Pleco Chinese Dictionary: The Definitive Toolkit for Serious Learners
Master Mandarin with the industry's most powerful integrated dictionary, OCR, and flashcard system. Professional-grade tools designed for students, scholars, and global professionals.
Search results in the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app for the pinyin shouji showing multiple word definitions
Fullscreen handwriting recognition interface in the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app showing a user drawing a character for lookup.
Screenshot of Pleco Chinese Dictionary app displaying a word entry with Pinyin and example sentences.
Pleco Chinese Dictionary app showing the document reader feature with a word definition popup over Chinese text
Pleco Chinese Dictionary document reader with a word definition popup
Master Mandarin with Professional Precision
The tools that make this app stand out, trusted by 4M+ users.
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World-Class Dictionaries
Access professional titles from Oxford and Longman with a powerful merged search that finds any word instantly.
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Live OCR & Document Reader
Point your camera at any text or tap within PDFs to get instant translations without ever leaving your workflow.
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Smart Flashcards (SRS)
Turn any look-up into a memory with one-tap flashcard creation and advanced Spaced Repetition System testing.
About the app
Everything you need to know about Pleco Chinese Dictionary.
Description
Pleco is the ultimate Chinese learning companion: an integrated dictionary / document reader / flashcard system with fullscreen handwriting input and live OCR, from a company that's been making the world's best mobile Chinese learning apps since 2001.
Major features: ($ = paid add-on)
• Amazing dictionaries. We offer two free built-in dictionaries: the popular open-source CC-CEDICT, with over 110,000 frequently-updated entries, and our own PLC dictionary, with 125,000 entries, parts of speech, and over 25,000 example sentences (with Pinyin). More than two dozen other dictionaries are available as free and paid ($) add-ons, including licensed titles from well-known publishers like Oxford, Longman, FLTRP, Tuttle, SLPH, and Commercial Press.
• Powerful merged search: look up words by Chinese characters, Pinyin (spaces / tones optional), or English, with support for wildcards and full-text search. And no need to tediously flip between all of those dictionaries to find a word - just type in your search term and instantly get a combined, frequency-sorted result list.
• Links and cross-references: easily look up character components, break down words into individual characters, look up lists of words containing a particular character, and search across all dictionaries for example sentences containing a word.
• Gorgeous typography: see it for yourself in our screenshots - we think we're one of the best-looking Chinese dictionaries around. Alternate Kai/Song/Xing-style Chinese fonts are also available ($).
• PRC/HK/Taiwan-friendly: every part of Pleco supports both traditional and simplified, headword readings can be shown in Pinyin and Zhuyin, and some dictionaries even support Cantonese. (note: stroke order diagrams do support traditional characters, but use PRC order)
• Audio: Hear Mandarin and Cantonese for words and example sentences using iOS' free built-in text-to-speech system. We also offer add-ons ($) with native-speaker Mandarin recordings and higher-quality Mandarin TTS.
• Document Reader: bring in text from the clipboard and tap on words in it to instantly look them up. Upgrade ($) adds support for tap-lookups in text, HTML, DOC, DOCX, PDF, and EPUB files. We also offer graded readings ($).
• OCR: look up words simply by pointing your device's camera at them, or by tapping on them in a still image. ($)
• Fullscreen handwriting: use your device's whole screen instead of just a little box. Extremely accurate and highly tolerant of stroke order mistakes. (enhanced $)
• Flashcards: create a card from any dictionary entry with a single button tap, import premade word lists, use advanced memorization techniques like SRS, and study in a variety of modes including fill-in-the-blanks handwriting and tone drills. ($)
• Stroke Order Diagrams: animations showing you how to draw each character; 500 characters for free, 28,000 in paid ($) version.
• User dictionaries: create new dictionary entries right on your device as you encounter new words. ($)
• No ads.
We also offer famously excellent customer support and an active user community at http://www.plecoforums.com. And we're constantly working to make our products better; our sales and customer base have been growing for two decades across 4 different platforms. You can be confident that we'll still be fixing bugs and adding features for years to come.
Paid add-ons can be transferred to other devices that link to your iTunes account just like any other paid iTunes content; simply install our free app, open up the "Add-ons" screen, and tap on the "Restore Purchases" button to activate your purchase on each device.
Please contact us at support@pleco.com, via the form at http://www.pleco.com/contact.html, or using the in-app "Contact Support" command with any questions - we'll be delighted to hear from you.
Latest Version
3.2.80
Size
112.9 MB
First Released
Dec 17, 2009
Master Mandarin with the World’s Most Trusted Learning Companion
Join 4 million+ serious learners and professionals. Download Pleco today for an ad-free, integrated dictionary and study system that grows with your fluency.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Pleco Chinese Dictionary
What is the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app?
Pleco Chinese Dictionary is an integrated dictionary, document reader, and flashcard system for learning Chinese. It offers powerful merged search, fullscreen handwriting input, and live OCR.
Does Pleco Chinese Dictionary offer free dictionaries?
Yes, Pleco includes two free built-in dictionaries: the open-source CC-CEDICT with over 110,000 entries and the PLC dictionary with 125,000 entries and 25,000 example sentences.
How does the search function work in Pleco Chinese Dictionary?
Pleco's merged search allows users to look up words by Chinese characters, Pinyin (with optional spaces/tones), or English. It supports wildcards and full-text search across all dictionaries.
Can users handwrite Chinese characters in Pleco Chinese Dictionary?
Yes, Pleco features fullscreen handwriting input. It utilizes the entire device screen and is highly accurate, tolerating stroke order mistakes for efficient character entry.
Does Pleco Chinese Dictionary support both simplified and traditional Chinese characters?
Yes, Pleco is PRC/HK/Taiwan-friendly, supporting both traditional and simplified Chinese characters across all its features. Headword readings can be displayed in Pinyin and Zhuyin.
Can I look up words in documents with Pleco Chinese Dictionary?
Yes, Pleco's Document Reader allows users to tap on words in text from the clipboard for instant lookup. An upgrade adds support for various file types like PDF and EPUB.
Does Pleco Chinese Dictionary provide audio pronunciation for words?
Yes, Pleco offers Mandarin and Cantonese audio for words and example sentences using iOS's built-in text-to-speech. Add-ons provide native-speaker Mandarin recordings and higher-quality TTS.
Does the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app contain advertisements?
No, the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app does not contain any advertisements. It provides an ad-free user experience, as stated in its feature list.
How do flashcards work in Pleco Chinese Dictionary for language learning?
Pleco allows users to create flashcards from any dictionary entry. It supports advanced memorization techniques like SRS and various study modes, including fill-in-the-blanks handwriting and tone drills.
Can paid add-ons for Pleco Chinese Dictionary be transferred to other devices?
Yes, paid add-ons for Pleco can be transferred to other devices linked to your iTunes account. Users install the free app, go to "Add-ons," and tap "Restore Purchases" to activate.
App information, icons, screenshots, and descriptions displayed on this page are sourced from the Apple App Store and are the property of their respective developers. Download estimates and rankings are based on MWM's proprietary models and may not reflect actual figures. This page is provided for informational and analytical purposes only.
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