HSK Graded Readers
24 short stories · HSK 1-6 · tap-to-hear audio
Flashcards teach you words; reading makes them yours. These short stories are written entirely inside each HSK level's vocabulary, so you can read real Mandarin end to end - no dictionary, no guessing. Tap any word to hear it and see its meaning, answer comprehension questions at the end, and send unknown words straight to your spaced-repetition deck.
How the grading works
Every story passes an automatic word-by-word check before it ships: a level-N story may only use words from the HSK 1-N lists plus a capped set of the most common function words (在, 个, 没 and friends - essential grammar that official HSK lists file elsewhere). Anything outside that set gets the story rejected and rewritten. Graded means graded.
The library
| Level | Stories | Access | Vocabulary |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1A1 | 我们在家 (27 words)去饭店吃饭 (33 words)朋友和明天 (29 words)学生和老师 (22 words) | Free | Very short sentences built from first-week words: family, food, home. |
| HSK 2A2 | 忙的早上 (41 words)两个朋友吃什么 (32 words)买东西给妈妈 (37 words)坐火车去北京 (42 words) | Pro | Everyday scenes - shopping, travel, plans - with simple connectors. |
| HSK 3B1 | 我的新爱好 (61 words)我迟到了 (69 words)新的城市 (66 words)手机找不到了 (49 words) | Pro | Real narratives: past and future, feelings, small surprises. |
| HSK 4B2 | 一次重要的考试 (78 words)难的选择 (66 words)邻居的误会 (77 words)河边见 (88 words) | Pro | Longer stories with opinions, comparisons, and turns of events. |
| HSK 5C1 | 这条街道的十年变化 (89 words)改掉坏习惯 (132 words)意外的信 (61 words)多年以后 (61 words) | Pro | Abstract topics and richer description at near-native pace. |
| HSK 6C2 | 不对的决定 (111 words)记忆和地方 (78 words)回农村 (121 words)手机和饺子 (110 words) | Pro | Essay-like prose drawing on the full 5,000+ word vocabulary. |
Read one now: 我们在家 (We Are at Home)
A complete HSK 1 story - every word is inside the HSK 1 vocabulary. Tap words for audio and meanings, then try the questions. This is exactly how the full library works in the app.
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Check your understanding
1. Who came home in the afternoon?
2. What does mom make?
3. What does dad drink?
Read at your level, every day
Sign up free for all HSK 1 stories with audio, glosses, and one-tap review-deck saving. Pro unlocks the full HSK 2-6 library.
Start reading freeWhy read graded stories?
Vocabulary apps measure what you've studied; reading measures what you have. Meeting a word inside a story - carried by context, doing real work in a sentence - is a different memory event from flipping its flashcard. Research on extensive reading consistently finds that large volumes of easy, level-appropriate input build vocabulary depth, reading speed, and grammar intuition that isolated study can't.
The catch is "level-appropriate": native material is brutally far above a beginner (a newspaper assumes thousands of words), and most "easy Chinese" content online is unlevelled. Graded readers close that gap - and pairing them with spaced repetition closes the loop: read, notice the gap, save the word, review it, re-read.
Start with the guided course if you're brand new, check your level with the free Chinese level test, and browse the full HSK vocabulary lists to see what each level expects.
Frequently asked questions
What is a graded reader?+
A graded reader is a text written inside a fixed, level-appropriate vocabulary, so a learner can read it from start to finish without a dictionary. Reading at the right level (where you know nearly every word) is one of the fastest ways to turn studied vocabulary into real comprehension.
How are ToneDeck's stories graded?+
Every story is checked word by word by an automatic validator: a level-N story may only use words from the HSK 1 to N lists plus a capped set of the most common Mandarin function words (like 在, 个, 没) that don't sit in any HSK list. A story that uses anything outside that set is rejected and rewritten, so the grading is enforced, not just claimed.
Which HSK level should I read at?+
Read at the level where you understand roughly 95% of the words without help. If you're constantly tapping for glosses, drop a level - extensive reading works best when it feels almost easy. If a story feels trivial, move up one.
Are the stories free?+
All HSK 1 stories are free, including the full story on this page - no account needed to read it here. HSK 2-6 stories are part of ToneDeck Pro, alongside the full 5,500-word deck, unlimited reviews, and pronunciation checks.
Can I save words I don't know?+
Yes - tap any word in a story to hear it and see its pinyin and meaning, then add it to your spaced-repetition review deck in one tap. Your next review session leads with the words you saved.