Open data
The HSK 3.0 word list, free to reuse
Every word on the map, as CSV and JSON, under CC BY 4.0: pinyin, band, level, part of speech, and a teaching gloss.
What this is
A row for each of the 11,147 words on our HSK 3.0 map, in the same format whether you open the CSV in a spreadsheet or the JSON in your own code. Build flashcards, a frequency list, or a study app on top of it; the license only asks for a credit.
Download
Version: 2026-09-28, the date the underlying word list or a gloss last changed.
- hsk-3-0-words.csvComma-separated, UTF-8, one header row.
- hsk-3-0-words.jsonOne object with metadata and a words array.
Fields
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
id | Stable word id used across the site. |
simplified | Simplified Chinese form. |
traditional | Traditional Chinese form. |
pinyin | Pinyin with tone marks. |
pinyin_num | Pinyin with tone numbers, such as ai4. |
hsk3_band | HSK 3.0 band, 1 to 7. Band 7 covers bands 7 to 9, which the syllabus does not split further. Empty for words that only appear in HSK 2.0. |
hsk3_seq | Position inside its HSK 3.0 band, in the order the official syllabus lists it. Empty for words that only appear in HSK 2.0. |
hsk2_level | HSK 2.0 level, 1 to 6. Empty for words that are not in the 2.0 list. |
pos_zh | Part of speech from the official list, in Chinese. Some words carry more than one. |
pos_en | Part of speech in English. Multiple values are joined with a semicolon. |
gloss_en | A short teaching gloss in English, written or reviewed in-house. |
License and attribution
CC BY 4.0. Copy, adapt, and use it for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you give credit.
Suggested attribution: HearMandarin (https://hearmandarin.com)
Read the full CC BY 4.0 license
The dataset does not include the CC-CEDICT dictionary text (CC-CEDICT is Share-Alike, and that term would carry into anything built from this dataset) and does not include audio. Audio plays only on the HearMandarin site.
Source
Built from the official 2025 HSK 3.0 exam syllabus word list and the 2015 HSK 2.0 word list.
See the exact file names and download dates on the data sources page.
Questions
- Can I use this dataset commercially?
- Yes. The license is CC BY 4.0, so you can use it in a paid app, a course, or any other product, as long as you credit HearMandarin with a link.
- Why is there no audio in the dataset?
- Audio files are large and only make sense played back, not stored in a spreadsheet row. Every word in this dataset has audio you can hear on its own page on the site.
- Why isn't the dictionary definition included?
- The starting dictionary, CC-CEDICT, is licensed Share-Alike, which would force that same license onto anything built from this dataset. The gloss_en column is a short teaching gloss written or reviewed in-house instead, under the plain CC BY 4.0 terms above.
- How often is this dataset updated?
- Whenever the underlying word list or a gloss changes on the site. The version date above is the date of the last such change, not a fixed release schedule.
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