Pinyin Reader

Pinyin from our own on-device model, decided in context. Web pages and PDFs, dictionary, read-aloud, translation.

Pinyin Reader — Chinese web pages and PDFs, with pinyin our own on-device model decides character by character Our own on-device neural model decides every reading from the whole sentence — tone sandhi, neutral tones, polyphones, names — with no dictionary lookup. About 66% fewer polyphone errors than the dictionary engine we shipped before, measured on a public 10,254-sentence benchmark the model never trained on. Stop breaking your reading flow to check pronunciation and meaning. Pinyin Reader combines pinyin annotation, hover dictionary, karaoke TTS, sentence-by-sentence navigation, reading analysis, and FSRS spaced-repetition review in one workflow — with 8 exercise types for lasting vocabulary retention. Built for HSK exam prep, university Chinese courses, academic papers, technical docs, news, and original books. ✨ Key Features: • Our own on-device neural model decides every reading from the whole sentence — tone sandhi, neutral tones, polyphones, names — with no dictionary lookup • About 66% fewer polyphone errors than the dictionary engine we shipped before, measured on a public 10,254-sentence benchmark the model never trained on • Automatically detects Chinese characters on any page and puts the pinyin above them • Whole-page Pinyin mode — every pronunciation at once, with or without tone marks • Hover tooltip with pronunciation and a speak button, or switch it to pinyin only • Hover dictionary supports multiple meanings and 8 definition languages (EN/JA/KO/VI/FR/DE/ZH/繁中) • Select text to read aloud with karaoke-style word highlighting • Instant translation of selected text (Bing & Google Translate) • Sentence mode, reading analysis and focus mode for working through a long article • Learning book with FSRS spaced repetition, 8 exercise types and CSV/JSON export • Support for CJK Extension A and compatibility characters • Built-in PDF Reader — and any online PDF you open arrives already annotated 🔊 Text-to-Speech: • Single character - click the speaker button to hear pronunciation • Selection speech - select text, click floating toolbar or use Alt+Shift+S • Karaoke effect - words highlight one by one as they are spoken • Adjustable speech rate for sentence reading practice 🌐 Translation: • Select any text and click translate button or press Alt+Shift+T • Supports Bing Translate and Google Translate engines • 108 target languages available • Inline translation bubble with copy button ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts: • Alt+Shift+P - Toggle Pinyin annotations on/off • Alt+Shift+S - Speak selected text • Alt+Shift+T - Translate selected text 📄 PDF Reader: • Built-in PDF viewer that annotates every Chinese character with the same on-device model • Auto-intercept online PDFs — open any PDF in the browser and it arrives annotated • Click any character for instant dictionary lookup (CC-CEDICT with 114K entries) • Web pages and the PDF Reader share the same definition language setting • Show or hide Pinyin annotations with the toolbar toggle • Search by Chinese text or Pinyin (type "tianqi" to find "天气") • Sidebar with table of contents, thumbnails, and page navigation • 3 themes: dark, light, sepia • Drag & drop local PDF files or paste URLs ⚙️ More Settings: • Site control — run everywhere except a disabled list, or only on an allowed list • Wildcards such as *.example.com, and every host covers its own subdomains • Turn the right-click menu on or off • Export every setting to a JSON file and import it on another computer • Reset everything to defaults in one click • Shortcut panel showing your current key bindings, plus version and changelog 📚 Perfect for: • HSK and TOCFL candidates building vocabulary out of real articles • University Chinese courses — previewing a text before class, reviewing after • Reading Chinese news, blogs and original books without a dictionary tab open • Academic papers and technical documentation that arrive as PDFs • Pronunciation and shadowing practice, including the tone changes a dictionary cannot give you 🔒 Privacy: No account, no tracking, no data collection. The pinyin model, the dictionary and your learning data all stay on your device; only the text you ask to translate is sent to Bing or Google. Add Pinyin Reader, open any Chinese page, and start reading — nothing to sign up for, nothing to configure.