The best ways to get pinyin on YouTube subtitles (2026)
Five extensions for pinyin on YouTube’s Chinese captions, what each one is best for, and what it costs.
We make Mandarin The Wild. Everything we say about the other extensions comes from their own store listings and pages, with each source listed below.
The list at a glance
| Extension | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mandarin The Wild | Pinyin and meaning for the word you point at, in YouTube captions and on any page | Free to look up, read the Library and review1 |
| 2. PinyinTube | Pinyin under the subtitles on Netflix, YouTube, iQIYI and Viki | Some features free, some premium2 |
| 3. YouTube Pinyin Overlay | Pinyin above every Chinese caption on YouTube | No price on its listing3 |
| 4. Language Reactor | Dual subtitles on Netflix and YouTube | Free; saving words is Pro5 |
| 5. Migaku | Flashcards from what you watch and read, in ten languages | A 10-day free trial, then a paid plan7 |
1. Mandarin The Wild
We make it, so judge this one hardest. Pinyin under every character is easy to read instead of the characters you are learning, so Mandarin The Wild gives it one word at a time. Point at a word in a YouTube caption and its card opens inside the player: its pinyin as it is read in that line, including tone changes, the meaning it has there, its parts and its sound. The video keeps playing.
这个字的拼音是什么？
pinyin (romanization of Chinese)
When a Chinese video has no captions at all, sign in and press Make captions: we make them from its sound. See the extension.
- Every page and every video. The same card on any web page and in YouTube captions, in Chrome or Edge. The video keeps playing, and Previous, Replay and Next sit in the player.
- Captions when a video has none. On a Chinese YouTube video with no captions, sign in and press Make captions: we make them from its sound.
- Backpack and Review. Press M and the word is kept with its sentence and the page or video moment it came from. Review brings it back by sight and by sound, on every device you sign in on.
- The Library. More than 250 graded stories and articles from HSK 1 to 6, each with a recording in two voices, free.
- Look a word up here. How to say it in Chinese for an English word and What does it mean in Chinese? for a Chinese word or its pinyin, each with toned pinyin, its characters and a real sentence, free with no sign-up.
- Immersion for your own Chinese. Links, Google Docs, EPUB, PDF and Word files, and recordings with their subtitles or a transcript made from their sound, every word ready to explain.
- Your phone, offline. Add the site to your home screen: Review, the reader, and the chapters and sources you keep work with no signal.
- Your words, in and out. Bring in a Pleco or Anki list, and download your words for Anki whenever you like.
2. PinyinTube
A Chrome extension for Netflix, YouTube, iQIYI and Rakuten Viki: with Chinese subtitles on, it shows their pinyin, with buttons for dual subtitles and seeking back and forward. Each platform has some free features and some premium ones, such as recording your voice to compare with the actor’s.2
3. YouTube Pinyin Overlay
A small Chrome extension that adds pinyin above Chinese subtitles on YouTube, on automatic, live and uploaded captions. Its listing shows no price, and version 1.0 from May 2025.3
4. Language Reactor
Puts an English line under the Chinese on YouTube and Netflix. Saving words outside its practice mode needs its paid Pro plan.4, 5 See how the two compare.
5. Migaku
A Chrome extension with phone apps for ten languages. You click a word on a streaming site or a web page for its dictionary entry, and make a flashcard from it.6 It starts with a 10-day free trial, then needs a paid plan.7 See how the two compare.
How to choose
- Learning to read characters: pinyin for the word you ask about, not for every line, so your eyes stay on the characters. That is how Mandarin The Wild works.
- Just starting, watching for the sound: pinyin under every line, from PinyinTube or YouTube Pinyin Overlay.
- Following the story: an English line under the Chinese, from Language Reactor.
How to get pinyin for Chinese subtitles has the steps, from turning on the caption track to checking a line against the sound.
Questions
How do I get pinyin on YouTube’s Chinese subtitles?
Turn on the video’s Chinese caption track, then use an extension. Mandarin The Wild shows the pinyin of the word you point at, as it is read in that line; PinyinTube and YouTube Pinyin Overlay put pinyin under or above every line.
Is there a free extension for pinyin subtitles?
Yes. Mandarin The Wild is free to look up, read its Library and review. PinyinTube has some free features and some premium ones.
Should I watch with pinyin under every line?
Pinyin under every character is easy to read instead of the characters, so many learners check it one word at a time and keep their eyes on the characters.
Is Mandarin The Wild free?
Looking words up, the Library with its recordings, and Review are free. Looking up needs no account; a free account keeps your words.
Sources
Checked on 22 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.