Pleco Chinese Dictionary - Chinese Language Helper

Are you tired of guessing what those mysterious Chinese characters mean? Say goodbye to confusing translations with our handy tool that makes deciphering Chinese a piece of General Tso's chicken! From decoding menus to impressing your friends with Chinese calligraphy skills, we've got you covered like a cozy blanket on a cold winter night. So why not take a wok on the wild side and let us help you navigate the intricate world of Mandarin? Get ready to level up your Chinese game faster than you can say "Kung Pao Chicken"!

 Pleco serves as a comprehensive Chinese learning aid, offering an amalgamation of a Chinese-English dictionary, document reader, and flashcard system with full-screen handwriting input and real-time camera-based character searches. The app is developed by a company with 17 years of expertise in creating mobile software for learning Chinese.

Key features: (Paid add-ons denoted by $)

• Extensive dictionaries: Included in the free version are two dictionaries - CC-CEDICT and the PLC dictionary - encompassing 130,000 Chinese words with 20,000 example sentences featuring Pinyin. Additionally, there are 8 more free dictionaries available for download, including a 22,000-entry Cantonese-English dictionary, while 19 other premium dictionaries are accessible as paid upgrades. ($)

• Handwriting input: Recognize unknown characters through drawing them, powered by a top-tier recognition engine. (basic version free, enhanced version $)

• Live Optical Character Recognizer (OCR): Effortlessly search Chinese words in the dictionary by directing your device's camera at the characters or by scanning a static image. ($)

• Screen Reader/OCR: Instantly find definitions of Chinese words in external apps using a floating interface; compatible with Android versions 4.1 and above. (reader free, OCR $)

• Flashcard System: Generate flashcards from any dictionary entry with a single tap, import existing word lists, employ advanced techniques like SRS (spaced repetition), and study with various modes such as fill-in-the-blanks and tone drills. (simple version free, full-featured $)

• Audio Pronunciation: Listen immediately to male and female native-speaker audio for headwords in the Chinese dictionary; recordings available for over 34,000 words. (stitched-syllable free, multi-syllable $) Alternatively, hear example sentences using text-to-speech (system TTS free, enhanced $).

• Robust search capabilities: Search words based on Chinese characters, Pinyin (spaces/tones optional), or a blend of both, with support for wildcards and full-text search.

• Cross-referencing: Tap on any Chinese character or word within a dictionary entry to reveal its meaning.

• Stroke Order Diagrams: View animations guiding you on how to write each Chinese character; 500 diagrams included in the free app, with 28,000 available in a paid add-on.

• Voice Recognition: Look up words by speaking them into your device's microphone.

• Document Reader: Access Chinese texts or PDF files and instantly search unknown words in the dictionary by tapping on them. ($) Characters can also be queried on web pages via "Share" and in other documents through clipboard functions. (free)

• Inclusivity for PRC and Taiwan: Supports traditional and simplified characters across all features - including definitions, stroke order, search, OCR, and handwriting - and facilitates Zhuyin (with ruby support) along with Pinyin for pronunciation display.

• Cantonese Support: Display headwords and conduct searches in Jyutping/Yale romanization. The app also offers Cantonese dictionary and audio add-ons, some of which are paid.

• Ad-free experience: Users will not encounter advertisements or prompts to purchase add-ons.

The app boasts exceptional customer service, evident through responsive email support and an engaged user community at plecoforums.com.

With a history dating back to 2000, Pleco has continuously gained traction over 17 years on four different platforms. Existing users receive continued support; those who purchased a dictionary for a Palm Pilot in 2001 can seamlessly use it on a modern Android phone in 2020 without additional fees.

Paid add-ons can be transferred to a new device akin to regular paid apps; simply launch the free app on your new device for reactivation.

For users switching from a different operating system, refer to pleco.com/android for migration instructions.

Using guide:

The video below shows you how to enable the following settings:

Turn on the clipboard reader on app startup

Automatically open the reader for long-form chinese text

Automatically open URLs in your clipboard

Automatically open recent photos and screenshots.

Open the keyboard on startup to streamline your workflow

With the settings above, Pleco will be setup to open up content from your clipboard, screenshots, and more. The rest of the features I’m going to be highlighting all make flashcards richer and more integrated in your daily life.

This app utilizes Accessibility services primarily for the Screen Reader feature, aiding non-Chinese speakers in Chinese-speaking regions.

Follow Pleco on Twitter/Facebook: @plecosoft