How many characters do you need to know to speak Chinese

In Chinese, according to various estimates, from 50,000 to 80,000 characters. Scary number! But how many characters do you really need to learn to speak Chinese?

How will we determine?

You must have heard of HSK tests. These are Chinese language exams that are conducted to test the level of language proficiency and confirm qualifications. The number of kanji you need to know for each HSK level varies. And this is exactly what you need to focus on in order to understand how many hieroglyphs you need to know to communicate in Chinese.

HSK and hieroglyphs you need to know for communication

1. HSK 1 - 150 characters. These are the simplest and most important hieroglyphs that will allow you to be able to introduce yourself, tell a little about yourself, and also ask and understand the interlocutor. As a rule, the student can talk about his hobbies and family.

2. HSK 2 - 300 characters. Your vocabulary has doubled! Now you can build more varied sentences, read simple texts and understand native speakers.

3. HSK 3 - 600 characters. This level allows you to communicate more fluently in Chinese. You can support all the main topics of conversation, share your thoughts and use conversational skills at work.

4. HSK 4 - 1200 characters. At this level, you can say whatever you want. You will be perfectly understood. And now you can watch movies and series in Chinese with subtitles, view content in Chinese.

5. HSK 5 - 2500 characters. This level allows you to fully integrate you into the Chinese environment. You can take part in any dialogue, as well as endlessly listen to the admiration of the Chinese for your knowledge.

6. HSK 6 - 5000 characters. Level close to carrier. To reach it is to know Zen.

As you might guess, the Chinese themselves use several thousand characters in their speech - depending on age, education and the topic of conversation. So forget about the tens of thousands of hieroglyphs that exist. You will never see 90% of them.