What is HSK 3.0 Band 3?

Band 3 is where Mandarin stops being a list of objects and starts becoming language. These words are the connective tissue of real speech: conjunctions like 如果 (if), 而且 (moreover) and 然后 (then); high-frequency adverbs like 才, 更 and 一直; abstract verbs like 认为 (to think), 发现 (to discover) and 影响 (to influence); and the nouns of ideas — 原因 (reason), 办法 (method), 机会 (opportunity). Finish this list and you can give reasons, link ideas and express opinions — the difference between naming things and actually talking.

These are words the new certificate will test. We’ve ranked them by frequency — the most useful first — and excluded anything already covered in Bands 1 and 2, so every one of the 198 words below is genuinely new ground.

This resource gives you all 198 new HSK 3.0 Band 3 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 3 word list

Don’t try to memorise all 198 words 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 workhorses: Action & Change Verbs (48 words) and Adverbs & Degree (25). Between them that’s 73 words — and they appear in almost every Band 3 sentence you’ll ever build.
4. Always learn words in clusters: the connectives 如果 / 或者 / 然后 together; the thinking verbs 认为 / 相信 / 感觉 together — not in isolation. Band 3 is full of natural sets like these, and related words reinforce each other.
5. Build a sentence with each new word. Knowing “影响 (yǐngxiǎng, to influence)” in isolation is useless — knowing “天气影响我的心情 (tiānqì yǐngxiǎng wǒ de xīnqíng, the weather affects my mood)” is what gets you speaking.
6. Learn verbs with their result — Band 3 is full of result pairs: 做 → 做到 (achieve), 变 → 变成 (turn into), 完 → 完成 (complete). Master a base verb plus its common result and several words click at once.

If you’re aiming at the new Band 3 exam itself, the format adds more handwriting and longer listening than the earlier bands — 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 3 word list

This Band 3 word list organises the 198 words into 14 categories grouped by how they work in a sentence — the connectives and adverbs that structure speech, the verbs of action and thought, the nouns of ideas and media, plus descriptions, measure words and the everyday essentials. Most are small enough for a single session.

• Connectives & Conjunctions (10) — 如果, 而且, 然后, 或者 — the words that join clauses into real sentences.
• Adverbs & Degree (25) — 才, 更, 一直, 特别, 完全 — the biggest group, fine-tuning when, how much and how truly.
• Modal & Auxiliary Verbs (6) — 应该, 必须, 能够, 愿意 — saying what you should, must and can do.
• Prepositions & Grammar Words (8) — 为, 向, 当, 所有, 其中 — the small words that frame a sentence.
• Thinking & Feeling (8) — 认为, 发现, 相信, 感觉 — the verbs of opinion and perception.
• Speaking & Communication (10) — 讲, 讨论, 说明, 提出 — talking, explaining and putting ideas forward.
• Action & Change Verbs (48) — the big one: 完成, 改变, 接受, 使用, 变成 — the workhorses of everyday action.
• Ideas, Plans & Reasons (18) — 机会, 计划, 原因, 办法, 影响 — the abstract nouns of real discussion.
• Media & Information (8) — 新闻, 音乐, 照片, 广告 — the words for what you read, watch and hear.
• Adjectives & Descriptions (15) — 安全, 清楚, 健康, 年轻 — describing people, states and things.
• Measure Words & Quantities (16) — 场, 段, 份, 许多 — counting events, sections and amounts.
• Time & Sequence (6) — 以后, 以前, 最近, 后来 — placing events in time.
• People & Places (10) — 人们, 家庭, 中心, 银行 — who, and where.
• Body & Everyday Things (10) — 脸, 眼, 信, 卡, 酒 — the body and the objects of daily life.

Preparing for the new HSK exam?

These 198 words open HSK 3.0 Level 2 — 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 3 list at roughly 14 words a day, 15–20 minutes a session.

• Week 1: Action & Change Verbs (48) + Adverbs & Degree (25) + Connectives (10) — 83 words. The engine of the language: the verbs, adverbs and joining words behind almost every sentence.
• Week 2: Ideas & Reasons (18) + Measure Words (16) + Adjectives (15) + Speaking (10) + People & Places (10) + Body & Things (10) + Thinking (8) + Grammar (8) + Media (8) + Modal (6) + Time (6) — 115 words. The nouns, descriptions and finishing pieces. Then filter “All” in the grid and say every word before the audio plays.

After a fortnight you’ll have met every Band 3 word with native audio. The rest of HSK 3.0 Level 2 is the next rung, and its lists are the next additions 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).