items |
| Writing | 10 items | 10 items |
| Items in total | 80 | 70 |
| Time | 90 min | 83 min |
| Pass mark | 180 / 300 | not published (October 5, 2026) |
| Speaking | HSKK Elementary, a separate test | 15 items, about 15 min, per level |
Sources: the HSK 3 page on chinesetest.cn (read on October 5, 2026) for the six-level format; the HSK 3.0 syllabus and sample papers (CLEC, November 2025) for the right-hand column. Six-level timings include five minutes for personal details.
The visible differences: the HSK 3.0 paper is shorter (70 items against 80) and quicker (83 minutes against 90), but asks for more words (1,000 against 600) and attaches a speaking test at the same level instead of HSKK. Everything that changes is in HSK 3.0: what changes and who it affects.
The speaking test at HSK 3
Under the six-level format, speaking is the separate HSKK test; HSKK Elementary (27 items, about 20 minutes, 60 out of 100 to pass) is the one paired with HSK 3, and whether you must take it depends on the test centre. From December 13, 2026, HSK 3.0 replaces the three HSKK levels with one speaking test per level from 3 to 6. At HSK 3:
| Level | Part | Items | Prep per item | Speaking per item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 315 items, about 15 min | Listen and repeat 听后重复 | 8 | none | 10 s |
| Describe a picture 看图说话 | 5 | none | 15 s | |
| Answer questions 回答问题 | 2 | 3 min | 1.5 min |
How each part runs, with samples you can listen to, is in HSKK explained: the HSK speaking test.
HSK 3 vocabulary: 500 new words
Twelve words spread through the list of 500 new words. Tap a card to hear it.
See all 500 HSK 3 words with audio, meanings and examples →
Many lists say HSK 3 has 2,245 words. That figure is from the 2021 Standards, the framework the new exam grew out of. The exam follows the syllabus CLEC published in November 2025, and its counts are the ones on this page: 1,000 in total, 500 new at this level.
HSK 3 grammar
The 2025 syllabus lists the grammar of each level. These are the level 3 items, in the syllabus's own wording: word classes with the words named, set formats, complements, special sentence patterns and complex sentences. Any pattern here you cannot yet use is a gap to close before the test.
| Group | Items (as in the syllabus) |
|---|---|
| Modal verbs and separable verbs | 需要、该、应该、愿意、得；放假、见面、结婚、洗澡；离开、完成、分开 |
| Question words beyond questions | 疑问代词+都……；疑问代词+疑问代词；不定指用法 |
| Measure words | 把、双、张、种、层、封、页、辆、节、所、班、段、头、句；公斤、斤、角、毛、刻、米；碗、盘；口、回、遍、声；个个、张张 |
| Adverbs | 比较、更、特别、挺、越、极；才、马上、先、一会儿、刚、刚刚、一直；总、总是、又、常常；大概、必须、差不多、一定、好像、几乎；当然、其实、终于、就；不必、不用 |
| Prepositions and conjunctions | 为、向、关于、为了、把、被、根据；或、或者、只有、只要、不但、而且、如果、可、可是、然后；……的话 |
| Set formats | 越来越……；越……越……；除了……（以外），……还/也/都……；从……起；对……来说；一……也/都+不/没……；该……了；在……上/下/中；看来、看起来、看上去、一般来说、不怎么样 |
| Complements | 结果补语：动词+到/住/走/上；趋向补语引申：动词+出/起/下；动词+上/起来；动词+下去/下来；可能补语：动词+得/不+动词/形容词；程度补语：形容词+得很；形容词/动词+极了/坏了；数量补语：动作结束到某个时间点的间隔 |
| Special sentence patterns | 反问句：不是……吗？；“把”字句：主语+把+宾语+动词+在/到+处所；主语+把+宾语1+动词（+给）+宾语2；主语+把+宾语+动词+补语；被动句：主语+被+宾语+动词+其他成分；连动句：动词1+着+动词2；比较句：A比B+更/还+形容词；A跟B一样（+形容词）；A不比B+形容词；A比B+多/少/早/晚+动词+数量短语；存现句：表示出现、消失；“是……的”句：强调说话人的看法或态度；重动句：主语+动词+宾语+动词+补语 |
| Complex sentences | 先……，再/然后……；或者……，或者……；一会儿……，一会儿……；又……，又……；一边……，一边……；不但……，而且……；虽然……，可是……；如果……，就……；……的话，就……；只有……，才……；只要……，就……；为了……，……；……了……（就）…… |
| Approximate numbers | 用“大概”表示概数；相邻数词连用：三四个 |
Source: HSK 考试大纲, the grammar outline (语法大纲) for level 3, CLEC, November 2025. Headings that only classify (句类, 结构类型) are left out.
Are you at HSK 3? A 2-minute check
The three rows are words from HSK 2, HSK 3 and HSK 4; each word sits at that level in both the old list and the HSK 3.0 syllabus. If you pass the HSK 3 row but not the one above, this is your level.
Tap every word you can read and understand
No guessing: skip any word you are unsure of. Pinyin and meanings appear once you ask for the result.
This is a rough estimate from a few dozen words, not a mock exam. Use the speaker buttons to hear each word and check the ones you tapped.
Who needs HSK 3?
- Learners who want a first certificate worth putting on a CV: employers and admissions offices rarely ask for less than HSK 3.
- Anyone preparing for HSK 4: HSK 3 checks that listening, reading and handwriting are solid before the vocabulary doubles.
- Students on a university Chinese course where a mid-course HSK level is a requirement; the level is set by the institution.
Score validity, how to read results and the other levels are in the overview HSK levels explained. Neighbouring levels: HSK 4, HSK 5.
How long from HSK 2 to HSK 3?
The measurable part is 500 new words and 150 new characters to handwrite. At a steady pace, the word list alone takes:
| Per day | Days | About |
|---|---|---|
| 10 words | 50 | 7 weeks |
| 15 words | 34 | 5 weeks |
| 20 words | 25 | 4 weeks |
Add review time (a word learned today needs to come back at least three times within the month), listening practice at exam speed and handwriting for 150 characters, and three to four months is realistic for someone studying 30 to 45 minutes a day around a job. Learners who already read characters move faster; learners from a non-tonal language usually spend the extra time on listening and tones.
To drill the level's words through games and have your tones scored as you read, see Myra's games.
Booking HSK 3
Registration runs through one official site, chinesetest.cn, which lists the test centres and sessions of every country. Fees are set per country: in Vietnam, for example, HSK 3 with its speaking test costs 50 USD in the 2026 notices of two centres; in Europe and North America expect a higher figure.
- Sessions until November 2026 use the six-level format and its word list (600 words for HSK 3). The last global sittings are on October 17 and November 7, 2026.
- From December 13, 2026, every sitting is HSK 3.0: the 1,000-word list on this page, the 70-item paper and the level's own speaking test. Registration for the first sitting closes on November 16 (paper) and December 3 (computer).
- Results are valid for two years from the test date; the paper certificate reaches the centre about 45 days after the sitting.
What changes with the new format, and whether to test before or after the switch, is in HSK 3.0: what changes and who it affects.
Key takeaways
- HSK 3.0: 1,000 words in total, 500 of them new at level 3; 655 characters to recognise, 250 to write.
- The HSK 3.0 paper: 30 listening, 30 reading and 10 writing items in 83 minutes. Speaking is a separate test: 15 items, about 15 minutes.
- Six-level format (until November 2026): 600 words, 80 items, 90 minutes, pass at 180/300.
- No pass mark for HSK 3.0 had been published as of October 5, 2026.
- The 500 new words, with audio and meanings, are on the HSK 3 vocabulary page.
Common questions
How many words do you need for HSK 3?
It depends on the paper. The six-level format, sat until November 2026, lists 600 words. The HSK 3.0 syllabus, in force from December 13, 2026, lists 1,000 words counted from level 1, which is 500 new words on top of HSK 2. Many sites still quote the 2021 Standards figure (2,245); that is not the exam's number.
How long does it take to get from HSK 2 to HSK 3?
The core of the work is 500 new words and 150 new characters to write. At 15 words a day the vocabulary alone takes about 5 weeks; with listening and handwriting practice on top, three to four months is realistic for someone studying around a job.
What can you do at HSK 3?
The official HSK 3.0 description for level 3 is: “Effective exchanges in daily life, study and work.” (能用中文就生活、学习、工作场景进行有效交流。). There is no official equivalence to CEFR or IELTS; the “HSK 3 = B1” table that circulates comes from a 2010 document and was rejected by European Chinese-teaching associations the same year.
What is the pass mark for HSK 3?
Six-level format: 180 out of 300, on the total of the three sections, with no minimum per section. For HSK 3.0, no pass mark had been published as of October 5, 2026.
Is there a speaking test at HSK 3?
Under the six-level format, speaking is the separate HSKK test (HSKK Elementary is the one paired with HSK 3); whether you must sit it depends on the test centre. From December 13, 2026, HSK 3.0 has a speaking test built into each level from 3 to 6: at level 3 it is 15 items in about 15 minutes.
Sources
- CLEC (中外语言交流合作中心), 《HSK 考试大纲》 (Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test), November 2025: word, character and handwriting lists per level, paper structure, grammar outline. The PDF linked from chinesetest.cn/HSK.
- chinesetest.cn, the page for this level in the six-level format: paper structure, timing, scoring. Read on October 5, 2026.
- CTI (汉考国际), “HSK 3.0 will be officially launched worldwide on December 13, 2026”, September 8, 2026, chinesetest.cn/news/51336883.
- CLEC, HSK 3.0 sample papers and the competency descriptions (HSK3.0 考试能力描述), November 2025.
- Word list: the vocabulary appendix of the 2025 syllabus, read through the transcription by hsk-tutor.com (uranbekanarbaev/hsk-3.0-vocabulary-dataset) and checked entry by entry against the syllabus PDF on October 14, 2026.
- Meanings and example sentences: Myra's word database; entries the database lacked were written by the Myra team and are marked for review.