Safari Extensions for Chinese Language Learners
Safari extensions can make it easier to read, translate, and study Chinese while browsing the web. These tools can add features such as popup dictionaries, pinyin, bilingual translations, vocabulary support, and subtitle tools directly in Safari. Options are more limited than in Chrome, but the extensions below are among the most useful choices currently available for Chinese learners on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Dual Subtitles
★ Adds Pinyin or Zhuyin, word separation, and dictionary tools directly to Chinese webpages in Safari. CWS: Chinese Dictionary + Pinyin Annotator is a paid Safari extension for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that annotates Chinese webpages with customizable Pinyin or Zhuyin, separates text into words, and provides popup dictionary lookups, text-to-speech, vocabulary tracking, sentence mining, and tone or HSK color-coding. Learn more on their website or get the Safari extension from the US App Store. A free version is also available from the Chrome Web Store.
Paid / Free Chrome Extension Available
★ Displays original and translated text together for easier bilingual reading. Immersive Translate is a Safari extension that translates webpages while keeping the original text visible, making it useful for Chinese learners who want to read authentic content with translation support. It also supports hover translation, bilingual subtitles, PDFs and other documents. The core service is free with usage limits, with optional paid plans for higher limits and advanced AI translation models. Learn more on their website. Available for Safari on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Free / Paid
★ Instantly look up Chinese words in Safari without leaving the webpage. LingLook is a free, open-source Safari extension for Mac, iPhone, and iPad that displays definitions, pinyin or Zhuyin, HSK and TOCFL levels, and detailed character information as you browse. It supports simplified and traditional Chinese and includes stroke-order animations, frequency and radical information, word copying, and Google Images search. Learn more and view the source code on GitHub. Available for Safari on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Free
★ Turn videos and webpages into interactive language-learning material with bilingual translation and study tools. Trancy is a language-learning browser extension and app that adds bilingual subtitles to videos on sites such as YouTube and Netflix, translates webpages, and provides tools for looking up and saving words, analyzing sentences, practicing listening and speaking, and reviewing vocabulary. A free plan includes its core translation and subtitle features, while paid plans add advanced AI tools, expanded vocabulary features, pronunciation evaluation, PDF translation, and more. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
See our Trancy tutorial on YouTube to learn how to use it. We get a small commission if you buy a Trancy subscription through our links, at no extra cost to you.
