Learning a highly complicated foreign language like Chinese, you’ll need a reliable English to Chinese dictionary app to help you on your journey. You can only spend your money once in the app store, so which online Chinese dictionary offers the best features?
A good Chinese dictionary app is one of the most essential tools for learning Mandarin. Whether you’re looking up new characters, checking pronunciation, exploring example sentences, or building your vocabulary, having the right dictionary saves a lot of time. But with so many apps available, which one should you choose? In this article, I’ll compare some of the most popular Chinese dictionary apps, including Pleco, Hanping, Hanzii, and trainchinese, looking at their features, strengths, weaknesses, and pricing. The goal is simple: to help you find the Chinese dictionary app that best suits your learning needs.
| App | Offline dictionary | Handwriting lookup | OCR | Flashcards / SRS | Stroke order | Text reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleco | ✓ | ✓/$ | $ | ✓/$ | ✓/$ | ✓/$ |
| Hanping | ✓ | ✓ | $ | $ + AnkiDroid | ✓/$ | ✓ |
| trainchinese | ✓ | ? | ✓/$ | ✓/$ | ✓ | ? |
| Hanzii | ✓* | ✓ | ✓ | ✓/$ | ✓ | ✓* |
| Jade Dictionary | ✓ | ✓ | $ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ = Included free | ✓/$ = Basic free, advanced paid | $ = Paid feature | ? = Not confirmed | * = Functionality or offline access may be limited.
Pleco online Chinese dictionary
Pleco is probably the most longstanding (and installed) Chinese-English dictionary app with paid add-ons for serious or more advanced learners, some of which can be bought in bundles. But even the free version gets you a long way.
My favorite features include the clipboard reader that helps you to read any copy-pasted text “inside the dictionary” and the detailed search history. Pleco offers a number of highly useful add-ons like flashcards, additional dictionaries, historical character information and graded readers, supporting your Chinese learning journey as you go.
Update (October 2026): Pleco 4.0, a major redesign remains in beta testing on iOS. Although the beta introduces improvements to flashcards, character lookup, and the user interface, the regular App Store version is still Pleco 3.2. New versions for Android are also in the making.
Likes
- Many input methods (typing, handwriting, pinyin, radicals, voice to text)
- Both simplified and traditional characters, plus Zhuyin and Cantonese
- Clipboard reader and search history recording each session
- Many useful add-ons like flashcards, additional dictionaries, historical character information and graded readers
- User-friendly design and settings (additional Chinese fonts, font size, tone colors, night mode and more)
- No ads or pop-up messages!
Dislikes
- I’d like to see more example sentences (formal and informal)
- Optical character recognition is a paid feature (Demo-version is free, but very limited)
- Stroke order for 500 characters only, paid upgrade to view 28.000 stroke order diagrams
Hanping Chinese Dictionary 汉英词典
Hanping Chinese Dictionary has been around since 2009, making it one of the oldest Chinese dictionary apps for Android. Originally available as Hanping Lite and Hanping Pro, the app underwent a major change in October 2024 when Hanping Pro became free. The Lite version was retired in January 2025, and Hanping also launched on iOS in December that year.
Hanping offers useful features such as a Pinyin soundboard, radical list, handwriting recognition, native-speaker audio, example sentences, character decomposition, and HSK vocabulary lists.
New features (2026): Document + Image Reader
Two major additions arrived in 2026. The free Document Reader supports longer Chinese texts and TXT, Word, and EPUB files, allowing instant word lookups. The new Image Reader recognizes Chinese text in photos and screenshots. It’s a paid Android feature with three free trial images; iOS support is planned. The separate Hanping Camera and Popup apps remain available for live OCR and screen overlays.
For flashcards, Hanping relies on AnkiDroid, requiring a separate installation and a one-time purchase for vocabulary export. Other optional purchases include additional dictionaries, audio, and stroke order animations. Fortunately, there are no subscriptions.
Likes
- Many input methods (typing, handwriting, pinyin, radicals, voice to text)
- Both simplified and traditional characters, Zhuyin included
- User-friendly settings (additional Chinese fonts, tone colors, night mode)
- The Pinyin soundboard: It covers all Pinyin syllables and helps you practice the four tones, however only isolated syllables, not in combination.
- The radical list is a useful feature for anyone trying to understand Chinese characters. It provides the meaning of every radical and is organized by number of strokes.
- Word lists (HSK + idioms)
- Tags: You can tag characters, allowing you to organize your vocabulary into groups like “tech”, “movies” or “October”, “November” or whatever suits your purpose.
- Clipboard reader for reading longer texts, including reading history
Dislikes
- Flashcards rely on the AnkiDroid app (meaning you have to download the AnkiDroid app)
- Pricing for add-ons not visible in app, only in app store
Jade Chinese Dictionary
Jade Dictionary started in 2024. It’s pretty much an all-in-one Chinese learning dictionary with a variety of vocabulary training options and add-ons. Jade offers a very learner-friendly and slightly techy combination of offline functionality, integrated spaced repetition, HSK materials and pre-made word lists for vocabulary study. The core features are free.
Likes
- Extensive offline Chinese-English dictionary with 120,000+ entries
- Completely ad-free, with most features available for free
- Integrated flashcards with spaced repetition
- Excellent HSK 2.0 and 3.0 vocabulary and grammar support
- Stroke order animations, handwriting recognition, and pronunciation tools
- Built-in text reader and on-device translation
- Optional OCR for looking up Chinese in photos and other apps
- Affordable one-time purchases instead of subscriptions
Dislikes
- Relies primarily on CC-CEDICT, lacks Pleco’s extensive collection of professional dictionaries
- Advanced HSK grammar exercises and review features require a paid upgrade
- Camera and screen OCR cost extra ($7.99)
- Specialized vocabulary lists require additional purchases
- Large number of learning features could make the app feel overwhelming for users who just want a simple dictionary
- Less suitable for advanced learners needing specialist reference works
HanBook online Chinese Dictionary
HanBook Chinese Learning Dictionary is a new kid on the block and an interesting one too. The app has been developed by Han Language, an educational technology company, founded in Dec 2020, focusing on online Chinese learning for foreigners. It’s been downloaded over 100,000 times, showing the app is being well-received.
As for input methods, we get the full deal: English, Hanzi, pinyin, radicals, voice to text and optical character recognition. This last one (OCR) is a free feature. More than just looking up characters, you can also practice your pronunciation by recording your voice with the in-app pronunciation analysis feature. For instance, you look up the word 眉毛 and read aloud the example sentence 他的眉毛很粗 and get instant feedback on your tones and over-all performance. The same goes for writing Hanzi: look up and practice. HanBook evaluates your performance by listing your mistakes. Really useful.
But there is more: HanBook also offers mini lessons, games and level-specific content that goes well beyond HSK 4. To get a taste you can go to Flashcards → Words → My Wordbooks to find complete sets of vocabulary on almost any topic, including popular Chinese textbooks like Developing Chinese, New Practical Chinese Reader and others. And it almost goes without saying that you can create and study your own flashcards as well.
HanBook brings a new concept into the world of Chinese dictionary apps: the VIP-status thing. Your VIP-status grants you unlimited use of all app features, but the status has to be earned by performing certain tasks like logging in for 3 consecutive days, giving HanBook a 5-star review, following their Facebook account and so on. Meaning: more app engagement, more VIP points rewarding you. If this is manipulation exploiting our reward system or something that is simply part of the app experience, I’ll leave up to you.
Update (October 2026): HanBook Chinese Dictionary appears to have been discontinued. The app last received updates in 2023 and disappeared from Google Play in December 2024. It is also no longer available on Apple’s App Store. Despite having attracted hundreds of thousands of downloads and generally positive user reviews, HanBook seems to have quietly disappeared without an official explanation from its developer. Unfortunately, I can no longer recommend it as an actively maintained Chinese dictionary app.
Likes
- Many input methods (typing, handwriting, pinyin, radicals, voice to text, OCR)
- Dictionary also show synonyms, antonyms and words with same initial and final.
- Excellent for improving pronunciation (voice recording + pronunciation analysis with score)
- Practice writing (stroke order, writing analysis with score)
- Optical character recognition for free!
- Translate complete sentences
- Search / activity history
Dislikes
- Login with Google, Facebook or WeChat (not privacy-friendly)
- Pop-up messages reminding you to log-in (“Your VIP hasn’t been claimed yet”)
- No offline use
Trainchinese online Chinese Dictionary and Flash Cards
Trainchinese has been around since 2010, the company being registered in the Netherlands. The app has been installed over 500.000 times and uses its own dictionary. You need a paid subscription (starting from € 16,99 for 3 months) to use all functions and features. Audio has to be downloaded for offline use. Trainchinese has all basic dictionary functions you would expect from a dictionary app, but there are better alternatives.
Update (October 2026): trainchinese Online Chinese Dictionary is still going strong and continues to receive regular updates. Available for Android, iOS and desktop, it combines a free Chinese-English dictionary with around 130,000 entries, example sentences, pronunciation recordings, measure words, stroke order animations and an integrated flashcard system.
Likes
- Both simplified and traditional characters, Zhuyin
- Search history
- Helpful breakdown of character components
- Flashcard exercises to practice vocabulary
- Word lists for HSK & TOCFL and others
Dislikes
- Limited input methods (English, pinyin, Chinese)
- Ads and banners promoting affiliate apps
- OCR and flashcards limited usage without subscription
LINE dictionary: Chinese-Eng
LINE dictionary: Chinese-Eng (500,000+) has one main point of attraction for me: it loads an almost unlimited amount of example sentences. This excellent for sentence mining, reading practice and simply expanding your vocabulary. Apart from that it has the usual dictionary features you’d expect like a (very basic) search history, stroke order animations and audio. Beyond that, you get a sentence analyzer and feed with daily expressions, quotes and proverbs. It’s a pity the sentence analyzer doesn’t translate full sentences.
Update (October 2026): LINE Dictionary: Chinese–English is no longer available. The free dictionary app, developed by South Korean technology company NAVER, was officially discontinued on October 18, 2023, and removed from Google Play in December of that year. Fortunately, NAVER offers a successor in the form of its free English–Chinese / Chinese–English Dictionary, which includes extensive vocabulary, example sentences, and pronunciation features.
Likes
- Loads many, many sentence examples
- Daily Chinese: daily updated feed with unique learning content
Dislikes
- Ads (though relatively small)
- Sentence analyzer doesn’t translate sentence meaning
- Doesn’t work offline
- Only two input methods
Chinese Dictionary Hanzii
Hanzii is a dictionary app made in Vietnam that has been installed well over 1.000.000 times. With the free version of the app you get plenty: all thinkable input methods, simplified and traditional characters, stroke order diagrams and many example sentences. Another sympathetic feature is the image tab showing pictures for each search entry. The app’s interface can be described as somewhat clumsy and not very streamlined though. I personally don’t need this overload of feed items, ads and extras and prefer a fast and easy-to-use dictionary.
With a premium account (one-time payment € 41,99; 1 year for € 27,99 or 3 months for € 18,99) you get some extra features: search handwriting offline, learning progress statistics, remove ads, writing practice, grammar, Chinese idioms and HSK exam preparation.
On the whole Hanzii looks like a decent English to Chinese dictionary app. However, I’m not fully convinced by the quality of the example sentences. In some cases, the Chinese sentence doesn’t correspond to the English translation. I also experienced some issues looking up words by writing pinyin. Entering “baohu”, Hanzii showed me only one translation, namely 宝湖 (treasure lake) instead of the most relevant entry 保护. Same experience with “jiaoyu” – instead of 教育 I get 焦鱼 (burnt fish). This is why I can’t recommend the app “wholeheartedly” at this point.
Update (October 2026): Hanzii Chinese Dictionary is still very much alive and has evolved into a comprehensive Chinese-learning app. It now combines dictionary lookups with AI-powered translation, handwriting and image recognition, character breakdowns, stroke order animations, integrated flashcards, and HSK preparation materials. Recent improvements include support for the new HSK 3.0 exams, document and PDF translation, and better Traditional Chinese support. However, while the app is free to download, advertisements, usage limits, and paid subscriptions or upgrades are worth keeping in mind.
Likes
- Input methods ( Pinyin, handwriting, voice-recording, optical character recognition)
- Both simplified and traditional characters
- Images visualizing the meaning
- Many example sentences
- Free OCR feature!
- Search history
Dislikes
- Ads
- Quality example sentences not up to standard
- Pinyin input method doesn’t work properly?
Conclusion
Developing a successful English to Chinese dictionary app is a highly specialized business where linguistics (lexicography), app design and digital learning come together. Having seen and experienced all these different apps – I still think Pleco gives you most for your money’s worth. The Pleco team understands their business and the needs of Chinese learners, from beginners to the most advanced level. You can make Pleco as powerful as you want, depending on how much money you’re prepared to spend. It’ll grow with you as you grow.
Where Pleco is kind of old-school, HanBook is a new generation app that brings AI-powered learning and gratification-principle into the field. In other words, HanBook is not a “neutral tool”, it triggers you into learning, rewarding your positive behavior. Unusual for a dictionary app, just like the fact it’s free. I mentioned some privacy concerns you might or might not share with me, but apart from that, this app is impressive and it’ll be interesting to see where it’s going in the future.
Hanping has come a long way. Recent additions such as the integrated document reader, image recognition, and improved vocabulary management have made it a much more comprehensive study tool. Pleco still might have the upper hand when it comes to dictionary depth, specialist reference works and integrated flashcards, but Hanping has definitely become a strong alternative, offering an increasingly capable free offline dictionary with useful learning tools and affordable optional upgrades.
The Jade Chinese dictionary is relatively new and surprisingly comprehensive. I appreciate that all essential features are free and that you only have to pay for extras. The user experience might lean a bit towards the technical side, but Jade offers powerful capabilities for learning new words beyond the actual search function.
Line (now Naver Dictionary) is a good choice for sentence mining – meaning that you’re not merely looking up words and their meaning, but also delve deep into connected characters and sentences. Apart from that, its features are pretty limited. The same goes for Trainchinese which couldn’t convince me.
Hanzii still needs some improvements. Unfortunately, I don’t fully trust their sentence translations between Chinese and English, and maybe even more importantly, I had some real problems finding Chinese words using pinyin.
My personal top 6:
- Pleco
- Hanping
- Jade
- Naver dictionary
- Hanzii
- Trainchinese
Thanks for reading! This review is – let’s be honest – completely subjective and the product of my own biases and limited knowledge, so feel free to disagree or correct mistakes.
Affiliate links
Disclosure: These are affiliate links. They help me to support this blog, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
