What HSK Level Am I?
Find out which HSK level your Chinese characters are really at. A free, adaptive HSK placement test: up to 35 characters, about three minutes, no signup.
Up to 35 characters, about 3 minutes, no signup. Don't know one? Press I don't know. Guessing only makes your result less accurate.
We count how often the test gets taken and how each character is answered, so we can swap out one that's too easy or too hard. Nothing identifies you.
How this HSK level test works
You get up to 35 characters from a bank of 70 we picked by hand from the HSK 3.0 character lists, ten per level. For each one you pick the meaning or the pinyin from four options, or you say you don't know it.
The test adapts. Everyone starts on an HSK 3 character. Get it right and the next one is harder. Miss it and the next one is easier. After a few questions you're circling your own level, which is where a question actually tells us something. Once your level is clear, it stops. A beginner shouldn't have to click through 35 characters they can't read.
Most tests like this just ask "do you know this character?" and take your word for it. People are generous with themselves, so the results run high. Here every answer gets checked.
How your level is worked out
Your level isn't just where the test happened to stop. One lucky guess shouldn't move you up a level, and one slip shouldn't move you down. So the test looks at all your answers together and works out which pattern fits best: how far up the levels you get, and whether your knowledge stops sharply or thins out gradually. Your level is the highest one where you'd recognise at least 80% of the characters.
The "I don't know" button matters more than it looks. Use it, and your correct answers count as real knowledge. Never use it, and some of those correct answers have to be lucky guesses, so the estimate comes down a bit.
We tested the method on simulated learners whose real level we knew. It got the exact level about three times in four, and landed within one level about 99 times in 100. The same learners on a fixed list of 35 came out at seven in ten, which is why the test adapts. So read your result as "around HSK 4", not "exactly HSK 4".
What this test does not tell you
It tests characters, and only whether you recognise them. The real HSK tests words, most of them built from two or more characters, plus grammar, listening and writing. Knowing 电 and 脑 (electricity and brain) doesn't mean you know 电脑 is a computer. So HSK 4 here means your characters are at HSK 4. Whether you'd pass HSK 4 is a different question, and a full mock exam is how you answer it.
It also says nothing about writing by hand. If that's what you want to practice, the free Chinese character worksheet generator makes stroke order sheets for any characters you choose.
How many characters each HSK level needs
HSK 3.0 adds 300 characters at every level from 1 to 6, so the running total goes 300, 600, 900, 1,200, 1,500, 1,800. HSK 7-9 takes it to 3,000. I wrote about what those numbers mean for actually reading in how many Chinese characters you need, and the Chinese text difficulty checker shows how much of a real text you can read at your level.
Frequently asked questions
What HSK level am I?
Take the test above. It starts at HSK 3, moves up or down with your answers, and checks every one. Your level is the highest one where you'd recognise about 80% of the characters. It takes about three minutes and you don't need an account.
Is this an HSK placement test?
Yes, for characters. It places you at the HSK 3.0 level your character knowledge has reached, so you know where to start studying. It doesn't place you for grammar or listening.
How many Chinese characters do I know?
Your result includes an estimate, rounded to the nearest 50, out of the 3,000 HSK characters. Below HSK 1 we don't show a number, because a few lucky guesses would inflate it.
Is this HSK level test free?
Yes. No signup, and you can take it as often as you like.
How accurate is a test this short?
Good enough to tell you where to start. Not good enough to replace an exam. In simulation it got the exact level about three times in four, and was within one level about 99 times in 100.
Does this test tell me whether I would pass the HSK exam?
No. It only checks whether you recognise individual characters. The real HSK also tests vocabulary, grammar, listening and writing. You need the characters to pass, but they're nowhere near enough. A full mock exam is how you find out.
Why is there an "I don't know" button?
Because guessing makes your result worse. With four options, one blind guess in four comes out right, and research on vocabulary tests found that inflates scores by up to a quarter. An honest "I don't know" lets the test tell knowledge from luck.
Is this HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0?
HSK 3.0, the current standard. That's 300 characters at each of levels 1 to 6, and 3,000 in total with HSK 7-9.
Why did my test stop before 35 questions?
Because your level was already clear. It always asks at least 15, then stops once more answers couldn't change the result. Beginners and very advanced readers usually finish early. If you're between two levels you'll usually get all 35.
Will I get the same characters if I take it again?
Mostly not. There are 70 in the bank, ten per level, and which ones you see depends on your answers. Each one was picked for one clear meaning and, where pinyin is asked, a single reading.