<p>There are several ways to look up characters without knowing their pronunciation.</p>

<ul>
<li>In <strong>printed dictionaries</strong>, you need to identify the character's <strong>radical</strong> (or at least one of the character's radical components), consult the dictionary's radical index (where characters with that radical will be ordered by <strong>number of strokes</strong>) and thus find the character's pronunciation. You can then look up the character in the normal way, i.e. by pinyin. (Some dictionaries also offer other ways to look up characters, but this example should be sufficient.)</li>
<li>Since this way of looking up characters is slow and frustrating (see e.g. <a href="http://failbluedot.com/looking-up-a-chinese-character" rel="nofollow">Yes, it really can take a year to learn how to look up a Chinese character</a>), there are <strong>digital alternatives</strong>:

<ul>
<li>Looking up the character through its <strong>radicals</strong> in a <strong>digital/online dictionary</strong> such as <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=radicals" rel="nofollow">MDBG</a>. </li>
<li>Looking up the character in an online dictionary that supports <strong>handwriting recognition</strong> (e.g. <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=chardict" rel="nofollow">MDBG</a>: click on the paintbrush button) or an app. There are several apps that support handwriting input. See for example <a href="http://www.pleco.com/products/pleco-for-android/" rel="nofollow">Pleco</a>, <a href="http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/chinese-characters-handwriting-recognition-iphone-ipad/" rel="nofollow">How to use Chinese handwriting recognition on the iPhone/iPad</a> and <a href="http://appcrawlr.com/android-apps/best-apps-chinese-handwriting" rel="nofollow">Best Android apps for Chinese handwriting</a>. </li>
<li>There are also apps that support character recognition based on <strong>optical character recognition (OCR)</strong>.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-26T17:20:29.117Z
2016-10-26T17:20:29.117Z
Tsundoku
<p>I suggest using an third-party IME with on-screen touchpad or stroke input.</p>
<p>A good Chinese learner should choose a better IME instead of built-in IME on Windows/Mac.</p>
<p>There are many IMEs that could meet your demand, like Sogou IME, Baidu IME and more.</p>
<p>Here I am taking Sogou IME (搜狗输入法) as an example:</p>
<ul>
<li>Right-click on floating indicator, choose <code>搜狗工具箱(O)</code>to open Sogou IME Toolbox.</li>
<li>Click <code>手写输入</code>to open on-screen handwriting touchpad, write the character that you don't understand, then there it is.</li>
<li>Default mode is <code>单字手写</code> (Single-Character Mode). Click <code>长句手写</code> to switch to Multiple-Character Mode.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mTDLu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mTDLu.jpg" alt="手写输入 window" /></a></p>
<p>Or if you find this method too easy for you, you may try stroke mode:</p>
<ul>
<li>type <code>U</code> to activate stroke mode, and use <code>h, s, p, n, z</code> in replace of five main stroke:<code>一</code>「横(heng2)」，<code>丨</code>「竖(shu4)」，<code>丿</code>「撇(pie3)」，<code>丶</code>「捺(na4)」or「点(dian3)」，<code>乛</code>折(zhe2)</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>Notice: this method requires you to &quot;write&quot; the desired character in right order.</p>
<p>For example: if you want to know how 「汉」 pronounces, you should type: <code>u </code> then type <code>ddhzn</code> .</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/RVjHz.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/RVjHz.jpg" alt="笔画输入 Mode" /></a></p>
<p>If you don't follow the order how a character should be written, you won't get the caracter you want.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-28T05:34:42.523Z
2016-11-28T05:34:42.523Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Travis Hu
<p>Yeah, I agree with Strobbe 先生， a great app for that is HanpingPro Reader. Point your mobile at a line of text, the red line over the part you want, it focusses and click! You have the Chinese text with translation. Great when reading!</p>

<p>ce.linedict.com has a great 'draw the character' window, better than other sites I've tried. Next to the input box at the top is a kind of paintbrush symbol. Click it and the window appears. Draw!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-27T00:01:47.890Z
2016-10-27T00:01:47.890Z
Gangosa
<p>1.use &quot;www.baidu.com&quot;, just search one single character
2.download &quot;有道翻译&quot;(you dao fan yi)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-28T13:33:33.523Z
2020-09-28T13:33:33.523Z
郑学习Johnny
<p>I am currently limited and slowed down in my progress learning Chinese, that some times I read a text from my textbook and cannot identify a character, because I don't know its pronunciation. I don't know its pronunciation and thus can't look it up.
Now there are several ways to bypass that circumstance, however there is yet no neat or fast way to get to its pinyin and translation.</p>
<p>Ideally there were a tool as Google's translate for Android, that also simplified the identification process and made it exportable (as PDF).</p>
<p>Is there already a tool for that? Otherwise I would write a tool or later an application that translates any Chinese texts from images, documents etc. and automatically stores it as a PDF somewhere, either on a hard drive or uploads it to a cloud.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-26T18:34:55.843Z
Four-Corner Method  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-Corner_Method  http://zhongguosou.com/zonghe/sijiaohaomashuru.aspx
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-27T01:33:37.393Z
Can you confirm, are you wanting to convert Chinese text to pinyin? Your question isn't clear. You want a tool that translates an image of text into what? English, pinyin? Also, your aim is not clear, your problem of being slow to identify characters is solved by Google's Translate app, it provides a translation and pinyin in instant.
going
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-27T12:43:36.337Z
@xiaohouzi79, google's translate app creates no exportable text.
Imago
<translation><learning><software>
What tool allows a fast translation from Chinese that is both scaleable and exportable?
# What tool allows a fast translation from Chinese that is both scaleable and exportable?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-26)

I am currently limited and slowed down in my progress learning Chinese, that some times I read a text from my textbook and cannot identify a character, because I don't know its pronunciation. I don't know its pronunciation and thus can't look it up.
Now there are several ways to bypass that circumstance, however there is yet no neat or fast way to get to its pinyin and translation.

Ideally there were a tool as Google's translate for Android, that also simplified the identification process and made it exportable (as PDF).

Is there already a tool for that? Otherwise I would write a tool or later an application that translates any Chinese texts from images, documents etc. and automatically stores it as a PDF somewhere, either on a hard drive or uploads it to a cloud.

**Tags:** translation, learning, software

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Four-Corner Method  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-Corner_Method  http://zhongguosou.com/zonghe/sijiaohaomashuru.aspx  
> **username_2**: Can you confirm, are you wanting to convert Chinese text to pinyin? Your question isn't clear. You want a tool that translates an image of text into what? English, pinyin? Also, your aim is not clear, your problem of being slow to identify characters is solved by Google's Translate app, it provides a translation and pinyin in instant.  
> **username_0**: @xiaohouzi79, google's translate app creates no exportable text.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-10-26. Score: 3

There are several ways to look up characters without knowing their pronunciation.

* In **printed dictionaries**, you need to identify the character's **radical** (or at least one of the character's radical components), consult the dictionary's radical index (where characters with that radical will be ordered by **number of strokes**) and thus find the character's pronunciation. You can then look up the character in the normal way, i.e. by pinyin. (Some dictionaries also offer other ways to look up characters, but this example should be sufficient.)
* Since this way of looking up characters is slow and frustrating (see e.g. [Yes, it really can take a year to learn how to look up a Chinese character](http://failbluedot.com/looking-up-a-chinese-character)), there are **digital alternatives**:
  + Looking up the character through its **radicals** in a **digital/online dictionary** such as [MDBG](https://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=radicals).
  + Looking up the character in an online dictionary that supports **handwriting recognition** (e.g. [MDBG](https://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=chardict): click on the paintbrush button) or an app. There are several apps that support handwriting input. See for example [Pleco](http://www.pleco.com/products/pleco-for-android/), [How to use Chinese handwriting recognition on the iPhone/iPad](http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/chinese-characters-handwriting-recognition-iphone-ipad/) and [Best Android apps for Chinese handwriting](http://appcrawlr.com/android-apps/best-apps-chinese-handwriting).
  + There are also apps that support character recognition based on **optical character recognition (OCR)**.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2016-11-28. Score: 1

I suggest using an third-party IME with on-screen touchpad or stroke input.

A good Chinese learner should choose a better IME instead of built-in IME on Windows/Mac.

There are many IMEs that could meet your demand, like Sogou IME, Baidu IME and more.

Here I am taking Sogou IME (搜狗输入法) as an example:

* Right-click on floating indicator, choose `搜狗工具箱(O)`to open Sogou IME Toolbox.
* Click `手写输入`to open on-screen handwriting touchpad, write the character that you don't understand, then there it is.
* Default mode is `单字手写` (Single-Character Mode). Click `长句手写` to switch to Multiple-Character Mode.

[![手写输入 window](https://i.sstatic.net/mTDLu.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/mTDLu.jpg)

Or if you find this method too easy for you, you may try stroke mode:

* type `U` to activate stroke mode, and use `h, s, p, n, z` in replace of five main stroke:`一`「横(heng2)」，`丨`「竖(shu4)」，`丿`「撇(pie3)」，`丶`「捺(na4)」or「点(dian3)」，`乛`折(zhe2)

> Notice: this method requires you to "write" the desired character in right order.
>
> For example: if you want to know how 「汉」 pronounces, you should type: `u`  then type `ddhzn` .
>
> [![笔画输入 Mode](https://i.sstatic.net/RVjHz.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/RVjHz.jpg)
>
> If you don't follow the order how a character should be written, you won't get the caracter you want.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2016-10-27. Score: 0

Yeah, I agree with Strobbe 先生， a great app for that is HanpingPro Reader. Point your mobile at a line of text, the red line over the part you want, it focusses and click! You have the Chinese text with translation. Great when reading!

ce.linedict.com has a great 'draw the character' window, better than other sites I've tried. Next to the input box at the top is a kind of paintbrush symbol. Click it and the window appears. Draw!


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-09-28. Score: -1

1.use "www.baidu.com", just search one single character
2.download "有道翻译"(you dao fan yi)


---

