HSK 3 Vocabulary Workbook
All 500 Level 3 words in 50 short units, plus the Level 3 patterns such as 把, 被 and 越来越.
248 pages, US Letter. Printable PDF on Gumroad. No paperback yet.
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HSK 3 (New HSK 3.0): what's on the syllabus, and my books for it
Level 3 in numbers
| New words at this level | 500 (syllabus nos. 501–1000) |
|---|---|
| Words in total by the end of Level 3 | 1,000 |
| Characters to recognise | 284 new, 655 in total |
| Handwriting characters | 150 new, 250 in total |
| Stage | Elementary (Levels 1–3), last level of the stage |
Level 3 is where the numbers start to climb. It adds 500 words, doubling your total to 1,000, and 284 characters to recognise. It also has its own handwriting list of 150 characters, the first one that isn't shared with another level.
Grammar picks up too. This is where 把 and 被 sentences arrive, along with patterns like 越来越, so the vocabulary book has short notes on those as well as the words themselves.
One change to know about if you plan to sit the exam: for HSK 3.0, candidates at Levels 3 to 6 register for the matching speaking test at the same time as the written test.
The writing book has the 150 Level 3 characters in the same layout as the beginner book. The vocabulary book has all 500 words in 50 short units. The paperback of the writing book is on Amazon; the vocabulary book is a printable PDF for now.
Counts are from the HSK syllabus published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation in November 2025 (in force from July 2026), which is what HSK 3.0 uses.
My HSK 3 books
HSK 3 Character Writing Workbook
The 150 Level 3 handwriting characters, set out like the beginner book: stroke order, example words, a sentence and grids, with reviews.
188 pages, US Letter. Paperback on Amazon, printable PDF on Gumroad.
Want both PDFs? There is a bundle:
- Level 3 bundle: HSK 3 writing book and HSK 3 vocabulary book, $12.99 on Gumroad
Every book has a free sample above. More free pages, including the HSK 3.0 Starter Pack, are on the free page.
Exam dates
The first HSK 3.0 exam is on Sunday 13 December 2026. Chinese Testing International announced the worldwide launch on 9 September 2026.
- Registration is on chinesetest.cn. It closes at 24:00 Beijing time on 16 November 2026 for paper-based tests and on 3 December 2026 for computer-based tests.
- Test centres have limited places and can stop taking registrations before those dates, so check with yours early.
- For Levels 3 to 6 you register for the matching speaking test at the same time. Levels 7 to 9 are one combined exam.
Sources: chinesetest.cn and the Athens Business Confucius Institute notice. Checked 21 October 2026. Your test centre has the final word on its own dates.