Guide
Guides for learning Chinese
Short guides with sources on the HSK and on learning Chinese vocabulary, from the team behind Hanzi By Heart.
5 min readHow many Chinese words do you need?Words per HSK 3.0 level, how much of real Chinese they cover in film and TV subtitles (our own count), and how many words you need to read and listen with ease.
7 min readHow to understand spoken Chinese: listening practice for HSK 3.0Why spoken Chinese is hard to follow, what the HSK 3.0 listening part asks at each level, and how to train your ear, with counts of homophones and tones from the official word list.
4 min readHow many Chinese characters do you need for the HSK?The HSK 3.0 syllabus lists 1,940 characters to read and 700 to write up to level 6. The numbers per level, how words reuse characters, and how to learn them.
7 min readChinese measure words: the HSK 3.0 list by levelThe 144 measure words of the HSK 3.0 list by level, with pinyin, what each one counts and an example, plus the rules for 两, 个 and 很多.
7 min readHow to prepare for the HSK exam: 7 steps for HSK 3.0A 7-step plan for HSK 3.0: level and exam date, new words per day, reading, listening and writing, the speaking test, mock exams and the exam day.
5 min readThe HSK 3.0 exam: sections, timing and scoringSections, questions and timing of the new HSK levels 1–6, what the writing part asks, the speaking test from level 3 and what is known about scoring.
4 min readHow long does it take to reach HSK 1 to 6?Class hours from the official HSK 3.0 textbooks, days per level at 5, 10 or 20 new words a day, and how to plan backwards from your exam date.
9 min readThe best apps for HSK vocabulary in 2026, comparedHanzi By Heart, Pleco, Anki, Hack Chinese, Skritter, Du Chinese, HelloChinese, SuperChinese and Duolingo compared: HSK 3.0 word lists, spaced repetition, handwriting, platforms and prices.
4 min readHow to learn Chinese characters by handwritingWhy writing a character from memory is its own skill, the stroke order rules you need, components as memory hooks, and how much handwriting the new HSK asks for.
4 min readPinyin tones: how to hear, say and remember themThe four tones and the neutral tone, where the tone marks go, the tone changes of 3rd tones, 不 and 一, and how to train your ear.
4 min readHSK 3.0 vs. HSK 2.0: what changes for your vocabularyHSK 3.0 starts on 13 December 2026. Word counts per level, where the HSK 2.0 words went, and what it means for your studies.
3 min readWhat is spaced repetition? How it helps you learn Chinese wordsWhat spaced repetition is, why it beats cramming, how schedulers like FSRS work, and why Chinese needs separate reviews for reading, listening and writing.
Learn all 5,400 HSK 3.0 words
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