The HSK Standard Course textbook or an app
A textbook and an app barely compete. HSK Standard Course is an official coursebook, authorised by Hanban and aligned with the exam: it explains grammar and provides exam-format exercises. An app explains little, but it keeps track of time: it brings a word back exactly when you are about to forget it.
| HSK Standard Course | Tomyo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An official textbook, 9 volumes | A review programme and a vocabulary |
| Explanations | Detailed grammar breakdowns | Short reference notes |
| Link to the exam | Compiled with the exam body | Vocabulary by HSK level |
| Reviews | None, you review on your own | A schedule for every word |
| What has faded | You keep track | Calculated automatically |
| Exercises | An exam-format workbook | Exercises in five formats |
| Offline | Yes | Needs a connection |
| Payment | A one-off book purchase | Free plan, Plus from 399 RUB/month |
What the textbook gives you
HSK Standard Course is published by Beijing Language and Culture University Press together with Chinese Testing International — the organisation that runs the exam — and is authorised by Hanban. Put simply, it is a coursebook by the same people who compile the HSK, aligned with the exam in content, format and levels.
The series is laid out across the six exam levels: one volume each for levels 1–3 and two each for levels 4–6, nine volumes in total. Each volume comes with a textbook, a workbook and a teacher’s book — 27 books across the whole series.
The main thing an app does not have: the textbook explains. Grammar is presented as an analysis, with the logic of the construction laid out, rather than five examples and an invitation to guess. The reference notes in Tomyo are noticeably shorter.
What the textbook does not do
A book does not know what you have forgotten. You reach lesson seven and the words from lesson three quietly fade — the textbook will not tell you and will not bring them back. You have to return to them yourself, and this is where it falls apart for most people: reviewing from a book is dull, and it is unclear what exactly to review and how much.
A review schedule solves precisely that. Every word has its own date for the next appearance, calculated from how you answered before. There is no decision to make: today’s set is assembled for you.
The single point of overlap
Both the textbook and Tomyo have vocabulary lists by HSK level — the source is the same, the official standard. So there will be duplication: words from a lesson will most likely also turn up in the app.
That is more of a plus: a word covered in the textbook enters the review schedule and does not get lost. It works the other way round too — a word familiar from the app reads more easily in the book.
How to combine them
The textbook for explanations, reading and exam-format exercises. The app for the daily upkeep of your vocabulary between sessions with the book. That division works better than either option alone, and it does not require choosing.
When the textbook is the better choice
- Official status: authorised by Hanban and compiled together with the organisation that runs the exam.
- The material is aligned with the exam in content, format and levels — that is its direct purpose.
- It explains: grammar comes with an analysis rather than examples alone. An app cannot do that.
- A workbook with exam-format exercises and a teacher’s book if you study with one.
- A one-off purchase that works offline: a book needs no subscription, no internet and no account.
- It is used in courses and at Confucius Institutes — you can join a group working from the same material.
When Tomyo is the better choice
- A review schedule: it works out which word you are about to forget and brings it back. A book neither does that nor can.
- It tracks the state of every word — what has been covered, what has faded.
- Audio is built in, no separate disc required.
- Always with you: a session from your phone while travelling.
- Character writing with checking, not only copybook practice on paper.
- Your own words can be added on equal terms with programme words.
Frequently asked questions
Can you prepare for the HSK with an app alone?
Building and holding a vocabulary — yes. But the exam also tests reading, listening and text comprehension, and an app has noticeably fewer grammar explanations than a textbook. HSK Standard Course was compiled with the exam body and is closer to it in task format.
How many books are in the HSK Standard Course series?
Nine volumes: one each for levels 1–3 and two each for levels 4–6. Each volume comes with a textbook, a workbook and a teacher’s book — 27 books in all.
Why an app if you have the textbook?
A textbook does not know what you have forgotten. Words from lesson three fade while you work through lesson seven, and returning to them is up to you. An app works that out for you: every word has its own date for the next appearance.
Will the words be duplicated?
Partly yes — the lists come from the same source, the official HSK standard. That is more useful than not: a word covered in the textbook enters the review schedule and does not get lost.
Which is cheaper?
The textbook is a one-off purchase, and over a long stretch that costs less than a subscription. But the two do not replace each other: Tomyo has a free plan with no time limit, and it is enough to keep a vocabulary alive alongside work with the book.
What are the alternatives to the HSK Standard Course textbook?
Free-form grammar explanations come from ChatGPT, a course of sequential lessons from HelloChinese. HSK vocabulary lists are in Tomyo, together with the review schedule a book does not have. Among apps there is no full equivalent of a coursebook compiled with the exam body.