Counting words in mixed Chinese and English text
The tool counts Chinese characters and English words separately: each Han character is one Chinese character, each English token is one word. It also reports characters with and without spaces, line and paragraph counts, and an estimated reading time. Everything updates as you type and nothing is uploaded.
When a single total is not enough
Submission limits are usually written for one language. A Chinese call for entries might say 2,000 characters, an English one 500 words. If you submit mixed text and only look at one combined number, you can be rejected by a limit you technically never checked.
Translation and copywriting quotes are also priced per character or per word, while subtitles, voice-over and podcast scripts are planned by duration. Splitting the two counts lets you compare against a rate card or a schedule.
- Checking a manuscript against a character or word limit
- Preparing a quote for translation or copywriting
- Estimating duration for narration, voice-over or a podcast script
- Seeing the balance between Chinese and English in mixed copy
The counting rules, stated plainly
Chinese characters are counted one per Han glyph, covering the common block (U+4E00–9FFF) and Extension A (U+3400–4DBF). English words are counted after Han characters are replaced with spaces and the remainder is split on whitespace and punctuation. So 你好 world is two Chinese characters plus one English word. Hyphens, apostrophes and underscores inside a token do not split it: well-being and don't are one word each, and a number such as 2026 counts as one word.
Reading time uses a common convention: 400 Chinese characters per minute and 220 English words per minute, calculated separately and added. It is a rough silent-reading estimate and excludes studying figures, re-reading and note-taking. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines; a single line break does not start a new paragraph.
- Punctuation counts as neither a Chinese character nor an English word
- Spaces only change the two character totals, with and without spaces
- Kana, Hangul and rare characters beyond CJK Extension B are in neither count
- Confirm whether your target counts characters, words or glyphs before you rely on a number
When not to use it
Microsoft Word and WPS count punctuation, footnotes and text boxes, so their totals will not match this tool. For a formal submission, use whichever method the recipient specifies. Avoid pasting a PDF or Word file in as plain text, too: headers, footers and table structure are lost, and hard line breaks come along for the ride.
Publishing-grade counts — including punctuation, references or layout-based character counts — need manual checking or dedicated software. This tool is a fast, explainable estimate, not an editorial standard.
- Formal submissions: follow the recipient's counting method
- Whole documents: use the count built into Word, WPS or LaTeX
- Publisher requirements: verify manually against their rules
FAQ
Why is the word count different from Microsoft Word?
The rules differ. Word's Chinese count typically includes punctuation and English words, and it also counts footnotes, text boxes, headers and footers. Here, Chinese characters mean Han glyphs only, English words are counted separately, and punctuation belongs to neither. Word also measures the whole document, while this tool measures only what you paste.
Is one Chinese character one word?
No. Chinese is written without spaces between words, so this tool counts characters: 人工智能 is four Chinese characters, not one word. Counting actual words requires a segmentation tool, and the resulting numbers are not comparable.
How is the reading time estimated?
Chinese characters divided by 400 plus English words divided by 220 gives minutes; anything under a minute is shown in seconds. It is a rough silent-reading pace. Difficulty, figures and familiarity all move the real number, so use it for planning rather than for precise timing.
Related tool：Word Count