Because they can provide structured guidance, correct mistakes in real-time and tailor lessons for your specific needs, learning a new language with a teacher is an obvious effective approach. Then again, studying independently is equally important for reinforcing what you learn and expanding your vocabulary.

ChinaScribe is a tool designed to assist anyone who wants to learn Chinese and could be useful in your self-study routine.

The interface is not exactly flashy, but gets the job done and can be considered typical for a digital dictionary. On the left, there is a search bar where you can type in a word, and you’ll get suggestions right below it.

You can check out more details about the word, such as Pinyin pronunciation, Chinese character and English definition in the main display area. You can also add the French and German definition translations, if you enable the extra dictionaries from the Settings.

The app can display 2 dictionaries maximum at the same time, so if you have a particular language in mind for translation, add it and then simply use the Move Up function so the app accounts for it.

Unlike a traditional dictionary, the app doesn’t just tell you what words mean. It also shows how Chinese characters are formed, so you can see the smaller parts that make up each character.

The app gives you the pronunciation in Pinyin, the way of writing Chinese sounds using letters, so you can say them properly. The app also can play audio, so you can find out how to pronounce the words in Mandarin and Cantonese.
ChinaScribe works with Microsoft Word, so if you want to write documents you can use it to correct characters or do the formatting.

ChinaScribe is part of these download collections: Write Chinese Characters