CEFR B1

What does B1 mean? The CEFR B1 level explained

Travel alone, tell a story, give opinions on familiar topics.

The short answer

CEFR B1 (Threshold) is a independent user level: you can deal with most travel situations, describe experiences and give brief reasons and opinions. The page also shows which HSK, JLPT and TOPIK levels roughly match B1, with disputed mappings flagged.

Listening

The main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters at work, school and leisure; the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs when delivery is relatively slow and clear.

Reading

Texts in high-frequency everyday or job-related language; descriptions of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters.

Speaking

Deal with most situations while travelling; enter unprepared into conversation on familiar topics; narrate a story or plot and briefly explain opinions and plans.

Writing

Simple connected text on familiar topics; personal letters describing experiences and impressions.

Hours for English speakers (est.)

720–960

Basis

Mandarin-specific: SC-TOP (TOCFL) suggested learning hours for learners outside Chinese-speaking regions at the CEFR-aligned TOCFL level; roughly halve if studying in Taiwan. Japanese and Korean are in the same FSI category, so similar orders of magnitude apply, but no official figures exist.

Kungfucius says: You can travel alone. Whether you should is a separate question.

Exam levels around here

HSK 3 ≈ CEFR B1approximate (no official mapping; disputed)CTI has published no official CEFR mapping for HSK 3.0; this is an approximate match based on HSK 3.0 cumulative vocabulary (2025 syllabus) and can-do descriptors compared with CEFR descriptors. The German Fachverband Chinesisch argued (about HSK 2.0) that HSK levels sit lower on the CEFR than CTI implied, so treat any mapping with care.

HSK 4 ≈ CEFR B1approximate (no official mapping; disputed)CTI has published no official CEFR mapping for HSK 3.0; this is an approximate match based on HSK 3.0 cumulative vocabulary (2025 syllabus) and can-do descriptors compared with CEFR descriptors. The German Fachverband Chinesisch argued (about HSK 2.0) that HSK levels sit lower on the CEFR than CTI implied, so treat any mapping with care.

JLPT N2 ≈ CEFR B1official reference, score-dependentJLPT reference: a pass at the lower end of the JLPT N2 score range is reported as B1.

JLPT N3 ≈ CEFR B1official reference, score-dependentJLPT reference: N3 104+ = B1, but a pass of 95–103 = A2. Add an N3 to CEFR A2 row.

TOCFL Band B ≈ CEFR B1official alignmentSC-TOP built TOCFL levels on the CEFR and aligned them in a standard-setting study; each band covers two CEFR levels (lower level = first TOCFL level of the band).

TOPIK level 3 ≈ CEFR B1approximateNIIED publishes no official CEFR mapping; the one-to-one match of six TOPIK levels to six CEFR levels is a common convention based on the level descriptors, not a validated alignment.

Vietnamese level 3 ≈ CEFR B1official alignment (Circular 17/2015/TT-BGDĐT)Circular 17/2015/TT-BGDĐT states the 6-level framework (Sơ cấp, Trung cấp, Cao cấp) is compatible with CEFR A1–C2, level for level.

Kungfucius's perspective on the mappings

The list above includes HSK 3 and HSK 4 among the tests that roughly match B1, with the disputed ones flagged. Kungfucius's own placement is stricter, and it is an opinion from experience, not an official conversion: HSK 4 is still A2, a high A2 at best, and HSK 3 is for sure about A1.5, halfway between A1 and A2. In Chinese he would look for a real B1 around HSK 5. He is not alone in this. In 2010 the Fachverband Chinesisch, the association of Chinese teachers in German-speaking countries, rated the old HSK 4 at A2 and the old HSK 5 at B1. The reasoning is on the HSK 4 page.

The Japanese and Korean entries are on firmer ground. Since December 2025 JLPT score reports carry a CEFR level for reference, and by the published thresholds a solid N3 or a narrow N2 pass lands at B1. TOPIK has no official conversion, and Level 3 is where it is usually placed. Both tests are mostly reading and listening, so neither proves that you can speak at B1.

What a real B1 looks like in Chinese, Japanese and Korean

The can-do statements were written with European languages in mind. For these three, B1 looks like this:

Chinese. You hold a twenty-minute conversation about work, family and plans without the other person switching to English, with tones that are imperfect but do not cause confusion. You retell a film plot. You read messages, signs and simple articles in characters, slowly, and type replies in Pinyin input. Handwriting may lag far behind, and that is fine.
Japanese. You get through a day in polite です/ます (desu/masu) style, follow casual speech when it is aimed at you, and explain a problem at a clinic or a station counter. You read everyday texts with common kanji, with a dictionary for the rest. Honorific keigo you understand when it is spoken to you, without yet producing much of it.
Korean. You talk in the polite 요 (yo) form with connected sentences, using endings for reasons, contrasts and plans. You follow a conversation at normal speed on familiar topics, and the main thread of a drama scene with Korean subtitles. You read notices and posts, and write a short message that does not sound like a phrasebook.

In all three, the honest test is the same: an unprepared conversation with a patient stranger that survives a change of topic.

What to do next

Check yourself against the level below on the A2 page before you claim this one.
Compare the exams side by side in the equivalence table.
If you need a certificate, choose the exam your institution names, and add a speaking test where one exists.

Keep reading

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