Chrome extensions for Chinese
Start with what you read and watch. Then pick the extension built for it.
We make Mandarin The Wild.
Reading web pages
Zhongwen is a free pop-up dictionary. Point at a word and it shows the dictionary’s entries, with tone-coloured pinyin, optional Zhuyin, and a word list you can export for Anki. Zhongwen: Chrome Web Store listing.
Install the original, by Christian Schiller; several extensions use similar names. It also has a Firefox version. Zhongwen: official repository.
Watching videos
Language Reactor shows two subtitle tracks at once on YouTube and Netflix, with a dictionary and playback tools. It saves words with their sentence and exports to Anki; some features need its paid Pro mode. Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing, Language Reactor: export help and Language Reactor: Pro Mode.
Whichever you choose, the video needs Chinese captions. YouTube’s search can show only videos with captions, and automatic captions can get words wrong. YouTube: find videos with captions and YouTube: automatic captions.
Both, in one card
Mandarin The Wild works on web pages and on YouTube subtitles in Chrome and Edge. Point at a word and the card shows the meaning it has in that sentence, its pinyin, its parts and its sound. Here is the card for one word in a real sentence.
我想看懂这篇文章。
article; essay
Keep a word and it goes to your Backpack, then comes back in Review. No account is needed to look things up. See the extension, or try the reader on any device.
How to choose
Try each on the same sentence, pointing at the same word. Check which one shows the meaning that fits, and which way of keeping words you will actually come back to.
Questions
Which extension is best for Chinese?
It depends on what you read. Zhongwen for a plain dictionary pop-up, Language Reactor for Netflix and dual subtitles, Mandarin The Wild for the meaning in the sentence on pages and YouTube.
Do these work in Edge?
Mandarin The Wild works in Chrome and Edge. Zhongwen and Language Reactor are listed on the Chrome Web Store, which Edge can install from.
Can I save words for Anki?
All three can export the words you keep to Anki.
Sources
Checked on 7 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.