Pinyin Pengyou 1.1

Learning Chinese? Have trouble communicating in Chinese characters?

This application offers a keyboard tailored for Chinese learners. Simply input the initial letters of a Chinese word in Pinyin, and you'll be presented with potential matches along with the complete Pinyin word, the corresponding Chinese characters (Hanzi), and an English translation to assist in selecting the correct term.

Many learners find it challenging to use the pre-installed iOS Chinese keyboards as they necessitate a comprehensive understanding of Chinese characters and their meanings. Pinyin Pengyou provides a solution that enables even novice learners, armed with just a few Pinyin words, to comfortably input Chinese characters on their iPhone or iPad.

To utilize the keyboard, enable it in your settings and grant full access for dictionary searches. It can be accessed in any iOS application by selecting it from the globe icon on the on-screen keyboard.

In the Pinyin Pengyou app, you can choose from various dictionaries corresponding to your level of proficiency, including HSK levels 1 to 6 and beyond, TOCFL levels 1 to 4, and Pimsleur Mandarin up to level III. Optionally, you can supplement the dictionaries with custom words and phrases, complete with your own translations. Additionally, a country name dictionary is included. The app's main screen grants access to word lists from each dictionary. The "Suggestible Words" list contains only words from the selected dictionaries, while the "All Words" list encompasses every word across all dictionaries.

When using the keyboard, start typing a Pinyin word to see matching suggestions featuring full Pinyin representations, Hanzi characters, and translations displayed above the keyboard. Swipe left or right to view additional suggestions and tap on a word to input it. Press return or space to insert the typed roman letters thus far. By holding down a suggestion, you can view its full definition atop the keyboard; tap anywhere on the definition to dismiss it.

In the app settings, users can opt to activate haptic and/or audio feedback for key presses and select from three keyboard layouts: QWERTY, AZERTY, or QWERTZ.

The app is available for free download, although without a subscription only Pinyin words will be included in your texts. Subscribing through a low-cost monthly, semiannual, or annual plan unlocks the ability to compose content using Chinese Hanzi characters. Tap on the information button to view subscription details if you're not already subscribed.

Pinyin Pengyou tracks word usage frequency to recommend commonly used words first and ensures that no data is transmitted beyond your device.

If you have any queries, please reach out via the contact information on my website or select "Help?" on the Setup screen.

Pinyin is a phonetic transcription system for Mandarin Chinese, while Pengyou translates to "friend" in Chinese!