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Copyright & Licensing Notice (HanziFinder)

Last updated: 2026-01-23

This page explains (1) the third-party data sources used by HanziFinder (“the Site”), (2) the applicable licenses for those sources, (3) ownership of HanziFinder’s original assets, and (4) how user-contributed content may be displayed on the Site.

1) Third-Party Sources & Licenses

The Site incorporates limited third-party data to provide pinyin, definitions, and certain glyph-related information. Licenses apply on a source-by-source basis, do not cross-apply, and do not affect HanziFinder’s original assets described in Section 2.

1.1 Wiktionary: Pinyin & Definitions (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Parts of the Site’s pinyin and definition text are derived from Wiktionary entries and are provided under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

  • Attribution: We attribute to “Wiktionary” and provide links to the relevant entries (including, where feasible, revision/history information).
  • Modifications: We may extract, clean, normalize, reformat, and merge content for presentation or technical purposes; such processing may be indicated as “processed / cleaned / normalized.”
  • Scope: This license statement applies only to pinyin and definition text derived from Wiktionary. It does not apply to HanziFinder’s original data structures, glyph graphs, search results organization, algorithms, or other proprietary content.

Reference:

1.2 Zdic (汉典网): Supplementary Chinese Definitions (CC0 1.0)

For characters where Wiktionary entries are missing or incomplete, the Site supplements definitions using publicly available Chinese definition data from Zdic.

According to Zdic’s copyright statement, its definition data is dedicated to the public domain under
CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.

  • The Site uses only definition content that Zdic explicitly designates as CC0;
  • Such Chinese definitions are also released by the Site under CC0 1.0;
  • This CC0 scope applies only to the relevant definition text from Zdic and does not affect other Site content.

Reference:

1.3 Machine-Translated English Definitions (AI-generated)

For characters that have Chinese definitions but no available English definitions, the Site provides English translations generated using the Google Gemini 2.0 Flash model to assist non-Chinese readers.

  • These English definitions are automatically generated translations, and are not sourced from Wiktionary, Zdic, or any human-edited English dictionary;
  • All such entries are clearly labeled with the prefix “(translated)”;
  • Machine-translated content is provided for informational purposes only and is not guaranteed to be semantically, terminologically, or academically precise.

Such translations do not constitute redistribution of any third-party dataset. Their copyright and reuse status are subject to applicable laws governing AI-generated content.

1.4 Xiaoxue Tang (小學堂): Etymology Data & Glyph Images (CC0 1.0)

Parts of the Site’s etymology-related data and glyph images (including multiple resolutions) are derived from outputs obtained via the query interface of the Xiaoxue Tang (小學堂) project maintained by Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

According to Xiaoxue Tang’s licensing statement, glyph images and associated glyph-attribute information obtained via its query interface are released under CC0 1.0.

  • The Site may organize, clarify, clean, or convert such glyph images (e.g., SVG normalization);
  • Within the CC0 scope of the original source, these derived glyph image files are also released under CC0 1.0;
  • This section applies only to materials explicitly identified as CC0 outputs from Xiaoxue Tang.

Reference:

Note: Some materials available on third-party sites may be distributed under different licenses (e.g., certain font files). Unless explicitly stated otherwise on the Site, only the CC0-covered outputs described above are included in this section.

2) HanziFinder Original Assets (All Rights Reserved)

Except where explicitly stated otherwise, HanziFinder’s original content is All Rights Reserved.

2.1 Character Graph Structures & Annotation Data (Core Asset)

The character-level Graph structures, including node/edge annotations, substructure localization data, and their structured representations (including but not limited to JSON/SVG renderings, caches, indices, database organization, and related compilation/derivation) are original works of the HanziFinder team and constitute core proprietary assets.

Without prior written permission, you may not:

  • copy, scrape, mirror, or bulk-export the Graph data;
  • republish or redistribute it (free or paid);
  • use it to train, fine-tune, or otherwise build datasets for machine learning;
  • use it to build competing or substantially similar character-structure search/cluster services.

HanziFinder reserves all rights to enforce technical and legal measures against unauthorized bulk access and reuse.

2.2 Search Methods & Patent Applications (Patent Pending)

Some core methods used by the Site are subject to patent applications and/or published patent applications. Current status is patent pending. Public information is available here:

We have filed/are filing in multiple jurisdictions (including the United States, China, and Taiwan). This notice is factual and does not grant any license to practice any patented method.

3) User Contributions & Public Sharing

3.1 What Counts as User-Contributed Content

User contributions may include (but are not limited to):

  • substructure queries and configurations;
  • curated result sets (e.g., grouped/filtered character lists and annotations);
  • “public share” pages that present characters matching a substructure and their structural locations.

3.2 Non-Exclusive License for On-Site Use (Required to Operate the Service)

To provide the Site’s functionality, users who accept the Terms of Service (“ToS”) grant HanziFinder a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license (revocable/terminable as defined by the ToS) to host, reproduce, process, display, and distribute their contributions on HanziFinder, solely as needed to operate features such as search, caching, rendering, and sharing links.

Users retain any rights they may have in their contributions.

3.3 Public Display Is Not a License for Third Parties

Unless explicitly authorized in writing by the user and/or HanziFinder, content publicly displayed on the Site does not grant third parties permission to scrape, bulk-export, republish, or commercially exploit it.

4) No Affiliation / No Endorsement

HanziFinder is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wiktionary, the Wikimedia Foundation, Xiaoxue Tang, or their respective organizations (unless explicitly stated). Names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.

5) Disclaimer

  • Pinyin, definitions, etymology data, and structure annotations are provided for learning and research purposes and may contain errors or omissions.
  • Content may change due to source updates, corrections, and product iterations; historical and current versions may differ.

6) Copyright / Takedown / Corrections Contact

If you believe content on the Site infringes your rights, or you want to request corrections, please contact us with the relevant URLs, supporting documentation, and your requested action.