Pinyin Reader is a Chinese language learning tool that adds pinyin annotations to web pages. It features a built-in browser, reader mode, listening mode, vocabulary management, sentence collection, notes, and pronunciation practice with shadowing and scoring.
Q: Do I need to create an account?
A: No. Pinyin Reader works entirely offline and does not require any account registration.
Q: Is my data stored on a server?
A: No. All your data (bookmarks, vocabulary, notes, settings) is stored locally on your device only. We do not operate any servers.
Q: Does the app contain ads?
A: No. Pinyin Reader is ad-free and does not include any advertising SDKs.
Q: How do I toggle pinyin display?
A: Tap the pinyin button in the toolbar to turn pinyin on or off. To switch between tonal and toneless pinyin, go to Settings > Pinyin Settings.
Q: How do I enter Reader Mode?
A: Tap the reader mode icon in the bottom toolbar when viewing a web page. The app will extract the article content and display it in a clean reading view.
Q: Some pages cannot enter Reader Mode. Why?
A: Not all web pages are suitable for reader mode. Pages with complex layouts, heavy JavaScript, or no main article content may not be parseable. You can try “Force Enter” to attempt it anyway.
Q: How do I look up a word?
A: In reader mode, enable “Pronunciation” or “Definition” in the bottom toolbar, then tap any Chinese character to see its pinyin and hear its pronunciation. When “Definition” is enabled, a dictionary panel shows detailed definitions from the built-in CC-CEDICT dictionary.
Q: What is Listening Mode?
A: In reader mode, switch to the Listening tab to hear the article read aloud sentence by sentence. The current sentence is highlighted as it plays.
Q: How do I control playback speed?
A: Use the speed selector to adjust playback from 0.4x to 2.0x. You can also use play/pause and previous/next sentence controls.
Q: The TTS voice sounds unnatural. How can I improve it?
A: TTS voice quality depends on your device’s system TTS engine. For better quality:
Q: The microphone is not working. What should I do?
A: Make sure you have granted both microphone and speech recognition permissions to the app. Go to your device’s Settings > Pinyin Reader, and ensure Microphone and Speech Recognition are enabled.
Q: How does shadowing practice work?
A: In the listening player, tap the mic icon to start shadowing. Listen to the reference audio, then record your reading. The app scores your pronunciation, tone accuracy, fluency, and completeness. You can play back your recording to compare with the original.
Q: How accurate is the pronunciation scoring?
A: Pronunciation scoring uses the device’s built-in speech recognition and a local phonological analysis model. It is intended as a reference tool and may not be 100% accurate. We recommend using the playback feature to compare your pronunciation with the reference audio.
Q: Does the app send my voice to a server?
A: No. The app uses the device’s built-in speech recognition engine with on-device (offline) recognition enforced on both iOS and Android. Your audio is processed entirely on your device and is never sent to any cloud service or third-party server.
Q: What is the Archive?
A: The Archive tab lists all pages with saved knowledge points (vocabulary, sentences, notes). You can search, sort, and manage your saved content across all pages.
Q: How do I practice vocabulary and sentences?
A: Go to the Practice tab. It has two sections — Vocabulary and Sentences — grouped by source page. You can start Listening Practice (TTS player with speed control) or Flashcard Practice (flip to reveal, mark known/unknown).
Q: How do I collect sentences?
A: In listening mode, tap the heart icon next to any sentence. In reading mode, tap a sentence to see a floating toolbar with collect, play, note, and copy actions.
Q: How do I add notes?
A: Tap the pencil icon in the floating toolbar to add a note to a word or sentence. Each note supports a color tag (pink, yellow, green, blue) for organization. View all notes in the page knowledge panel.
Q: How do I delete my data?
A: Go to Settings > Clear Data to clear browsing history, bookmarks, and search history. Use Settings > Clear Archive to clear saved vocabulary, sentences, and notes. Alternatively, uninstalling the app removes all data.
Q: Can I back up my data?
A: Currently, the app does not support cloud backup. All data is stored locally on your device.
If you have questions, feedback, or need assistance, please reach out to us:
We typically respond within 2 business days.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for information about how we handle your data.