Living in a country where you don’t speak the language is tough. Not being able to read and understand the language only makes matters worse. Fortunately, we live in an age where handsets are the new Swiss Army knives, able to navigate you through any jam. For smart phone users, there are a couple very useful apps that will help guide you through trouble and misunderstanding in China.
Hanping Chinese (Android)
Hanping Chinese is an offline English-Chinese dictionary that can help you search for words that you’e unfamiliar with, or want to say something in Chinese but don’t know how to say it. The app recognizes English, pinyin and hanzi (汉字; Chinese characters), simplified and traditional, and comes with definitions for each word. Another nice touch is that it displays appropriate classifiers for a given word (example: clothes/yi1fu/衣服/CL:件/jian1). There are even Chinese sayings and idioms to really impress your Chinese friends. Hanping is better than a pure translator because it puts words into context for you through definitions rather than a simple translation. This will really help you understand the word you searched for. The app is free and will help add to your Chinese vocabulary.
Google Pinyin IME (Android)
Your phone most likely doesn’t come with any input method. Google Pinyin IME is a free input method to help you type in hanzi and thus save you time. Consider it the mobile version to the keyboard input method found on computers. Depending what you type in your keyboard, the program predicts what characters you are trying to input, listing possible candidates while you’re trying to typing. Once you recognize the character you want, just tap that candidate and it will appear on your text as hanzi. For example, type in woaini (I love you) and “我爱你” will appear as a possible candidate. What’s great about Google Pinyin IME is that it’s integrated with the digital keyboard, meaning you can seamlessly switch it on and off with a simple tap of a button. With its more recent update, Google Pinyin IME offers character handwriting input, making it one of the most complete apps to aid your Chinese. Assuming you have a fair level of pinyin understanding and hanzi recognition, this program will make help you type, or write Chinese at a much higher speed and efficiency.
Pleco Chinese Dictionary (Android, iPhone)
Pleco has been an available app for a long time for iPhone users and has recently made its way to Google Play Store. Similar to Hanping, this app acts as a comprehensive offline Chinese-English dictionary. The app gives you context to a word, providing example sentences to help you fully understand how to use it. Pleco allows you to read, write and speak Chinese to get a translation. Other neat features is a flash card testing system to help you remember those hard to learn words. Something that sets Pleco apart from Hanping is its ability to add add-on’s, paid and free, to further aid your Chinese knowledge. One notable add-on is Pleco’s Optical Character Recognizer, allowing you to instantly look up Chinese using your camera. This can be especially useful when you don’t understand a sign in public. Please take note though, because you will not be able to make purchases while in China via Android.
Google Maps (Android, iPhone)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten lost in Beijing only to be saved by Google. Though this app is not China-centric in any way, Google Maps has gotten me out of late-night jams better than any method I can think of. The app points out your location via GPS and gives you surrounding information like the closest bus stop or subway station. If you’re planning to go somewhere new, just type in the destination and Maps will tell you how to get there the fastest way possible. If you choose to go places by public transportation, Maps will give you all the possible transit routes to take at that exact time, including estimated time of arrival. Also included are walking and bike routes. One thing to note though, is that because your location is in China, all the signs on Maps will show up in hanzi rather than English, so knowing how to type pinyin is important.
For foreigners who have limited or no knowledge of Chinese, these apps can save a lot of time and frustration. Combine Hanping and Google Pinyin together and you already have a starting foundation to learn Chinese. Google Maps can be a convenient guide if you get lost or you are in unfamiliar territory. Do yourself a favor and download these apps to make your life in China a lot easier.
Koombah 