What is HSK 3.0 Band 2?

Band 2 is where Mandarin gets practical. The new words bring colours, directions (上面, 里面, 左边), transport (地铁, 机场, 公交车), daily routines and the connector words (因为, 所以, 但是) that join your first real sentences together. Finish this list and you can navigate a city, describe what you see, and explain simple reasons — the difference between naming things and actually talking.

Because the new exams begin in July 2026, this is the list the Band 2 certificate will actually test. A heads-up on the official counting: the syllabus lists 200 entries, but 过 and 花 each appear twice with two distinct senses, and 点 returns from Band 1 with a new meaning — so you’ll see 198 unique words below, each carrying its full set of Band 2 senses.

This resource gives you all 198 new HSK 3.0 Band 2 words in three forms: a downloadable A4 PDF organised by category for offline study and printing, an interactive search-and-filter web grid (above) for quick lookup, and native Mandarin pronunciation audio for every single word powered by Microsoft Xiaoxiao neural TTS.

How to use this Band 2 word list

Don’t try to memorise the entire Band 1 word list at once. Studies of vocabulary acquisition consistently show that spaced repetition + audio + sentence context is what makes words stick — not flashcard cramming. Here’s how to actually learn your next 200 words:

1. Print the PDF and stick it on your wall or fridge. Passive exposure adds up — you’ll glance at the categories during dead moments throughout the day.
2. Use the interactive grid above for daily drills. Filter by category, tap each word to hear native pronunciation, repeat aloud. 10 minutes per day beats 1 hour once a week.
3. Start with the words you’ll use outdoors: Places & Getting Around (40 words) and Everyday Verbs (36). Between them that’s 76 words — and they turn Band 1’s survival vocabulary into actual movement through a Chinese city.
4. Always learn words in clusters: 红色 / 绿色 / 白色 / 黑色 (the colours) together; 地铁 / 公交车 / 出租车 / 机场 (getting around) together — not in isolation. Band 2 is full of natural sets like these, and related words reinforce each other.
5. Build a sentence with each new word. Knowing “机场 (jīchǎng, airport)” in isolation is useless — knowing “我们一起去机场吧 (wǒmen yīqǐ qù jīchǎng ba, let’s go to the airport together)” is what gets you speaking. Every word here is Band 1 or Band 2.
6. Master the 来/去 direction logic early — it’s Band 2’s signature pattern. 进来 means come in (towards the speaker); 进去 means go in (away from the speaker). The same pair powers 上来/上去, 出来/出去 and 回来/回去. Learn the logic once and a dozen Band 2 words click at the same time.

If you’re aiming at the new Band 2 exam itself, the format adds more handwriting and longer listening than Band 1 — our 1-on-1 HSK Preparation course tracks the new format. For learners who just want to speak, our Basics course puts this vocabulary to work in conversation from lesson one.

The 14 categories in this Band 2 word list

This Band 2 word list organises the 198 words into 14 categories grouped by how learners actually meet them — getting around, colours and descriptions, food, school, the body, everyday verbs and the connectors that join sentences. Most are small enough for a single session.

• Pronouns & People (7) — Boys, girls, kids, your own self, your surname. The people layer grows up a little.
• Family (4) — Grandparents, husband, wife. The family tree extends.
• Numbers & Measure Words (6) — Ten thousand, plus the measure words (条, 间, 位) that count rooms, tickets and people.
• Time & Dates (9) — Birthdays, New Year, “already”, “often”, “a moment”. Time gets more precise.
• Food & Drink (9) — Coffee, milk tea, green tea, fish, meat. Café Mandarin arrives.
• Places & Getting Around (40) — The big one at 40 words — subway, airport, malls, plus the direction system (上面, 里面, 左边) that organises Chinese space.
• School & Work (8) — Class, notebook, exams, senior high. School life in detail.
• Body & Health (9) — Body, hands, eyes, feeling comfortable or sore. Saying how you actually are.
• Everyday Verbs (36) — Help, prepare, hope, remember, introduce, dance. 36 verbs that make Band 2 conversational.
• Adjectives & Descriptions (19) — The colours (红色, 绿色, 白色, 黑色), happy, tired, near, far, wrong. Description doubles.
• Question Words (1) — Why (为什么) — the question that starts real conversations.
• Greetings & Politeness (1) — 不好意思 — the polite “excuse me” you’ll use daily.
• Particles & Function Words (26) — Because, but, although, already — the connectors that join your first complex sentences.
• Things & Objects (23) — Tickets, beds, pens, schoolbags, basketballs. The stuff of daily life.

Preparing for the new Band 1 exam?

These 198 words are the entire Band 1 syllabus — but the exam also tests listening, reading patterns and grammar. Our 1-on-1 HSK Preparation course drills exam-specific skills with mock papers and pacing technique.

Book a free HSK consultation →

A two-week study plan

Here’s a two-week plan to absorb the entire Band 2 list at roughly 14 words a day, 15–20 minutes a session — a fortnight from 300 words to 500.

• Week 1: Places & Getting Around (40) + Adjectives & Colours (19) + Food & Drink (9) + Time (9) + 为什么 and 不好意思 — 79 words. The world outside: navigate, describe, order coffee.
• Week 2: Everyday Verbs (36) + Connectors (26) + Things & Objects (23) + School (8) + Body (9) + People (7) + Family (4) + Measure Words (6) — 119 words. The verbs and glue: join sentences with 因为 and 但是, then filter “All” in the grid and say every word before the audio plays.

After a fortnight you’ll have met every Band 2 word with native audio — 500 words in total, and real sentences within reach. Band 3 (1,000 words cumulative) is the next rung; its list is the next addition to the library. The HSK levels guide shows the whole ladder.

FAQs

Sources: word list from the official HSK 3.0 (November 2025) syllabus via Chinese Testing International; English glosses adapted from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0).