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Translate Chinese signs the moment you see them

Lost at a subway exit or staring at a shopfront? Point Tova at any Chinese sign, tap the shutter, and read it in English — with pinyin above each character so the name actually sticks.

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Free · No sign-up · Works offline in China — no VPN

How it works

Read it in three steps

Aim the camera at the sign and tap the shutter — Tova reads the characters even at an angle.
See the English translation with pinyin above each character, and tap to hear it read aloud in Mandarin.
Switch the scan script in Settings if you're reading Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, or one of 11 supported scripts.

Common questions

About this guide

Does the sign translator work offline in China?

Yes — the camera recognition and translation can run on-device, so Tova keeps reading signs inside mainland China without a VPN and without a data connection.

Can it read vertical or stylised Chinese signs?

Tova handles vertical Chinese blocks and runs a multi-pass recognition ensemble for handwriting, calligraphy, and glare, so weathered or decorative shop signs still resolve.

What if the sign is Cantonese, not Mandarin?

Switch the scan language to Cantonese and Tova shows authentic Jyutping instead of Hanyu Pinyin above the same characters.

Download on theApp Store