HSK 5 Vocabulary List 2026: ~1,500 New Words
HSK 5 adds approximately 1,500 new words, bringing the cumulative total to 3,500. The vocabulary shift at this level is significant — formal connectors, academic terminology, business language, and China-specific institutional vocabulary all enter for the first time.
~1,500
New words
3,500
Cumulative total
12
Topic categories
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12 Vocabulary Categories
Approximate word counts per category. Each includes 8 representative sample words.
Category 1: Business, Management & Commerce
~150 words at this level
Corporate operations, team management, entrepreneurship, and commercial activity vocabulary — mostly new at L5.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 创业 | chuàngyè | to start a business | 动 |
| 团队 | tuánduì | team | 名 |
| 薪酬 | xīnchóu | salary and benefits package | 名 |
| 培训 | péixùn | to train; training | 动/名 |
| 竞争 | jìngzhēng | to compete; competition | 动/名 |
| 利润 | lìrùn | profit; earnings | 名 |
| 合同 | hétóng | contract; agreement | 名 |
| 投资 | tóuzī | to invest; investment | 动/名 |
Category 2: Science, Technology & Research
~130 words at this level
Scientific concepts, research processes, technology products, and innovation vocabulary at an intermediate academic level.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 实验 | shíyàn | experiment; to experiment | 动/名 |
| 研究 | yánjiū | to research; research | 动/名 |
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to discover; discovery | 动/名 |
| 人工智能 | réngōng zhìnéng | artificial intelligence | 名 |
| 智能 | zhìnéng | intelligent; smart | 形/名 |
| 机器人 | jīqìrén | robot | 名 |
| 数据 | shùjù | data | 名 |
| 网络 | wǎngluò | internet; network | 名 |
Category 3: Society, Social Issues & Policy
~160 words at this level
Social phenomena, public policy, urban development, demographic changes, and infrastructure — for discussing news and social trends.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 就业 | jiùyè | to be employed; employment | 动/名 |
| 失业 | shīyè | unemployment; to lose a job | 动/名 |
| 人口 | rénkǒu | population | 名 |
| 基础设施 | jīchǔ shèshī | infrastructure | 名 |
| 观念 | guānniàn | concept; idea; mindset | 名 |
| 变迁 | biànqiān | change; transformation (over time) | 名/动 |
| 社会保障 | shèhuì bǎozhàng | social security | 名 |
| 公民 | gōngmín | citizen | 名 |
Category 4: Environment & Ecology
~100 words at this level
Environmental science vocabulary: pollution types, habitat, wildlife, natural resources, and conservation policies at a deeper level than HSK 4.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生态 | shēngtài | ecology; ecosystem | 名 |
| 资源 | zīyuán | resources; natural resources | 名 |
| 排放 | páifàng | to emit; emissions | 动/名 |
| 治理 | zhìlǐ | to manage; governance; remediation | 动/名 |
| 气候变化 | qìhòu biànhuà | climate change | 名 |
| 濒危 | bīnwēi | endangered; on the verge of extinction | 形 |
| 碳排放 | tàn páifàng | carbon emissions | 名 |
| 沙漠化 | shāmòhuà | desertification | 名/动 |
Category 5: Medicine, Health & Psychology
~110 words at this level
Clinical vocabulary, mental health terms, first aid, diagnosis and treatment — expanding on the basic L4 health vocabulary.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 急救 | jíjiù | first aid; emergency rescue | 动/名 |
| 诊断 | zhěnduàn | diagnosis; to diagnose | 动/名 |
| 心理健康 | xīnlǐ jiànkāng | mental health | 名 |
| 治疗 | zhìliáo | treatment; to treat | 动/名 |
| 预防 | yùfáng | to prevent; prevention | 动/名 |
| 疾病 | jíbìng | disease; illness | 名 |
| 康复 | kāngfù | recovery; rehabilitation | 动/名 |
| 心理 | xīnlǐ | mental; psychological; psychology | 名 |
Category 6: Arts, Literature & Entertainment
~130 words at this level
Art forms, literary genres, cinema, music production, creative works, and cultural institutions — for L5 arts and culture tasks.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 导演 | dǎoyǎn | director (film/theater); to direct | 名/动 |
| 诗歌 | shīgē | poetry; poem | 名 |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction | 名 |
| 剧情 | jùqíng | plot; storyline | 名 |
| 摄影 | shèyǐng | photography; to photograph | 动/名 |
| 数字游戏 | shùzì yóuxì | digital game; video game | 名 |
| 电影节 | diànyǐngjié | film festival | 名 |
| 文艺 | wényì | literature and art; artistic | 名/形 |
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Category 7: Sports, Events & Athletes
~80 words at this level
Specific events, competition rules, athletic performance and achievement, sports icons — for the detailed L5 sports task.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赛事 | sàishì | sporting event; competition series | 名 |
| 跳高 | tiào gāo | high jump | 动/名 |
| 跳远 | tiào yuǎn | long jump | 动/名 |
| 评判 | pínpàn | to judge; to evaluate | 动 |
| 开幕式 | kāimùshì | opening ceremony | 名 |
| 闭幕式 | bìmùshì | closing ceremony | 名 |
| 成就 | chéngjiù | achievement; accomplishment | 名 |
| 影响力 | yǐngxiǎnglì | influence; impact | 名 |
Category 8: China Geography & Society
~90 words at this level
Administrative divisions, regional demographics, population characteristics, and national overview — entirely new domain at L5.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行政区划 | xíngzhèng qūhuà | administrative divisions | 名 |
| 直辖市 | zhíxiáshì | municipality directly under central government | 名 |
| 自治区 | zìzhìqū | autonomous region | 名 |
| 民族 | mínzú | ethnic group; nationality | 名 |
| 人均 | rénjūn | per capita; per person | 副 |
| 受教育程度 | shòu jiàoyù chéngdù | level of education | 名 |
| 精神面貌 | jīngshén miànmào | mental outlook; morale; spirit | 名 |
| 时代特征 | shídài tèzhēng | characteristics of the era | 名 |
Category 9: Economics & Commerce
~120 words at this level
Industry analysis, enterprise development, market trends, commercial activities, and economic forecasting vocabulary.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 产业 | chǎnyè | industry; sector | 名 |
| 企业 | qǐyè | enterprise; company | 名 |
| 展览 | zhǎnlǎn | exhibition; to exhibit | 动/名 |
| 合作 | hézuò | to cooperate; cooperation | 动/名 |
| 趋势 | qūshì | trend; tendency | 名 |
| 消费者 | xiāofèizhě | consumer | 名 |
| 广告 | guǎnggào | advertisement; advertising | 名 |
| 效益 | xiàoyì | benefit; efficiency; return on investment | 名 |
Category 10: Academic & Campus Life
~100 words at this level
Formal academic vocabulary: course structures, research papers, laboratory work, academic presentations, clubs, scholarships.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 论文 | lùnwén | thesis; academic paper | 名 |
| 演讲 | yǎnjiǎng | speech; to give a speech | 动/名 |
| 社团 | shètuán | club; student organization | 名 |
| 讲座 | jiǎngzuò | lecture; talk | 名 |
| 院系 | yuànxì | faculty and department | 名 |
| 资质 | zīzhì | qualification; credentials | 名 |
| 规划 | guīhuà | to plan; plan (long-term) | 动/名 |
| 成果 | chéngguǒ | result; achievement; outcome | 名 |
Category 11: Community, Housing & Services
~90 words at this level
Community facilities, property management, neighborhood disputes, safety issues, rental and purchase processes — deeper than L4 community vocabulary.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 物业管理 | wùyè guǎnlǐ | property management | 名 |
| 公共设施 | gōnggòng shèshī | public facilities | 名 |
| 安全隐患 | ānquán yǐnhuàn | safety hazard | 名 |
| 志愿服务 | zhìyuàn fúwù | volunteer service | 名 |
| 租售 | zūshòu | rental and sale | 动/名 |
| 邻里关系 | línlǐ guānxi | neighbor relations | 名 |
| 装修 | zhuāngxiū | renovation; to renovate | 动/名 |
| 违规 | wéiguī | to violate regulations | 动 |
Category 12: Formal Language & Discourse
~90 words at this level
Formal connectors, transitional phrases, hedging expressions, and evaluative vocabulary needed for structured writing and academic speaking.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 因而 | yīn'ér | therefore; thus; as a result (formal) | 连 |
| 从而 | cóng'ér | thereby; and thus; from this | 连 |
| 总之 | zǒngzhī | in short; in a word; in summary | 连 |
| 可见 | kějiàn | it can be seen that; evidently | 连 |
| 毕竟 | bìjìng | after all; in the end | 副 |
| 确实 | quèshí | indeed; truly; really | 副 |
| 似乎 | sìhū | it seems; seemingly | 副 |
| 反而 | fǎn'ér | on the contrary; instead | 副 |
Vocabulary Study Tips for HSK 5
Focus on collocations, not isolated words
At L5, knowing 经济 is not enough — you need 经济现象, 经济发展, 经济热点话题. Learn each word in its most common two- or three-word collocation.
Prioritize formal connectors
Words like 因而, 从而, 可见, 总之 appear frequently in reading passages and are required for writing. They signal logical relationships and are how examiners evaluate coherence.
Learn China-specific institutional terms as a set
行政区划, 直辖市, 自治区, 民族, 精神面貌 — these only make sense as a cluster. Study the China overview topic as a thematic unit, not word by word.
A list is not the same as remembering it
In the Pass HSK app, HSK 5 words come in real sentences, with pinyin, audio and short practice questions that check whether they stuck.
Find your level and start freeFree to start · No account or credit card needed · Web, iOS & Android