Pleco Chinese Dictionary

• Basic Bundle — $29.99
• Professional Bundle — $59.99

Last verified 31 Jul 2026

• Free to download
• In-app purchases: $2.99 - $199.99 per item

Last verified 30 Aug 2026

4.7 1900 ratings · App Store

1. 5/5Top notch dictionary for the aspiring Chinese learner

   This dictionary is easily the best dictionary to have in hand when studying Chinese. I used the basic free version for 2 years as my constant reference for both summers in spent traveling in China and for language studies while on the bus, in a coffee shop, or listening to podcasts in Chinese. After adding the basic paid features package, I get even more out of Pleco. Particularly the document reader and flash card system are my most frequently used add-ons. It's great to just snap a picture and have instant access to just tap on a character and see the translation. Great for help with restaurant menus, short articles, and signage. It made 上海博物館 much more enjoyable. Finally, I'll add that I love that the Pleco team is constantly improving their app. The singular complaint that had sent me to other sources in the past was the lack of parts of speech, and the occasional lack of example sentences for some less common words; making it hard to understand without the sufficient context. With the newest update of the freely provided dictionary, parts of speech are being added with further example sentences! Pleco is easily the first choice of Chinese -English dictionary for any user at any price point. About me: Intermediate Chinese Level Primarily a self-studied learner with the great help of podcasts and apps like Pleco! Pleco user for more than 3 years (I think?)

   Frederick Twigg · 31 Jul 2026

2. 5/5The best. A must-have for the Sino学生

   I give this 10,000 stars. I began using the paid version of Pleco in college on a Palm Pilot over 15 years ago, just about as long as the app has been available, and I still study the language and continue to use this app. This app changes how quickly you can look up words, reducing the (sometimes futile) 10-minutes-long ordeal of looking up a single character in a paper dictionary, to instants. That function alone makes the app invaluable. Being able to see the radicals and their respective meanings is also supremely useful. Everything that has been added since is bonus — the reader, the etymology, the flashcards. Throughout the years I’ve encountered remarkably few bugs, and I have always been easily able to transfer my Pleco registration to every platform/smartphone I have used.

   Dialextic · 31 Jul 2026

3. 5/5Revolutionized my study of Chinese…again

   I read a lot of obscure texts, and Pleco makes all the difference. It helps me look up words fast, then quickly create flashcards to build new words into my vocabulary. The one thing I regret is that for the past few years I cheaped out on dictionaries, and didn’t buy many of them. My reasoning was that since I had paper versions of them, why buy the electronic versions? Big mistake. This month I bought the Grand Ricci, the Hanyu Da Cidian, the Chengyu dictionary—well, basically all of the big ones. I’m really glad I did. When you read a text, it finds complex compounds that you would never think to look up in a bigger dictionary. So, if you use Chinese in your profession, get Pleco and buy those dictionaries. Oh, here’s some dictionaries I wish it had: Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles; Brunnert and Hagelstrom, Present Day Political Organization of China. Update: still love it like crazy. I really also would still very much like to see Brunnert and Hagelstrom (which is in the public domain) and Hucker. Lately I've really gotten into working systematically with flash cards. It's a great feature!

   naktvwatcher · 31 Jul 2026

4. 5/5Best Chinese Dictionary App

   I have searched through dozens of apps to aid me in learning Mandarin. I have ended up using this app more than any other. In my opinion, it is the most comprehensive and well designed dictionary app I’ve been able to find. Three of my favorite features are, 1: The multiple explanations and definitions for each word, 2: The clipboard reader, where I can easily look up words in a long paragraph, 3: The add-on for character stroke order. Keep it up Pleco! Note to developer: For the most part I really like the design of the app. However, one thought I’d like to mention is that sometimes all the definitions for a word start to run together. Myself and others have noted that it could be helpful to have a graphical design hierarchy that makes it easier to differentiate the various definitions, especially when there are many. Thanks for the app!

   Codyfox117 · 31 Jul 2026

5. 5/5Best app I’ve ever purchased

   I bought the Basic Add-on Bundle about 3 years ago. I bought it while in China purely for the OCR reader, and didn’t give much thought to the other add-one. Since then, I’ve continued learning Mandarin in my free time and I’ve come to realize one thing; when I’m studying, this app is absolutely irreplaceable. Even when I’m studying using a completely different resource, I always have this app pulled up. Even when I’m not studying, I find myself pulling up the app at least a couple times per day. I have got so much use out of it that I have no doubt in mind that it was money well spent. I’ve used it for hours upon hours, for years, and for what? For a ONE TIME payment of like $30 or w/e? Wish I didn’t buy it just so I could go buy it again lol (jk, to be clear) I could go on and on about the numerous sweet functions, but I don’t want to write a novel. I do have to give the flash card add-on a special shout out, though. It’s much better than ANY dedicated flash card app (yes, including anki!) If you’re even remotely considering buying the full version of this, DO IT. I 100% guarantee you won’t regret it.

   JimothyTwoTeeth, MD · 31 Jul 2026

4.6 44242 ratings · Google Play

1. 5/5

   i fawcking love pleco like very much, my teacher recommended it to us 4 years ago and I'm still using it up until now. very very useful, helpful, and any words that you can describe this into, very student friendly since its free and such💖💖

   Precious Mansila · 31 Jul 2026

2. 4/5

   The only problem is that the app isn't totally user-friendly for dark theme users like me. When I use the Screen Reader/OCR with the app's dark them on, the buttons and text layers displayed are white. At the same time, if I enable the app's white theme, the layers and buttons turn black, just as I wanted but with the app's dark theme enabled.

   Carlos Henrique · 31 Jul 2026

3. 5/5

   So so useful! Easy to use. Highly recommend to use alongside your mandarin learning programme. would love a smarter test system upgrade where words i mark correct consistently, drop to the bottom of the list. Just an idea tho!

   Suzy Hyde · 31 Jul 2026

4. 5/5

   works great for my flash cards! the dictionary is also really good too

   Paul Norberg · 31 Jul 2026

5. 5/5

   amazing

   Henry Cofie · 31 Jul 2026

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