About ChineseWord
ChineseWord is a free daily Chinese word learning tool that delivers one carefully selected word per day with full pronunciation, examples, and visual aids. Unlike most Chinese learning platforms, ChineseWord has no paid plans, no advertisements, and no account required. It is a solo project built by a Chinese language enthusiast who wanted to create the tool they wish they had when learning Chinese.
Where Does the Data Come From?
ChineseWord is built on CC-CEDICT, the most comprehensive open-source Chinese-English dictionary available, containing over 124,000 entries. Every word in our database is graded by real-world frequency using two independent systems:
HSK 3.0 — The official Chinese proficiency test standard used by universities and employers worldwide, covering levels 1 through 9.
SUBTLEX-CH — A corpus of over 50 million Chinese words from film subtitles and television shows, ensuring our frequency rankings reflect words people actually encounter in daily life.
This dual-grading approach produces a vocabulary pool of approximately 6,740 high-utility words (Tier A: 1,142 must-know words and Tier B: 5,598 frequently used words), from which our daily word is selected.
HSK 3.0 — The official Chinese proficiency test standard used by universities and employers worldwide, covering levels 1 through 9.
SUBTLEX-CH — A corpus of over 50 million Chinese words from film subtitles and television shows, ensuring our frequency rankings reflect words people actually encounter in daily life.
This dual-grading approach produces a vocabulary pool of approximately 6,740 high-utility words (Tier A: 1,142 must-know words and Tier B: 5,598 frequently used words), from which our daily word is selected.
Features
- Daily Word — A new Chinese word every day with pinyin, definition, and real-world example sentences
- Mandarin & Cantonese Audio — Every word includes pronunciation in both standard Mandarin and Cantonese via browser SpeechSynthesis
- Stroke Order Animations — Animated character writing guides for both simplified and traditional forms
- HSK Level Tracking — All words tagged with their official HSK 3.0 level from 1 to 7+
- Full Dictionary — Searchable dictionary with 4,700+ graded words, supporting Chinese, pinyin, and English queries
- Email Subscription — Optional daily email delivery with one-click unsubscribe
- Calendar — Browse the last 30 days of daily words to review and catch up
Who Is This For?
ChineseWord is designed for learners at every stage:
Absolute beginners who want a gentle, daily introduction to Chinese vocabulary without being overwhelmed
HSK exam candidates preparing for any level from HSK 1 to HSK 7, who need structured, graded vocabulary practice
Intermediate learners looking to fill gaps in their vocabulary with high-frequency words they encounter in real conversations
travelers and expats heading to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Singapore who need practical, everyday vocabulary with both Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciation
Absolute beginners who want a gentle, daily introduction to Chinese vocabulary without being overwhelmed
HSK exam candidates preparing for any level from HSK 1 to HSK 7, who need structured, graded vocabulary practice
Intermediate learners looking to fill gaps in their vocabulary with high-frequency words they encounter in real conversations
travelers and expats heading to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Singapore who need practical, everyday vocabulary with both Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciation
Why Choose ChineseWord?
Truly free — No premium tiers, no locked features, no ads. Everything on ChineseWord is accessible to everyone.
Data-driven grading — Our word selection is based on real frequency data, not arbitrary lists. You learn the words that matter.
Cantonese support — Rare among Chinese learning tools. Every word includes Cantonese pronunciation, essential for learners heading to Hong Kong or southern China.
Privacy-first — No account required to use the dictionary or daily word. Email subscriptions are optional and can be cancelled with one click.
Open-source data — Built on CC-CEDICT, a community-maintained dictionary that has been openly available since 2006.
Data-driven grading — Our word selection is based on real frequency data, not arbitrary lists. You learn the words that matter.
Cantonese support — Rare among Chinese learning tools. Every word includes Cantonese pronunciation, essential for learners heading to Hong Kong or southern China.
Privacy-first — No account required to use the dictionary or daily word. Email subscriptions are optional and can be cancelled with one click.
Open-source data — Built on CC-CEDICT, a community-maintained dictionary that has been openly available since 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ChineseWord really free?
Yes, ChineseWord is completely free with no paid plans, no hidden charges, and no advertisements. The service is supported by the creator as a side project.
How is the Chinese Word of the Day selected?
Words are drawn from a graded pool of over 2,000 high-frequency Chinese words. Every entry from CC-CEDICT is graded by frequency using HSK 3.0 standards and the SUBTLEX-CH subtitle corpus. High-frequency words from tiers A (1,142 words) and B (5,598 words) are prioritized for the daily rotation.
Does ChineseWord support traditional Chinese characters?
Yes. CC-CEDICT includes both simplified and traditional character forms, and ChineseWord displays both where available.
Can I unsubscribe from the daily Chinese word email?
Yes. Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link. You can also email hello@chineseword.co to request removal.
What data sources does ChineseWord use?
ChineseWord is built on CC-CEDICT, the most comprehensive open-source Chinese-English dictionary with over 124,000 entries. Word frequency is graded using HSK 3.0 standards and the SUBTLEX-CH Chinese subtitle corpus with 50 million words from films and TV shows.
Does ChineseWord have Cantonese pronunciation?
Yes. Every word includes both Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciation via the browser SpeechSynthesis API. This is rare among Chinese learning tools — most only offer Mandarin.
Start your daily Chinese learning journey today — completely free, no account needed.
Go to Word of the Day