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HanCam · Free guide
How to translate Chinese apps, QR menus and screenshots
A Chinese-only app, a menu behind a QR code, a label on a package: if you cannot read it, a screenshot is the way in. The steps below give you the characters, the pinyin and the meaning on your iPhone, and text you can paste into a search box.
The short answer
- Text you can selectSelect it, tap Share and choose “HanCam Translate”. HanCam does not need to be open.
- A screen you cannot selectTake a screenshot. In HanCam, open “Photos” and choose it.
- Paper menus, signs and labelsPoint the HanCam camera at the text and tap “Freeze” to hold it.
Each way shows the characters, the pinyin with tone marks and the meaning. “Copy All” copies all three lines.
Why Chinese apps are hard to translate
Many Chinese apps draw their buttons and menus as pictures, or do not let you select the text, so there is nothing to paste into a translator. A menu behind a QR code often opens inside another app, where the same is true. And iOS does not let an app such as HanCam draw over another app, so HanCam cannot put pinyin on top of a Chinese app while you use it.
What works on an iPhone is a screenshot or the share sheet: you take the text to HanCam, read it there and copy what you need.
Translate a Chinese app with a screenshot
- Open the screen you want to read and take a screenshot: press the side button and the volume up button together (on an iPhone with a Home button, the side button and the Home button).
- Open HanCam, tap “Photos” and choose the screenshot.
- HanCam reads the Chinese in it and shows three lines: the characters, the pinyin with tone marks and the meaning in your language.
- Tap “Copy All” to copy the three lines, or “Share” to send them to another app.
A full screen holds a lot of text. To read one part, crop the screenshot first: tap the preview that appears after you take it, or use Edit in the Photos app. Then choose the cropped picture in HanCam.
Text you can select: use the share sheet
In Safari, Mail, Messages and in apps that let you select text, you need no screenshot. Select the Chinese text, tap Share and choose “HanCam Translate”. A panel shows the characters, the pinyin and the meaning, and “Copy All” copies them.
If “HanCam Translate” is not in the list, scroll to the end of the share sheet, tap Edit Actions and turn it on.
Copy Chinese text from a screenshot into a search box
To find a shop, a product or an address you saw in a screenshot, you need the characters themselves in the search box of a shopping, map, delivery or review app.
“Copy All” puts three lines on the clipboard: the characters first, then the pinyin, then the meaning. Paste them into the search box and delete everything after the first line, so that only the characters are left.
The characters are what the app searches for. The pinyin helps you say the name to a person, for example a taxi driver or a waiter.
Reading is unlimited and free. Copying or sharing is free 10 times a day; HanCam Premium, a one-time purchase, removes that limit.
Words you see in Chinese apps
These words come up in almost every Chinese app, from the login screen to the checkout. Knowing them saves a screenshot now and then.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 搜索 | sōusuǒ | Search |
| 登录 | dēnglù | Log in |
| 注册 | zhùcè | Sign up, register |
| 验证码 | yànzhèngmǎ | Verification code (sent by text message) |
| 确定 | quèdìng | OK, confirm |
| 取消 | qǔxiāo | Cancel |
| 下一步 | xià yí bù | Next |
| 返回 | fǎnhuí | Back |
| 我的 | wǒ de | Me: your account and profile |
| 设置 | shèzhì | Settings |
| 地址 | dìzhǐ | Address |
| 订单 | dìngdān | Orders |
| 支付 | zhīfù | Pay |
| 扫一扫 | sǎo yi sǎo | Scan a QR code |
How to read a QR-code menu
- Scan the code on the table with the iPhone camera. The menu opens in Safari or inside another app.
- If you can select the text of the menu, select a dish name and share it to “HanCam Translate”.
- Otherwise take a screenshot of each part of the menu and read them in HanCam under “Photos”.
- Choose your dishes in the menu itself. The table below has the words of the ordering screen.
A printed menu on the table or on the wall needs no screenshot: point the HanCam camera at one line at a time.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 扫码点餐 | sǎo mǎ diǎn cān | Scan the code to order |
| 桌号 | zhuōhào | Table number |
| 人数 | rénshù | Number of people |
| 推荐 | tuījiàn | Recommended |
| 规格 | guīgé | Size or option |
| 微辣 | wēi là | Mildly spicy |
| 不辣 | bú là | Not spicy |
| 已售罄 | yǐ shòuqìng | Sold out |
| 备注 | bèizhù | Note to the kitchen |
| 加入购物车 | jiārù gòuwùchē | Add to cart |
| 去结算 | qù jiésuàn | Go to checkout |
| 提交订单 | tíjiāo dìngdān | Place the order |
HanCam gives the name of a dish with its pinyin and a translation of the words. It does not explain dishes or list their ingredients, and a dish name translated word by word can sound odd. Ask the staff when it matters.
Words on Chinese labels and packaging
Food and household products sold in mainland China carry the same few words on their labels. Point the camera at the label, or read a photo of it under “Photos”; this table tells you which line is which. Where a cell shows two forms, the second is the Traditional one.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生产日期生產日期 | shēngchǎn rìqī | Production date |
| 保质期保質期 | bǎozhìqī | Shelf life, counted from the production date |
| 有效期至 | yǒuxiàoqī zhì | Use by (common on medicine and cosmetics) |
| 净含量淨含量 | jìng hánliàng | Net content |
| 配料 | pèiliào | Ingredients |
| 过敏原過敏原 | guòmǐnyuán | Allergens |
| 营养成分表營養成分表 | yíngyǎng chéngfèn biǎo | Nutrition table |
| 贮存条件貯存條件 | zhùcún tiáojiàn | Storage conditions |
| 冷藏 | lěngcáng | Keep refrigerated |
| 开封后開封後 | kāifēng hòu | After opening |
| 产地產地 | chǎndì | Place of origin |
| 使用方法 | shǐyòng fāngfǎ | Directions for use |
| 注意事项注意事項 | zhùyì shìxiàng | Cautions |
Taiwan uses Traditional characters, and its labels often use other words for the same lines:
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 製造日期 | zhìzào rìqī | Production date |
| 有效日期 | yǒuxiào rìqī | Expiry date |
| 保存期限 | bǎocún qīxiàn | Shelf life, counted from the production date |
| 成分 | chéngfèn | Ingredients |
| 淨重 | jìngzhòng | Net weight |
How to work out the expiry date
A Chinese food label often gives the production date and the shelf life, not the last day. Add the two: the label below, 生产日期 2026年03月05日 and 保质期 12个月, is good until 5 March 2027.
生产日期：2026年03月05日保质期：12个月
The date can also be printed as 2026.03.05 or 20260305, and the shelf life in days (天) or months (个月). How to read Chinese dates and numbers: Chinese numbers, dates and prices
For an allergy, do not rely on a machine translation of the ingredients. Show the staff a sentence in Chinese, for example 我对花生过敏 (wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn): I am allergic to peanuts.
What HanCam cannot do
- Show pinyin over another app while you use it. iOS does not allow that; use a screenshot or the share sheet.
- Read handwriting. HanCam reads printed text.
- Read text set in vertical columns. HanCam is made for printed text in horizontal lines.
- Explain a dish or check an ingredient list for you. It shows the words, their pinyin and a translation.
- Read languages other than Chinese.
Offline, and on your device
Text recognition and the pinyin run on your iPhone. The meaning comes from Apple's on-device translation, which downloads a language pack once; after that, HanCam works without a network connection. What you scan is not uploaded, and you need no account.
On a computer, or with text you can copy
If you can copy the Chinese text, paste it into the free converter to get the pinyin: Chinese to pinyin converter
For a screenshot on a computer, the free Chinese OCR page reads the picture in your browser and gives the text with pinyin, ready to copy: Chinese OCR: image to text
Reading photos and screenshots, and the share sheet, step by step on the help page: HanCam support
With the camera: menus, signs and labels in front of you
HanCam is a Chinese reader for iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later. Point the camera at printed Chinese and it shows the characters, the pinyin with tone marks and the meaning together, in Simplified or Traditional Chinese. The same three lines come from screenshots under “Photos” and from other apps through “HanCam Translate”.
Read Chinese apps, menus and labels with pinyin on your iPhone.
Free: reading is unlimited, copying 10 times a day. One-time Premium purchase, no subscription. iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later.
Questions and answers
Can I translate a Chinese app on my iPhone?
Yes, one screen at a time. Take a screenshot and open it in HanCam under “Photos”, or select the text and share it to “HanCam Translate”. iOS does not let HanCam draw over another app, so there is no live overlay.
How do I read a Chinese QR-code menu?
Scan the code, take a screenshot of the menu and open it in HanCam under “Photos”. You get each dish name in characters, in pinyin and translated. Order in the menu itself; HanCam does not explain the dishes.
How do I copy Chinese text from a screenshot?
Open the screenshot in HanCam under “Photos” and tap “Copy All”. The first of the three lines is the Chinese text. On a computer, the free Chinese OCR page on this site does the same in your browser.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after a one-time download. Reading and pinyin run on the iPhone; the meaning needs Apple's language pack, which is downloaded once for each language. After that, no network connection is needed.
What do 生产日期 and 保质期 mean on a Chinese label?
生产日期 (shēngchǎn rìqī) is the production date. 保质期 (bǎozhìqī) is the shelf life counted from that date, for example 12个月, 12 months. Add the two to get the last day.
Can HanCam read handwriting?
No. HanCam reads printed text in horizontal lines. Handwriting is not supported.
How many screenshots can I read for free?
As many as you like: reading is unlimited. Copying or sharing the result is free 10 times a day. HanCam Premium is a one-time purchase that removes the limit; there is no subscription.