Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Chinese dictionary with handwriting, OCR, flashcards, audio, Cantonese, and more
- Total installs
- 7,425,751
- Installs / day
- —
- Rating
- 4.6★
- Released
- 25 Jan 2012
- Last update
- 21 May 2026
- Countries
- —
exact · Play shows 5,000,000+
measured after our second crawl (about a day)
44.3K ratings · 2.1K reviews
14.7y ago
5mo ago
not checked yet
Install history
exact counter from Google PlayInstalls per day · last 90 days
Change timeline
No changes recorded yet. We compare every crawl with the previous one and list title, icon, screenshots, description, version, price and availability changes here.
Country availability
Availability has not been checked for this app yet. “Check all countries” looks the app up in about 140 Google Play storefronts and shows where it is live, listed but not installable, or missing — plus any country-specific (custom) store listings.
Top countries
estimate · charts of 11 OctMost downloads likely come from 🇮🇩 Indonesia (~18%), out of 78 countries where it is charted.
Estimated from top-chart positions weighted by each country’s Google Play market size. Countries where the app is not in a chart are not shown, so small markets may be missing.
Top chart positions
as of 11 Oct| Chart | Country | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top free · Books & reference | KH | #9 | = |
| Trending · Books & reference | PL | #12 | ▲ 1 |
| Top free · Books & reference | VN | #17 | = |
| Top free · Books & reference | SG | #18 | = |
| Trending · Books & reference | IT | #27 | ▼ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MM | #29 | = |
| Top free · Books & reference | HK | #34 | ▼ 1 |
| Top free · Books & reference | TH | #40 | ▲ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | IT | #41 | ▼ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | PL | #43 | ▲ 1 |
| Top free · Books & reference | ID | #48 | = |
| Top free · Books & reference | KZ | #50 | ▲ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | RU | #51 | ▼ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | BE | #55 | ▲ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | NL | #55 | ▼ 2 |
| Top free · Books & reference | KG | #56 | ▼ 8 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MY | #57 | ▼ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | TW | #66 | ▼ 5 |
| Top free · Books & reference | FR | #68 | ▼ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | ES | #76 | ▼ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | AU | #78 | ▲ 5 |
| Top free · Books & reference | GB | #81 | ▲ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | PH | #91 | ▼ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | EG | #104 | ▼ 3 |
| Top free · Books & reference | CA | #106 | ▲ 5 |
| Top free · Books & reference | DE | #112 | ▼ 4 |
| Top free · Books & reference | JP | #113 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MO | #119 | ▼ 6 |
| Top free · Books & reference | CM · 10 Oct | #122 | — |
| Top free · Books & reference | BG | #123 | — |
| Top free · Books & reference | CY | #123 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | TJ | #123 | ▼ 20 |
| Top free · Books & reference | LU | #124 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MT | #124 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | HR | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | IE | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | IS | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | LT | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | LV | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | SI | #125 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | AL | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | DK | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | EE | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | FI | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | GW | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | LI | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | ME | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MN | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | SK | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | UY | #126 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | AG | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | AW | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | BH | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | BZ | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | CV | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | FJ | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | KW | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | LA | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | MU | #127 | ▼ 7 |
| Top free · Books & reference | NO | #127 | ▼ 7 |
Show all 60 chart positions
App manifest
Read this app's manifest from Google Play: permissions, declared SDKs, components and AdMob app ID. Saved analysis appears here automatically.
Data safety
declared by the developer on Google Play- No data shared with third parties
- Collects data Device or other IDs
- Data is encrypted in transit
- No way to ask for data deletion
- Follows the Play Families Policy
This is the developer's own declaration, summarised from the Play listing. The permissions below show what the app is technically able to access.
Permissions
15 in 6 groups6 Sensitive4 Notable5 Routine
What this app can do with your phone
- Use your camera to take photos and record videos
- Read photos, videos, and other files saved in your phone's shared storage
- Add, change or delete photos, videos and other files in your phone's storage
- Show its own windows or bubbles on top of other apps you are using
Photos/Media/FilesSensitive2
Access to photos, videos, music and other files stored on your device
- Read photos, videos, and other files saved in your phone's shared storageread the contents of your USB storage ·
READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE - Add, change or delete photos, videos and other files in your phone's storagemodify or delete the contents of your USB storage ·
WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
StorageSensitive2
Access to files, photos and media saved on your phone's storage
- Read photos, videos, and other files saved in your phone's shared storageread the contents of your USB storage ·
READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE - Add, change or delete photos, videos and other files in your phone's storagemodify or delete the contents of your USB storage ·
WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
CameraSensitive1
Access to your camera to take photos and record video
- Use your camera to take photos and record videostake pictures and videos ·
CAMERA
PhoneNotable1
Access to phone calls, call history, and voicemail
- See your phone number, device IDs, whether a call is active, and the other caller's numberread phone status and identity ·
READ_PHONE_STATE
Device ID & call informationNotable1
Access to your phone's identifiers, mobile network details, and call status
- See your phone number, device IDs, whether a call is active, and the other caller's numberread phone status and identity ·
READ_PHONE_STATE
OtherSensitive8
Access to miscellaneous device features that don't fit other categories
- Show its own windows or bubbles on top of other apps you are usingdraw over other apps ·
SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW - Start itself automatically as soon as your phone finishes turning onrun at startup ·
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED - Keep your phone's processor or screen from going to sleep, which can use more batteryprevent device from sleeping ·
WAKE_LOCK - Check whether you are online and whether you use Wi-Fi or mobile dataview network connections ·
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE - Connect to the internet to load content and send datafull network access ·
INTERNET - Make your phone vibratecontrol vibration ·
VIBRATE - Add shortcuts to your home screen without asking youinstall shortcuts ·
com.android.launcher.permission.INSTALL_SHORTCUT - Check with Google Play that you got this app legitimatelyGoogle Play license check ·
com.android.vending.CHECK_LICENSE
Sensitive = can reach personal data, location, camera/mic or act on your behalf. Notable = changes how your device behaves. Routine = normal for almost every app. Source: Google Play's permission list for all versions of this app.
Store listing
Full description
Pleco is the ultimate Chinese learning companion - an integrated Chinese English dictionary / document reader / flashcard system with fullscreen handwriting input and live camera-based character lookups, from a company with 17 years' experience making mobile Chinese learning software.
Major features: ($ = paid add-on)
• Great dictionaries: the free app comes with two dictionaries - CC-CEDICT and our in-house PLC dictionary - which together cover 130,000 Chinese words and include 20,000 example sentences with Pinyin. We offer 8 more free dictionaries as optional downloads, including a 22,000-entry Cantonese-English dictionary, and 19 other great dictionaries are available as paid upgrades. ($)
• Handwriting input: lookup unknown characters by drawing them, with a best-in-class recognition engine. (basic version free, enhanced version $)
• Live Optical Character Recognizer (OCR): look up Chinese words in the dictionary simply by pointing your device's camera at them, or by scrolling around a still image. ($)
• Screen Reader/OCR: instantly tap-lookup Chinese words in other apps through a floating interface; works on Android 4.1 and later. (reader free, OCR $)
• Flashcard System: create a card from any dictionary entry with a single button tap, import premade word lists, use advanced techniques like SRS (spaced repetition), and study in a variety of modes including fill-in-the-blanks and tone drills. (simple version free, full-featured $)
• Audio Pronunciation: instantly hear male + female native-speaker audio for Chinese dictionary headwords; recordings available for over 34,000 words. (stitched-syllable free, multi-syllable $) Or listen to example sentences with text-to-speech (system TTS free, enhanced $).
• Powerful search: look up words by Chinese characters, Pinyin (spaces/tones optional), or a combination, with support for wildcards and full-text search.
• Cross-referencing: tap on any Chinese character / word in any dictionary entry to bring up its definition.
• Stroke Order Diagrams: animations showing you how to draw each Chinese character; 500 in free app, 28,000 in paid add-on.
• Voice Recognition: look up words by speaking them into your device's microphone.
• Document Reader: open a Chinese-language text or PDF file and look up unknown words in the dictionary simply by tapping on them. ($) You can also look up characters on web pages through "Share" and in other documents through the clipboard. (free)
• PRC- and Taiwan-friendly: supports traditional and simplified characters (in dictionary definitions, stroke order, search, OCR, and handwriting), and supports Zhuyin (with ruby support) as well as Pinyin for pronunciation display.
• Cantonese: display headwords + perform searches in Jyutping/Yale romanization. We also offer Cantonese dictionary and Cantonese audio add-ons. (some $)
• No ads: we won't even nag you about buying add-ons.
We also offer excellent customer support - send us an email and see for yourself - and an active user community at plecoforums.com.
We've been making Chinese dictionary apps since 2000, and our sales and customer base have been steadily growing for 17 years across four different platforms. We take good care of our longtime users: people who bought a dictionary on a Palm Pilot in 2001 can still use that dictionary on a new Android phone in 2020 without even paying an upgrade fee.
Paid add-ons can be moved to a new device like any other paid app; just open our free app on your new device and they should reactivate.
If you already own Pleco on another OS, see pleco.com/android for migration options.
This app uses Accessibility services. (for our Screen Reader feature, which helps users to get by in Chinese-speaking regions without knowing Chinese)
Twitter/Facebook: plecosoft
What's new
• Added updated flashcards for the 2026 HSK 3.0 to Import/Export / Install Premade Cards; these also include about 100 custom definitions to help ensure that the important HSK-relevant senses are surfaced for every word. • Overhauled our 'experimental OCR' algorithm (Settings/OCR), making it much faster, better at detecting single-character rects, supporting it in live as well as still OCR, and adding an option to bring back the old green overlay interface when it's turned on. • Bug fixes.
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