HSK Exam Guide How many characters must you write by hand for each HSK level?
The HSK syllabus gives a 书写字 (characters to write) list for each level. By our count of the serial numbers in those lists, the counts are 100 characters for levels 1–2 together, 150 each for levels 3, 4, 5 and 6, and 500 for levels 7–9 together.
Characters to write by level
The syllabus prints the 书写字 lists with each character numbered, but it does not print the totals as a summary. We counted the characters from the serial numbers in each list.
| Level(s) | Characters to write (书写字) |
|---|---|
| Levels 1–2 (one joint list) | 100 |
| Level 3 | 150 |
| Level 4 | 150 |
| Level 5 | 150 |
| Level 6 | 150 |
| Levels 7–9 (one joint list) | 500 |
Each list is numbered from 1. The character syllabus (汉字大纲, from p. 352 of the syllabus) has two kinds of lists: 认读字 (characters to recognise), one list per level, and 书写字 (characters to write), listed as 一级~二级 together, then 三级, 四级, 五级, 六级, 七—九级.
Where the writing lists are
The 书写字 lists sit inside the HSK 汉字大纲 (Chinese character syllabus), which begins on p. 352 of the Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test. The full syllabus has five parts: task syllabus (from p. 1), topic syllabus (from p. 55), vocabulary syllabus (from p. 76), Chinese character syllabus (from p. 352), and grammar syllabus (from p. 382). Each part has one chapter per level, plus one joint chapter for levels 7–9.
The syllabus itself is where the actual character lists are printed. This page does not reproduce them.
Writing on the test
The HSK (Level 1) page says the exam has a total of 40 questions, divided into listening and reading sections. It lists listening and reading sections only.
The HSK (Level 3) page says HSK (Level 3) encompasses skills in listening, reading, and basic writing, and that the exam has a total of 80 questions, divided into listening, reading, and writing sections. Writing appears on the test at level 3.
Sources
- Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test (新版HSK考试大纲) — Center for Language Education and Cooperation
- HSK (Level 1) — Chinese Testing International
- HSK (Level 3) — Chinese Testing International
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary; it is not published by Chinese Testing International, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation or the Ministry of Education, and the official page prevails if they differ.