HSK 3.0 Level 4: Words, Paper, and Speaking

On the documents that specify it, Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) 3.0 Level 4 is three numbers at once. The 2025 syllabus adds 1,000 new words and ends that slice at cumulative number 2,000. The written sample is 70 items and about 85 minutes. The speaking sample is a separate paper of 5 items and about 20 minutes. The rest of this page says which document prints each figure, and where a live English page on the same site still prints a different paper.

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) is named, on the one-page competency file published with the syllabus, as a national standardized test. The Chinese line is 中文水平考试/HSK 是一项国家级标准化考试，重点考查中文作为第二语言的考生在生活、学习和工作中运用中文进行交际的能力。 In plain words, the exam checks communicative ability in Chinese as a second language, in life, study, and work. English Wikipedia calls the HSK the Chinese Proficiency Test, a standardized test of Standard Chinese for non-native speakers. The counts below come from the syllabus and the sample files.

The competency file and the syllabus were compiled by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). The HSK overview that links those downloads is published by CTI Co., Ltd. The overview calls the revision a move from the current six-level system to a "Three Stages, Nine Levels" framework, covering elementary, intermediate, and advanced proficiency. It does not assign the digits 1-3, 4-6, or 7-9 to those stages, so this page does not place Level 4 inside a stage by number. It says the syllabus covers tasks, topics, vocabulary, grammar, and Chinese characters. It does not print this level's word count, item count, or minutes.

One numbered list. The total at each rung is the last sequence number of that slice. Level 4 is entries 1,001 to 2,000.

What still ranks for this level

On 20 October 2026, the pages compared for "hsk 3.0 level 4" were Chill Chinese's Level 4 vocabulary list, Hanzi Stroke's Level 4 list, China Education Center's Level 4 page, and HSKMock's format guide. The first two lead with the 1,000-entry list and do not walk the sample. Hanzi Stroke splits that list into 210 characters and 790 words. China Education Center's standards table still prints 3,245 vocabulary words under a note that the total was reduced to 2,000. HSKMock still describes Level 4 as 100 questions and about 105 minutes. None of them sets this level's sample item types next to the live CTI English page and next to this level's speaking paper.

Those four pages are third party. They are not the source of the official counts below. Hanzi Stroke's 210 and 790 are a split of the word list, not the 441-character recognition list. The 3,245 cell is what China Education Center prints, and it was not checked against the 2021 standard here. HSKMock matches the prose on the live English level page (100 questions, about 105 minutes), not that page's table. The sample cover is the other official text.

The competency line

The same one-page file states Level 4 in one sentence: HSK（四级）能用中文就生活、学习、工作场景进行完整、连贯交流。 A close English gloss, not an official translation, is: can communicate in a complete, coherent way in everyday life, study, and work. The file does not attach a score or a study-time estimate to that sentence.

The HSK overview says the new test is guided by the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education. This site refers to that 2021 standard as GF 0025-2021. How the 2025 list compares with older lists is in Chinese Vocabulary Size vs HSK Level. What changed between the 2009 and 2025 lists at the same digit is in HSK 2.0 vs 3.0 Word-List Differences.

1,000 new words, cumulative number 2,000

The vocabulary outline is one numbered list from 1 to 11,000. Level 4 is the slice tagged 4, numbers 1,001 through 2,000: 1,000 new entries, and the cumulative figure is that last number. Number 1,001 is 啊 (ā), in pinyin, the official romanization used in China, Singapore, and the United Nations. The slice continues 爱情, 爱心, 安检, and ends at 2,000, 作者 (zuòzhě). Number 2,001 starts the next slice. A few rows carry a tag such as 4（5） or 4（7-9） and still sit inside 1,001-2,000. This page does not count them.

The syllabus cover prints 2025-11 发布 and 2026-07 实施, issued by 中外语言交流合作中心. The 2026-07 line is the implementation date on that cover, not the exam date. The launch notice sets the worldwide launch on 13 December 2026. The entries, in syllabus order with pinyin and a short English gloss, are on the Level 4 word list. That page is the list, not the sample paper.

441 characters to recognize, 150 to handwrite

Character lists are separate from the word list, and each restarts at 1. A Chinese character (字, zì) is one written sign. The vocabulary outline counts words (词). Chinese Characters vs Words is the page for that distinction.

The Level 4 recognition list, 认读字 (rèndúzì), has 441 items, from 1. 按 (àn) to 441. 座 (zuò). The handwriting list, 书写字 (shūxiězì), has 150 items, from 1. 巴 (bā) to 150. 座. The syllabus does not print a cumulative total for either list. Adding the earlier recognition lists to 441 gives 1,096. Adding the shared Levels 1-2 handwriting list (100) and the Level 3 list (150) to this level's 150 gives 400. There is no separate Level 2 handwriting list. Both sums are arithmetic on the printed new counts, not headings in the syllabus.

Each list restarts at 1. The syllabus does not print 1,096 or 400. 字 is a character. The word list is a different outline.

The written sample: 70 items, about 85 minutes

Every level's cover, set beside the English pages that are still live, is in HSK 3.0 Exam Format. This section repeats only Level 4.

The written sample is HSK/HSK（四级）样卷.pdf inside the official sample set linked from the HSK overview. CLEC compiled it. The cover says three parts and 70 items. Listening, 听力 (tīnglì), is 32 items and about 20 minutes. Reading, 阅读 (yuèdú), is 32 items and 30 minutes. Writing, 写作 (xiězuò), is 6 items and 25 minutes. After listening there are 5 minutes to fill the answer sheet. The whole exam is about 85 minutes, including 5 minutes for personal information. How the Level 4 writing tasks compare with the other levels is in HSK 3.0 Writing Tasks by Level.

The cover places the answer sheet after listening. It does not place the personal-information minutes. It only says they are inside the 85. Adding the printed figures gives about 20 + 30 + 25 + 5 + 5 = 85. The cover says 约, "about", so this is those numbers added, not a stopwatch reading. Listening is items 1-14 and 15-32, both headed 请选出正确答案. 14 + 18 = 32. The audio is a separate file in the same set. This page uses the cover's "about 20 minutes" and does not time that file.

About 20 + 30 + 25 + 5 + 5 = 85. Personal information is inside that total, and the cover does not place those 5 minutes.

The English Level 4 page, fetched on 20 October 2026, still describes another paper. It does not call that paper HSK 2.0. The prose says 100 questions and about 105 minutes, including 5 minutes for personal information. The table on the same page says 100 questions and about 100 minutes: listening 45 items and about 30 minutes, 5 minutes for the answer sheet, reading 40 items and 40 minutes, writing 15 items and 25 minutes. Local start time on that page is 09:00. The 5 minutes between that page's prose and its own table are the personal-information minutes the prose names. They do not explain the sample, which has 70 items and about 85 minutes.

Document	Level 4 as that document prints it
CTI English page, prose	100 items. About 105 minutes, including 5 for personal information. Listening, reading, and writing.
CTI English page, table	100 items. About 100 minutes. Listening 45 / about 30. Answer sheet 5. Reading 40 / 40. Writing 15 / 25.
Level 4 sample cover	70 items. About 85 minutes, including 5 for personal information. Listening 32 / about 20. Answer sheet 5 after listening. Reading 32 / 30. Writing 6 / 25.

Four task types, and the block between them

Reading runs from item 33 to item 64, and 5 + 5 + 15 + 7 = 32. Passages and options stay in the PDF.

Items 33-37 and 38-42 are both 选词填空 (xuǎn cí tián kòng): choose a word for each blank. Each block has six choices, A through F, and five blanks. The instruction says one option is a distractor, 干扰项, and must be excluded. The first block is sentences. The second is short dialogues. That is the difference the headings state.

Items 43-57, fifteen items, say 请选出正确答案. They are the block between word fill and sentence fill.

Items 58-64 are 选句填空 (xuǎn jù tián kòng): choose a sentence for each blank. Items 58-60 are one passage, three blanks, three sentences. Items 61-64 are a second passage, four blanks, four sentences. This instruction does not say that one option is a distractor. That note belongs to 选词填空 only.

Writing is items 65-70, and the cover gives all six of them 25 minutes. It does not split the block. Items 65-69 say 看图，用词造句 (kàn tú, yòng cí zào jù): look at the picture and make a sentence with the given word. Item 70 says 请写一篇不少于 80 字的短文，介绍一下你最难忘的一次旅行。 The task is a short text of at least 80 characters, on the topic of a trip you remember most. That English line is a gloss of the prompt, not an official translation and not a model answer.

The answer key, HSK/HSK（四级）样卷答案.pdf, gives letter answers for items 1-64. Word-fill answers use letters through F, matching the six choices. Items 65-69 are marked 参考答案, reference answers. Item 70 is marked 略, omitted. The key states no full score, no pass mark, and no rubric. The reference sentences are not copied here.

Reading is 5 + 5 + 15 + 7 = 32. The 25 writing minutes stay one block.

The speaking sample: 5 items, about 20 minutes

The speaking file is HSK口语/HSK（四级）口语样卷.pdf in the same sample set. Three parts, 5 items. Listen and retell, 听后复述 (tīng hòu fùshù), is 2 items. Picture talk, 看图说话 (kàn tú shuō huà), is 1 item. Answering questions, 回答问题 (huídá wèntí), is 2 items. The exam is about 20 minutes. The cover counts preparation inside that total. This page does not copy the per-item preparation split. A later article will compare preparation times across the speaking papers.

Item 4 asks 如果给你七天假，你打算怎么安排？ A gloss, not an official translation: if you had seven days off, how would you arrange them? Item 5 asks 刚到一个新公司工作时，为了使自己更快适应环境，你会怎么做？ A gloss: just after starting at a new company, what would you do to adapt sooner? No speaking answer key for this level was in the set read for this page. The paper states no rubric and no pass mark.

The cover counts preparation inside the about 20 minutes. This page does not split that time.

The HSK Speaking Test (HSKK) overview says that test assesses oral Chinese, has three levels (elementary, intermediate, and advanced), and is an audio recording. The page fetched on 20 October 2026 states no item counts and no minutes, so none are added here. The second-trial notice equates the fee for HSK（四级） plus HSK（四级）口语 with HSK（四级） plus HSK口语（中级）, the intermediate HSK Speaking Test (HSKK). That line is a fee equivalence, with no currency amount, and it does not describe these five items.

The September trial is not the December sitting

The notice at chinesetest.cn/notice, titled HSK3.0第二轮全球试行考试通知, is the second global trial on 20 September 2026. For Level 4 it lists the written paper at 9:00 local time, about 85 minutes, and speaking at 11:30 local time, about 20 minutes. It says levels 3-6 register together with the matching speaking test. A note says those clock times are local, that a paper exam includes 5 minutes for personal information and 3 to 5 minutes to fill the answer sheet, and that speaking includes preparation. Score reports for this trial are valid for two years. All of that is about 20 September 2026.

The launch notice does not copy those rules onto the 13 December 2026 sitting. It does not describe sections, items, a pass mark, a local start time, or whether speaking is registered with the written paper. It also does not say which description that sitting will use, the 70-item cover or the 100-item English page. The date and the Beijing-time registration windows are in Should You Take HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 in 2026?.

The two-year sentence on the English Level 4 page belongs to the paper that page describes, with its score line: a full score of 300, and 180 or above described there as a passing mark. The sample cover does not print 180, 300, or a validity period. The launch notice does not either.

How to check recognition

The list, the recognition test, and the sample papers answer different questions.

The Level 4 word list is the 1,000 new entries, numbers 1,001 to 2,000. Chinese Copilot's free HSK 3.0 level test is a recognition estimate: 119 words drawn fresh each run, 17 from each of Levels 1 to 6 and 17 from the combined Levels 7-9 list. You mark whether you recognize the word. There is no account. Answers stay in the browser. It typically takes 5-10 minutes. The result is an approximate level from 1 to 6, or the combined HSK 7-9 range, plus a stage: Elementary (初等), Intermediate (中等), or Advanced (高等). That stage is the label this test returns. It is not a digit map from the syllabus overview. The test does not measure listening, speaking, timed reading, or handwriting, and it is not an official exam, a score, or a pass. The word source and the thresholds are on the methodology page. The sample papers are the other check: audio, pictures, an 80-character text, and five speaking items. Nothing read for this page says how many months the level takes.

The list is the entries. The test is a recognition estimate. The samples are the 70-item paper and the 5-item speaking paper.

For single words, the Chinese word dictionary has entries with pinyin, senses and example sentences. Level 4 words to start with: 不管, 不过 and 之前.

More on the new exam, level by level, is in our HSK 3.0 guide.

Sources

• Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, English Wikipedia. Secondary overview of the exam's name. Not a source for word counts, item counts, or minutes.
• HSK overview: About the New HSK, CTI Co., Ltd., chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Three stages and nine levels without a digit map, five syllabus components, and the link to the sample set. No Level 4 item count on this page.
• HSK 3.0 competency descriptions, Center for Language Education and Cooperation, one-page PDF. The national-test sentence and the Level 4 competency line. English glosses in this post are not a second official text.
• Pinyin, English Wikipedia. Secondary overview of the romanization beside syllabus entries.
• Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), Center for Language Education and Cooperation, cover 2025-11 发布, 2026-07 实施. Vocabulary numbers 1,001-2,000, the Level 4 recognition list of 441, and the Level 4 handwriting list of 150.
• Chinese characters, English Wikipedia. Secondary overview of 字, beside the character lists and the 80-character minimum on item 70.
• HSK (Level 4), chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. The 100-item prose, the table of about 100 minutes, the 09:00 local start, and the 180/300 and two-year lines for the paper that page describes.
• HSK 3.0 will be officially launched worldwide on December 13, 2026, CTI notice. Test date and Beijing-time registration windows. No paper structure, pass mark, pairing rule, or score validity.
• HSK 3.0 second global trial notice, chinesetest.cn, in Chinese. The 20 September 2026 trial: Level 4 at 9:00 and 11:30 local time, the pairing rule for levels 3-6, the fee equivalence to HSK口语（中级）, and two-year validity for that trial's score reports.
• HSK Speaking Test (HSKK), chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Three levels and an audio recording. No item counts or minutes.
• Level 4 files inside the official sample set linked from the HSK overview: HSK/HSK（四级）样卷.pdf (70 items, about 85 minutes, and the task headings above), HSK/HSK（四级）样卷答案.pdf (letter answers 1-64, reference answers for 65-69, item 70 marked 略, no score), and HSK口语/HSK（四级）口语样卷.pdf (5 items, about 20 minutes, with preparation counted inside that total). Read 20 October 2026. Not rehosted here.
• Third-party pages compared on 20 October 2026, and not used as the source of official counts: Chill Chinese, New HSK 4, Hanzi Stroke, HSK 3.0 Level 4, China Education Center, Level 4 page, HSKMock, HSK test format by level.