If you're preparing for the HSK Level 4 exam, building a strong vocabulary is essential. This level includes over 1,200 words that appear across reading, listening, and writing sections. In this guide, you'll find the full list with pinyin, meanings, and proven strategies to study smarter.

I. Overview of the HSK 4 Vocabulary List
II. Full HSK 4 Vocabulary List with Pinyin and English
III. How to Learn and Memorize HSK 4 Vocabulary Effectively?
IV. Recommended Tools and Resources to Study HSK 4 Vocabulary

HSK 4 Vocabulary Guide: Words, Meaning, and Practice

I. Overview of the HSK 4 Vocabulary List

HSK Level 4 introduces learners to a critical stage in Mandarin proficiency, where vocabulary shifts from foundational to functional. At this level, you're expected to understand more nuanced texts, follow everyday conversations, and express opinions with greater accuracy.

The official HSK 4 vocabulary list contains approximately 1,200 words. This list includes:

All words from HSK 1–3, serving as a foundation.
About 600 new HSK 4 words, introducing advanced concepts, abstract ideas, and topic-specific vocabulary for work, school, and daily life.

Mastering these words is essential because they appear across all three skill areas tested in the HSK 4 exam:

Reading: understanding short articles, messages, or instructions with multiple-choice questions.
Listening: following real-life dialogue or mono-speaker audio with vocabulary density.
Writing: forming full sentences, using the correct word choice in context.

Unlike vocabulary at lower levels—which often focuses on concrete nouns or single-syllable verbs—HSK 4 introduces expressions, phrases, and compound structures. You'll encounter more verbs related to emotions, abstract thinking, and professional life, as well as adjectives that express subtle differences in tone or meaning.

II. Full HSK 4 Vocabulary List with Pinyin and English

The HSK 4 vocabulary list consists of around 1,200 words, covering both foundational vocabulary from previous levels (HSK 1–3) and approximately 600 new words introduced specifically at Level 4. To help you learn more effectively, we’ve organized the vocabulary by practical thematic categories, each with Chinese characters, pinyin, and English definitions.

Topic 1: Daily Life & Routine Activities

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
起床	qǐ chuáng	to get up, wake up
洗澡	xǐ zǎo	to take a shower
刷牙	shuā yá	to brush teeth
打扫	dǎ sǎo	to clean, sweep
做饭	zuò fàn	to cook
吃饭	chī fàn	to have a meal
上班	shàng bān	to go to work
下班	xià bān	to finish work
上学	shàng xué	to go to school
放学	fàng xué	to finish classes
出门	chū mén	to go out
回家	huí jiā	to return home
散步	sàn bù	to take a walk
睡觉	shuì jiào	to sleep
休息	xiū xi	to rest
开灯	kāi dēng	to turn on the light
关窗	guān chuāng	to close the window
收拾	shōu shi	to tidy up, put things away
洗衣服	xǐ yī fú	to do the laundry
打电话	dǎ diàn huà	to make a phone call

Topic 2: Travel & Transportation

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
出发	chū fā	to set off, to depart
到达	dào dá	to arrive
飞机	fēi jī	airplane
火车	huǒ chē	train
地铁	dì tiě	subway
出租车	chū zū chē	taxi
公共汽车	gōng gòng qì chē	bus
骑车	qí chē	to ride a bike
走路	zǒu lù	to walk
开车	kāi chē	to drive
路线	lù xiàn	route
地图	dì tú	map
导游	dǎo yóu	tour guide
护照	hù zhào	passport
行李	xíng li	luggage
机场	jī chǎng	airport
火车站	huǒ chē zhàn	train station
车站	chē zhàn	bus or train stop
交通	jiāo tōng	traffic, transportation
票	piào	ticket

Topic 3: Work & Office

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
工作	gōng zuò	work, to work
上班	shàng bān	to go to work
下班	xià bān	to get off work
公司	gōng sī	company
同事	tóng shì	colleague
经理	jīng lǐ	manager
职业	zhí yè	occupation, profession
工资	gōng zī	salary
办公室	bàn gōng shì	office
会议	huì yì	meeting
任务	rèn wu	task, assignment
计划	jì huà	plan
安排	ān pái	to arrange, arrangement
打印	dǎ yìn	to print
传真	chuán zhēn	fax (noun/verb)
邮件	yóu jiàn	email, mail
客户	kè hù	client, customer
合同	hé tong	contract
报告	bào gào	report
经验	jīng yàn	experience

Topic 4: Emotions & Personality

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
开心	kāi xīn	happy, joyful
生气	shēng qì	angry
担心	dān xīn	to worry
难过	nán guò	sad, upset
兴奋	xīng fèn	excited
紧张	jǐn zhāng	nervous, tense
害羞	hài xiū	shy
幽默	yōu mò	humorous
坦率	tǎn shuài	honest, straightforward
自信	zì xìn	confident
内向	nèi xiàng	introverted
外向	wài xiàng	extroverted
友好	yǒu hǎo	friendly
热情	rè qíng	enthusiastic, warm-hearted
冷静	lěng jìng	calm
耐心	nài xīn	patient
粗心	cū xīn	careless
勇敢	yǒng gǎn	brave
感动	gǎn dòng	touched, moved emotionally
满意	mǎn yì	satisfied

Topic 5: Health & Body

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
身体	shēn tǐ	body, health
健康	jiàn kāng	health, healthy
医院	yī yuàn	hospital
医生	yī shēng	doctor
护士	hù shì	nurse
药	yào	medicine
发烧	fā shāo	to have a fever
感冒	gǎn mào	cold, to catch a cold
咳嗽	ké sou	to cough
疼	téng	pain, to ache
头疼	tóu téng	headache
肚子	dù zi	belly, stomach
牙	yá	tooth
骨头	gǔ tou	bone
检查	jiǎn chá	to examine, check-up
打针	dǎ zhēn	to get an injection
输液	shū yè	to receive an IV drip
恢复	huī fù	to recover, recovery
注意	zhù yì	to pay attention (to health...)
锻炼	duàn liàn	to exercise

Topic 6: Family & Relationships

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
家庭	jiā tíng	family
父亲	fù qīn	father
母亲	mǔ qīn	mother
父母	fù mǔ	parents
儿子	ér zi	son
女儿	nǚ ér	daughter
兄弟	xiōng dì	brothers
姐妹	jiě mèi	sisters
亲戚	qīn qi	relatives
丈夫	zhàng fū	husband
妻子	qī zi	wife
孩子	hái zi	child, children
朋友	péng you	friend
爱人	ài rén	spouse, beloved one
同事	tóng shì	colleague
上司	shàng sī	boss, supervisor
关系	guān xi	relationship, connection
介绍	jiè shào	to introduce
见面	jiàn miàn	to meet (face to face)
分手	fēn shǒu	to break up (a relationship)

Topic 7: School & Learning

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
学校	xué xiào	school
学生	xué shēng	student
教师	jiào shī	teacher
教室	jiào shì	classroom
同学	tóng xué	classmate
作业	zuò yè	homework
考试	kǎo shì	exam, test
成绩	chéng jì	results, grades
复习	fù xí	to review (study)
练习	liàn xí	to practice; practice (n.)
进步	jìn bù	progress, to improve
学习	xué xí	to study, to learn
记得	jì de	to remember
忘记	wàng jì	to forget
上课	shàng kè	to attend class / class begins
下课	xià kè	class ends
知识	zhī shì	knowledge
问题	wèn tí	question, problem
回答	huí dá	to answer
内容	nèi róng	content

Topic 8: Media & Technology

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
手机	shǒu jī	mobile phone
电脑	diàn nǎo	computer
网站	wǎng zhàn	website
网络	wǎng luò	internet, network
屏幕	píng mù	screen
键盘	jiàn pán	keyboard
鼠标	shǔ biāo	mouse (computer)
下载	xià zǎi	to download
上传	shàng chuán	to upload
软件	ruǎn jiàn	software
硬件	yìng jiàn	hardware
信息	xìn xī	information
消息	xiāo xi	(short) message, news
微信	wēi xìn	WeChat
发短信	fā duǎn xìn	to send a text message
微博	wēi bó	Weibo (Chinese social platform)
搜索	sōu suǒ	to search
视频	shì pín	video
新闻	xīn wén	news
电子邮件	diàn zǐ yóu jiàn	email

Topic 9: Shopping & Spending

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
商店	shāng diàn	shop, store
超市	chāo shì	supermarket
市场	shì chǎng	market
购物	gòu wù	to shop; shopping
买	mǎi	to buy
卖	mài	to sell
钱	qián	money
价钱	jià qian	price
便宜	pián yi	cheap, inexpensive
贵	guì	expensive
打折	dǎ zhé	to discount, on sale
收银台	shōu yín tái	checkout counter
顾客	gù kè	customer
服务员	fú wù yuán	service staff, salesperson
支付	zhī fù	to pay
刷卡	shuā kǎ	to swipe a card
现金	xiàn jīn	cash
退货	tuì huò	to return products
换货	huàn huò	to exchange goods
收据	shōu jù	receipt

Topic 10: Weather & Environment

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
天气	tiān qì	weather
温度	wēn dù	temperature
气温	qì wēn	air temperature
晴天	qíng tiān	sunny day
阴天	yīn tiān	cloudy day
多云	duō yún	partly cloudy
下雨	xià yǔ	to rain
下雪	xià xuě	to snow
刮风	guā fēng	to be windy
雾	wù	fog
雷	léi	thunder
闪电	shǎn diàn	lightning
季节	jì jié	season
春天	chūn tiān	spring
夏天	xià tiān	summer
秋天	qiū tiān	autumn
冬天	dōng tiān	winter
空气	kōng qì	air
环境	huán jìng	environment
污染	wū rǎn	pollution

Topic 11: Time & Schedules

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
时间	shí jiān	time
日期	rì qī	date
今天	jīn tiān	today
明天	míng tiān	tomorrow
昨天	zuó tiān	yesterday
现在	xiàn zài	now
马上	mǎ shàng	immediately, right away
以前	yǐ qián	before
以后	yǐ hòu	after, later
早上	zǎo shang	morning
中午	zhōng wǔ	noon
下午	xià wǔ	afternoon
晚上	wǎn shang	evening
钟	zhōng	clock, hour
点	diǎn	o’clock
分	fēn	minute
秒	miǎo	second
迟到	chí dào	to arrive late
准时	zhǔn shí	on time
安排	ān pái	to arrange; schedule

Topic 12: Food & Eating Habits

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
食物	shí wù	food
饭	fàn	cooked rice; meal
米饭	mǐ fàn	plain rice
面条	miàn tiáo	noodles
包子	bāo zi	steamed bun
饺子	jiǎo zi	dumplings
水果	shuǐ guǒ	fruit
蔬菜	shū cài	vegetables
肉	ròu	meat
鸡肉	jī ròu	chicken
牛肉	niú ròu	beef
鱼	yú	fish
喝	hē	to drink
吃	chī	to eat
早餐	zǎo cān	breakfast
午餐	wǔ cān	lunch
晚餐	wǎn cān	dinner
餐厅	cān tīng	restaurant
菜单	cài dān	menu
点菜	diǎn cài	to order dishes

Topic 13: Opinions & Feelings

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
觉得	jué de	to feel, to think
认为	rèn wéi	to believe, to consider
同意	tóng yì	to agree
反对	fǎn duì	to oppose, to disagree
希望	xī wàng	to hope
拒绝	jù jué	to refuse
愿意	yuàn yì	to be willing
满意	mǎn yì	satisfied; to be satisfied
感觉	gǎn jué	feeling; to feel
想法	xiǎng fǎ	idea, opinion
要求	yāo qiú	requirement, request
建议	jiàn yì	suggestion; to suggest
说明	shuō míng	to explain
感谢	gǎn xiè	to thank, gratitude
感动	gǎn dòng	to be moved (emotionally)
理解	lǐ jiě	to understand, to comprehend
怀疑	huái yí	to doubt, to suspect
担心	dān xīn	to worry
相信	xiāng xìn	to believe in, to trust
想念	xiǎng niàn	to miss (someone

Topic 14: Abstract & Logical Concepts

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
情况	qíng kuàng	situation, circumstances
条件	tiáo jiàn	condition, requirement
理由	lǐ yóu	reason, explanation
问题	wèn tí	question; problem
方法	fāng fǎ	method, way
结果	jié guǒ	result, outcome
原因	yuán yīn	cause, reason
解决	jiě jué	to solve, resolve
判断	pàn duàn	to judge; judgment
选择	xuǎn zé	to choose; choice
重点	zhòng diǎn	key point, main idea
比较	bǐ jiào	to compare; relatively
一般	yì bān	generally, normal
特别	tè bié	special, especially
主要	zhǔ yào	main, primary
相反	xiāng fǎn	opposite
相同	xiāng tóng	identical; the same
差不多	chà bù duō	almost; about the same
是否	shì fǒu	whether or not
按时	àn shí	on time; timely

Topic 15: Verbs of Action & Movement

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
去	qù	to go
来	lái	to come
走	zǒu	to walk
跑	pǎo	to run
飞	fēi	to fly
坐	zuò	to sit; to take (transport)
站	zhàn	to stand
拿	ná	to take, to hold
放	fàng	to put, to place
带	dài	to bring, to take along
拍	pāi	to clap, to take photos
提	tí	to carry (by hand with arm down)
扔	rēng	to throw
举	jǔ	to lift, to raise
进	jìn	to enter
出	chū	to exit, to go out
上	shàng	to go up, get on
下	xià	to go down, get off
跳	tiào	to jump
转	zhuǎn	to turn, to change direction

Topic 16: Describing Appearance & Qualities

This set includes adjectives and descriptive phrases you can use to describe people, objects, or situations. These words are crucial for daily communication, storytelling, and giving detailed information.

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
高	gāo	tall, high
矮	ǎi	short (height)
胖	pàng	fat
瘦	shòu	thin, slim
漂亮	piào liang	pretty
帅	shuài	handsome
年轻	nián qīng	young
老	lǎo	old
干净	gān jìng	clean
脏	zāng	dirty
安静	ān jìng	quiet
吵	chǎo	noisy
宽	kuān	wide
窄	zhǎi	narrow
厚	hòu	thick
薄	báo	thin (things)
亮	liàng	bright
黑	hēi	black
白	bái	white
奇怪	qí guài	strange, odd

Topic 17: Social Interaction & Communication

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
打招呼	dǎ zhāo hu	to greet
介绍	jiè shào	to introduce
谈话	tán huà	to talk, to have a conversation
聊天	liáo tiān	to chat
说话	shuō huà	to speak, to talk
讨论	tǎo lùn	to discuss, discussion
交流	jiāo liú	to communicate, exchange
邀请	yāo qǐng	to invite, invitation
拜托	bài tuō	to ask a favor
建议	jiàn yì	to suggest; suggestion
解释	jiě shì	to explain
同意	tóng yì	to agree
承认	chéng rèn	to admit, acknowledge
否认	fǒu rèn	to deny
答应	dā ying	to agree to, to promise
道歉	dào qiàn	to apologize
原谅	yuán liàng	to forgive
表扬	biǎo yáng	to praise
批评	pī píng	to criticize
误会	wù huì	misunderstanding

Topic 18: Success, Effort & Failure

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
成功	chéng gōng	success, to succeed
失败	shī bài	failure, to fail
经验	jīng yàn	experience
能力	néng lì	ability, capability
努力	nǔ lì	to work hard, hardworking
坚持	jiān chí	to persist
加油	jiā yóu	keep going! good luck!
提高	tí gāo	to improve, to raise (level)
发展	fā zhǎn	to develop; development
计划	jì huà	plan; to plan
目标	mù biāo	target, goal
理想	lǐ xiǎng	dream, ideal
获得	huò dé	to gain, to receive
完成	wán chéng	to complete
放弃	fàng qì	to give up
成长	chéng zhǎng	to grow, growth
责任	zé rèn	responsibility
表现	biǎo xiàn	performance, to perform
进步	jìn bù	progress, to make progress
懂得	dǒng de	to understand, to grasp

Topic 19: Numbers, Amounts & Measurement

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
数量	shù liàng	quantity
数字	shù zì	number, figure
百	bǎi	hundred
千	qiān	thousand
万	wàn	ten thousand
半	bàn	half
多	duō	many, much
少	shǎo	few, little
几	jǐ	how many, several
各	gè	each, every
其中	qí zhōng	among them
全部	quán bù	all, whole
一共	yí gòng	altogether, in total
大约	dà yuē	approximately
超过	chāo guò	to exceed, to surpass
大概	dà gài	about, roughly
增加	zēng jiā	to increase
减少	jiǎn shǎo	to decrease
平均	píng jūn	average
公斤	gōng jīn	kilogram

Topic 20: Grammar Function Words (frequency, degree, comparison)

汉字	Pinyin	English Meaning
常常	cháng cháng	often
经常	jīng cháng	frequently
偶尔	ǒu ěr	occasionally
总是	zǒng shì	always
从来	cóng lái	always, all along (with negatives)
更	gèng	more
比较	bǐ jiào	relatively, comparatively
最	zuì	the most
非常	fēi cháng	very
特别	tè bié	especially
差不多	chà bù duō	about the same, nearly
更加	gèng jiā	even more
一边…一边	yì biān...yì biān	while… doing something else
虽然…但是	suī rán...dàn shì	although...but
如果…就	rú guǒ...jiù	if...then
不但…而且	bú dàn...ér qiě	not only...but also
除了…以外	chú le...yǐ wài	except...; besides...
因为…所以	yīn wèi...suǒ yǐ	because...therefore
越…越	yuè...yuè	the more…the more
和	hé	and

III. How to Learn and Memorize HSK 4 Vocabulary Effectively?

Mastering over 1,200 HSK 4 words may seem like a big task—but with the right approach, it's completely manageable. Instead of memorizing each word in isolation, focus on strategies that build long-term retention and real-world usage.

Use spaced repetition (SRS): Apps like Anki and Hack Chinese space out your reviews to match how memory works. Daily review builds fluency over time.
Group vocabulary logically: Study words by topic (like travel, emotions, or work) or by character root. This forms stronger associations and improves recall speed.
Learn through context: Reading short stories, example sentences, or dialogues helps you remember vocabulary through meaningful use—not just definitions.
Practice actively: Flashcards are helpful, but combine them with speaking, writing sentences, and hands-on drills to engage multiple skills at once.
Test yourself regularly: Use quizzes, dictation exercises, or writing prompts to reinforce what you’ve learned and identify weak spots.

Consistency, context, and repetition form the foundation of effective vocabulary learning. Daily small wins will lead to measurable progress on your path to HSK 4 success.

IV. Recommended Tools and Resources to Study HSK 4 Vocabulary

To build long-term vocabulary retention for HSK 4, it's important to choose tools that combine structure, repetition, and real-world usage. Below are some of the most recommended digital and offline resources for learners at the intermediate level.

Apps for Vocabulary Study

Hack Chinese: A dedicated SRS-based app built specifically for HSK learners; ideal for tracking word mastery over time.
Pleco: A powerful offline dictionary with flashcard functionality and audio support.
Anki: Customizable and free. Download pre-made HSK 4 decks or build your own.
HSK Online: Offers full vocab lists, categorized quizzes, mock tests, and live progress tracking.

Reading and Listening Resources

Du Chinese: Read short, level-appropriate reading passages with pinyin and tap-to-translate features.
The Chairman’s Bao: News-based graded reading at HSK 4 level, with vocabulary support and comprehension questions.
ChinesePod / Slow Chinese: Audio lessons and podcasts with HSK-level vocabulary exposure.

Books and Printed Materials

HSK Standard Course Book 4 (上下册): The official publication aligned with the HSK syllabus, includes vocabulary in context.
HSK 4 Workbook: Offers vocabulary-focused exercises, fill-in-the-blanks, and sentence-building tasks.
Printable PDF Word Lists: Use downloadable lists sorted by topic or frequency to review offline, highlight progress, or practice writing.

Supplementary Tools

Skritter: For learners who want to practice characters and handwriting alongside vocabulary.
Quizlet or Brainscape: Good for collaborative or co-learning environments with classroom decks.
Google Sheets Tracker: Build your own study planner and monitor how many words you've mastered weekly.

Choosing resources that fit your level, learning style, and schedule is key. Combine an SRS tool with reading/listening input and weekly testing to reinforce what you've learned—and you'll see consistent progress toward HSK 4 mastery.

Mastering HSK 4 vocabulary isn’t just about memorizing 1,200 words—it’s about building the foundation for understanding real conversations, reading meaningful texts, and expressing yourself with confidence. Keep advancing your Mandarin with PREP’s structured vocabulary lists, interactive tools, and contextual learning materials—designed to help you grow, one word, one sentence, and one confident step at a time.