Chinese Dictionaries in Print

★ A highly recommended comprehensive Chinese-English dictionary, especially for serious intermediate and advanced learners. The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary, edited by John DeFrancis, is a paid reference dictionary with nearly 200,000 entries and extensive coverage of modern Chinese vocabulary. Entries include pinyin, simplified and traditional characters, definitions and usage information, with words arranged alphabetically by pinyin for especially fast lookup when you know the pronunciation. Its breadth makes it particularly useful for intermediate and advanced learners, although the large 1,464-page print edition is better suited to desk use than carrying around. Available in print from University of Hawaiʻi Press, as a digital edition and as a paid Pleco add-on on Android and iOS. Print editions are also available through other retailers.

★ A learner-friendly reference for mastering 3,000 essential Chinese characters with pronunciation, stroke order and English definitions. The Far East 3000 Chinese Character Dictionary 遠東漢字三千字典 is a print reference designed for Chinese learners, with entries covering traditional and simplified forms, Hanyu Pinyin, Zhuyin, radicals, stroke counts, stroke-by-stroke writing diagrams, English definitions, phrases and idioms. The traditional 2nd edition includes more than 14,000 phrases and idioms and offers indexes for pinyin, zhuyin, radicals, stroke count and character frequency. Available in traditional and simplified. Print editions are also available through other retailers.

★ A compact, up-to-date two-way dictionary with broad HSK coverage and more than 48,000 entries. This 2025 edition is designed for English-speaking learners, with Chinese-English and English-Chinese coverage, pinyin throughout, more than 48,000 words and expressions and over 5,000 example sentences. It includes vocabulary across all HSK levels along with modern terms from business, technology, sports and media. Learners also get guidance on pronunciation, tones and grammar, plus measure words, idiomatic expressions, common character components, and radical and stroke-order indexes. Available in print from Tuttle Publishing and other booksellers. 

★ A learner-friendly reference with 5,000+ headwords, pinyin, example sentences, and helpful usage notes. Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary is designed for elementary to intermediate learners and includes simplified characters, traditional forms for main headwords, pinyin, English definitions, more than 3,500 example sentences, and notes on grammar, culture, word formation and usage. Its vocabulary includes the 3,051 words from the older HSK Levels A and B, so the HSK labeling does not correspond to the current HSK system. Available as a paperback from Tuttle Publishing and as a Google Play ebook. Print editions are also available at other retailers.

★ One of the most authoritative monolingual references for standard modern Chinese. 现代汉语词典 Xiàndài Hànyǔ Cídiǎn, published by The Commercial Press and compiled by the Institute of Linguistics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is a Chinese-Chinese dictionary focused on standard Mandarin vocabulary, pronunciation, meanings and usage. The current 7th edition contains around 70,000 entries, while the official app adds standard pronunciation audio, synonyms and antonyms, stroke-order animations and additional search tools. Because definitions are primarily in Chinese, it is best suited to intermediate and advanced learners who are ready to use a monolingual dictionary. The official app is free to download with in-app purchases. Available on iOS. Print editions are also available through other retailers.

★ A highly authoritative Chinese dictionary for checking standard character forms, pronunciation, meanings and usage. 新华字典 Xinhua Zidian is one of China’s best-known reference dictionaries and is published by the Commercial Press (商务印书馆). The current 13th edition contains more than 13,000 characters and provides pinyin, definitions, example usage, radicals, stroke information and other reference material. The digital version adds standard audio pronunciation, stroke-order animations, handwriting, camera and voice lookup and other study tools. The dictionary is primarily Chinese-Chinese, so it is best suited to learners who can already read some Chinese. The official app is free to download with optional paid membership and in-app features. Available on iOS. Print editions are also available through other retailers.