- What do the stars next to some words mean?
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Stars are a measure of the word level according to two different sources. The HSK (HanYu ShuiPing KaoShi) for Chinese terms, and the PETS (Public English Test System) for English words.
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- What does the number of stars represent?
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The stars represent the word level with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. Chinese entries are classified according to their HSK level, and English entries according to their PETS level. see images
- How does the listen button next to some entries work?
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All you need to do is click on the button and you can hear the pronunciation of a word. Some entries have a male and a female pronunciation, and some English entries have both American and British English pronunciation. see images
- Why do only some words have a level?
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Only certain words have levels for the HSK and PETS examinations. Words that are not part of their word level lists have not been marked with a level yet.
- What are the words in brackets next to some Chinese entries?
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The traditional equivalent of many words is displayed on that word’s page in parantheses next to the entry name. Other variants of the Chinese word may also appear in parantheses. see images
- What are nciku notes?
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nciku notes are a free-form type of content which provide additional information related to an entry in the dictionary. It can be anything from an explanation of a popular idiom associated with that word to grammar-related usage of the entry. see image
- What are nciku video notes?
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Video notes are used to explain what differentiates Chinese words which have the same or very similar meanings in English. see image
- How often is the content updated?
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Our content is updated daily with new words, examples and conversations. We also use your feedback to improve our existing content. For the most recent information, you can check out the blog.
- What can I do if I find a content problem?
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Please tell us immediately if you find a mistake in our dictionary. You can send feedback directly from the page with an error by using the ‘Send Feedback’ button located on the right-hand side of the page. continue reading
- Where does nciku get its content?
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Our basic dictionary entries come from the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press Chinese-English and English-Chinese dictionaries, the Collins Chinese-English and English-English dictionaries, and the 现代汉语规范词典 (Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian); images are from Getty Images and Corbis Images.
- How do I open or collapse the different dictionaries?
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Clicking on the little up/down arrow next to a dictionary’s title will allow you open up or collapse the dictionary. This can be useful if you just want to get to the Chinese or English dictionary without doing too much scrolling. see images
- Will nciku ever stop adding content?
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Our goal is to make the most comprehensive multi-language dictionary available. Language is always evolving and we try to add new words as they come into common usage.
- Content stats as of: May 21 2009
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- Total entries: 3,005,700
- Chinese entries and collocations: 1,398,962
- English entries and idioms: 1,606,738
- Examples: 233,639
- Conversations: 2,658
