HSK 2: the complete guide — words, exam, textbook and preparation

October 10, 2026 · 8 min read

HSK 2 is the second level of the international Chinese proficiency exam. Under the new HSK 3.0 syllabus you need 500 words by the end of it: the 300 from level 1 and 200 new ones. The old syllabus had 300. The HSK 2 exam takes about an hour, and in the new format it is the first level with a writing part. Below: what the level includes, how it differs from level 1, how to prepare and where to test yourself.

How many words are in HSK 2, and how many characters

The numbers depend on the syllabus: the old one or HSK 3.0, the new one published in November 2025.

The new syllabus counts characters separately: level 2 adds 125, for a total of 371 to recognize. You need to write fewer by hand — levels 1 and 2 share one list of 100 characters. More on the new syllabus in the article on HSK 3.0.

Notice the ratio: 200 new words, but only 125 new characters. Many HSK 2 words are built from characters you already know: 门票 ménpiào — entrance ticket, 机票 jīpiào — plane ticket, 药店 yàodiàn — pharmacy.

HSK 1 vs HSK 2: how the second level is different

In new words, level 2 is smaller than level 1. It is harder in other ways.

• Sentences get longer. At level 1 you state facts; at level 2 you connect them: "because… so", "although… but", "taller than".
• Writing appears. The new-format exam has a writing part at level 2; level 1 doesn't.
• The listening dialogues are longer. The question types are the same, but you have to keep more in your head.
• The level 1 words don't go away. The 500 words of HSK 2 are the 300 of HSK 1 plus 200 new ones, and the exam uses all of them.

Can you take HSK 2 straight away, without HSK 1? The exam levels are independent: you register for the one you are ready for, not in order. You can skip the HSK 1 exam, but not its material. If you need the certificate for something specific, first find out which level is required there, and check the registration rules with your test centre. What level 1 includes is in the article "HSK 1 — the complete guide".

What you can do at HSK 2

Level 2 covers wider topics than level 1: relatives and appearance, colors and things, getting around town, trips, studies, sport and health. You no longer just answer simple questions: you compare, explain why, talk about where you have been. A few words of the level:

• 地铁dìtiěsubway, metro
• 旁边pángbiānnext to, beside
• 旅游lǚyóuto travel
• 因为yīnwèibecause
• 游泳yóuyǒngto swim
• 舒服shūfucomfortable; feeling well

Where people stumble most often at level 2:

• Direction verbs. Chinese marks whether you move toward the speaker or away: 进来 jìnlái — come in (here) and 进去 jìnqù — go in (there). There are six such pairs at this level.
• Comparisons. They are built with 比 bǐ — than, and the word order is not the English one: instead of "he is taller than me" Chinese says literally "he 比 me tall".
• Particles. Next to the familiar 了 come 过 ("have ever done"), 着 ("a state that lasts") and two more particles read de, like 的: 得 and 地. The article on particles sorts them out.

The HSK 2 exam: what's on it

In the new format, going by the official sample papers on chinesetest.cn, the HSK 2 exam has three parts and 60 questions.

Listening and reading work the same way as at level 1: match a picture to a sentence or a dialogue, pick the answer to a question, fill a word into a gap, answer a question about a short text. The dialogues are just longer. There is still pinyin over the question text at level 2; from level 3 it goes.

Writing at HSK 2 is not an essay. There are two kinds of tasks: choose the missing part of a character, and write a character from its pinyin. That's what the list of characters to write by hand is for. You can check the stroke order in the handwriting sheets.

The old format has no writing at level 2: just listening and reading, 55 minutes. The speaking test (HSKK) is taken together with the written exam only from level 3.

Passing score. It hasn't been officially announced for the new format. In the old format you needed 120 points out of 200.

The result is valid for two years. Dates and fees are set by each test centre and differ from country to country: check them on chinesetest.cn or with the centre itself. Registration and exam day are covered in more detail in the article on the HSK exam.

The HSK 2 textbook: what to choose

Most people prepare with the HSK Standard Course series (HSK 标准教程) from Beijing Language and Culture University Press: for level 2 it has one textbook and one workbook. The series was written for the old format — for 300 words by the end of level 2, while the new syllabus asks for 500.

New editions are coming out for HSK 3.0. Before you buy a book, check which version of the syllabus it follows: it says so on the cover and on the copyright page. And compare it with the word list of the level — you will see right away what's missing. More on choosing in the article on HSK textbooks.

How long it takes to learn HSK 2, and how to prepare

In our course level 2 is 39 lessons following the HSK 3.0 syllabus, about a month and a half at one lesson a day. If you start from zero, the 61 lessons of level 1 come first, so together it's about three and a half months. That's the course's pace, not a promise: the timing depends on how much you study and how often you review.

• Words. First make sure you remember level 1, then take on the 200 new words — by topic and with audio.
• Grammar. Comparisons, direction verbs, particles, the pairs "because… so" and "although… but". This is where the level needs the most time; lean on Chinese grammar by HSK level.
• Listening. Listen to whole dialogues, not single words: in the exam you have to catch the meaning of a line the first time.
• Handwriting. A new skill for you: write out the characters on the list until your hand remembers the stroke order.
• Mock test. A full timed paper once you've finished the level.

Where to test yourself

Start with something short: the HSK 2 vocabulary test — 20 questions in three or four minutes, free. Then take the HSK 2 mock test in the new exam format: the first paper is open to everyone, and during the beta the other papers and a review of every question open free with a Nomto account.

If level 2 is already behind you, look at the next one: pinyin disappears and a speaking part is added — HSK 3 — the complete guide.