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Dictionaries

A good Chinese dictionary is non-negotiable from day one. Modern dictionary apps go far beyond definitions — they include stroke order, example sentences, OCR, and flashcard export. Pleco remains the gold standard, but web dictionaries are excellent for desktop study.

5 resources

Freemium

Pleco

The essential Chinese dictionary app

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Free

Zhongwen

Hover dictionary for any Chinese webpage

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Free

MDBG Chinese Dictionary

Best free web dictionary

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Freemium

YellowBridge

Character etymology and stroke order

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Freemium

Hanping Chinese Dictionary

Strong Pleco alternative on Android

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Practice reading with ReadChinese

HSK-leveled stories with audio narration, word-by-word annotation, and built-in vocabulary review. Start reading for free.

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