Electronic Chinese Dictionary vs Online/Apps for Chinese 'super' Dictionary like PLECO and NCIKU

I don't know about you but I'm hopeless and helpless when my boys ask for my help with their Chinese. I am good in spoken Cantonese but I am as good as illiterate when it comes to reading and writing Chinese.

In one of my previous posts some time ago, I mentioned about an online Chinese dictionary called NCIKU that is very useful for people like me. Besides the usual look-up, I can use the mouse and 'draw' out the character on the space provided. NCIKU will then try to match with the characters in their base. Once I find the right character, I can just click on it and the han yu pin yin and meaning will be displayed. There is an option for the computer to pronounce the character as well. Very useful! Check it out at www.nciku.com. It was a lifesaver when my son was desperately trying to do his Chinese homework one of those days. It took a long time but I was able to help my son. That's what counts... at least during emergency.

Nowadays, technology has made it simpler for us what with smart phones and tablets and then, the creation of apps. Recently, my friend told me to try out an app called PLECO. I googled it up and found some postings saying that PLECO is the best Chinese dictionary around. Here is a demo on one of the coolest functions.

Basically, all you need to do is activate the camera function on the PLECO app, then point your iPhone or iPad or Samsung Galaxy over some Chinese characters and PLECO will search for a match in the base for the same word!! Then out comes the meaning of the character etc etc!

Only the basic PLECO dictionary is FREE. The rest of the add-ons like the above feature they call the OCR and all others are PAID upgrades. However, they have the demo versions which are FREE and they encourage us to try it out before we purchase the full version. That's good enough as I have downloaded it all to my Samsung tab. Let me tell you what it can do. Besides that cool stuff that I have just shown you, we can 'write' the character on the tab and a match will be searched. There are add-ons to have the app pronounce the character for you. Also, we can even 'speak out' the character to the mic on your device and it will then search for the app. I have yet to test out this last feature properly. Few times I did it, I was doing it in a noisy environment. Didn't work.  Lastly, it can help create flash cards for learning. Haven't done that either. Despite all these, I'm truly amazed at what the world has advanced to. What used to be conventional thick books of dictionaries during my school days have now come to this stage. But I love it!!!!

 

Actually, I was on the verge of getting an electronic Chinese dictionary for my son as advised by my son's teachers and some parents. They said it will help him with his Chinese. I went to Popular and found that the cheapest and most basic one costs more than RM800!! And the reasonably good ones are way above RM1000!! And to get for my kids and KNOWING that what goes to them wouldn't last, it will be most painful to me. I didn't get one then and was still considering. Just as well! 

Comparing, if I really have to pay for a full fledge PLECO. Well, there is no need to have the full full fledge ones as the advanced bundles are meant for adults and professionals. All we need is Pleco Basic Bundle US$34.99 which comes with the dictionary, full screen handwriting, doc (online) reader, flashcard system, stroke order diagram and audio pronunciation both male and female. And if we want the OCR, it is another US$11.99. I guess we don't need the one that lets us speak into it for the app to search. In the first place, I have to know how to speak it out first which I don't. All in all, it wouldn't cost even near to RM800 --- just a very affordable, very worth-it... RM143 !!! And it is just as handy, plus plus plus!!!

I haven't bought the full fledge version yet. Thought I will see if the demo version suffice. So far so good. 

With NCIKU, the app only comes with the basic dictionary. They don't have the full screen handwriting yet ... unless I miss it out. So, here it is.. something to share.

The wonders of apps and devices!