The Chinese alphabet is comprised of symbols also known as characters that are used to represent each word. At first it seems impossible to master Chinese and its thousands of characters but the right Chinese dictionary make the journey less painful and more possible.

Being good at languages is often a misconception that new learners have. Most people who struggle with learning a language simply haven’t been shown what a good learning process is and how to fit it into their current lifestyle. This is something that WCC (WrittenChinese.Com) strives to teach Chinese learners.

This Chinese dictionary toolkit is packed with a wealth of free tools for beginners up through advanced students. It is a must-have app to go along with any Chinese learning course. Here are some of its many great functions:

- Point your camera at a Chinese character to instantly translate it or to get the pinyin
- Create your own flashcards with one tap
- Hear a natural pronunciation of each word
- Watch animations for how to write any Chinese character
- Study the pre-loaded HSK 1-6 vocabulary (this is for earning a certificate in Chinese proficiency)
- Review example sentences to understand how the word works in a sentence
- Break any Chinese character into its radicals with their meanings
- Get free stories from the Easy Reading Chinese Library
- Choose to study simplified or traditional characters Mandarin or Cantonese
- Use all the functions of the WCC Chinese Dictionary without relying on an internet connection

Many people are visual learners which is why so many hit a roadblock when studying Chinese. Many students tell themselves that they just want to speak Chinese and they don’t bother with the written language. Due to the fact that Mandarin has many words which sound exactly alike (including the tone!) it becomes increasingly difficult to retain new vocabulary as their learning progresses.

Only memorizing the sound of a word will result in missing an opportunity to let your natural learning style store it visually. It will also cut in half your exposure to the language and make learning slower. This is why as learners ourselves we firmly believe in not giving up on learning how to write.

As the old Chinese proverb goes 千里之行﹐始于足下 (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step).

Start today and begin building your vocabulary.

Happy studying!
Nora and Hollie from the Written Chinese Team