Welcome to the home of zkanji!


zkanji is a free (and yet unfinished) vocabulary/kanji learning tool and dictionary software created for those who are interested in the Japanese language. The software is still in the works, but it already provides many useful features. I've started making zkanji in the hope that it can help me and others study kanji (thus the name), and I'm working on it so it can live up to its name. The program is only sub-delta (this is how I call unfinished software), but it can already be used for studying vocabulary, and looking up information fast. While I can't guarantee that it will do your studying for you, maybe you can use it to your benefit.

If you have doubts that this program is for you, please take a look at the screenshots or read the information page about its capabilities. You can also download and use it as much as you'd like! Read the licence information page to see how free it really is, and for acknowledgement of used materials.

I've put together this webpage, because I'd like helpful people like you to join in the fun! I need testers and casual users, anyone who is willing to try out a new tool and send feedback. Or just try it and complain when something bad happens. It all helps in the end.

The most important features are the following:

• Find kanji characters by radical, radical at position, parts, readings, meanings, SKIP-code, Four Corner Code (with visual selection) and their numerical codes in the most known dictionaries. (using KANJIDIC).
• Search the dictionary for words starting or ending with what you typed. (the dictionary uses JMdict).
• Browse through thousands of example sentences taken from the free Tanaka Corpus. (still experimental)
• Watch stroke order animation or a numbered stroke order diagram for all Jouyou kanji and some more. The stroke order diagrams use the Taka Database.
• Use the popup dictionary feature to find translations quickly and then go back to what you were doing with very little distraction. (This is what I use the most!)
• Include one or more kanji mixed with kana in the search field.
• Type an inflected/conjugated word and see what inflections altered the word.
• The results are shown as you type, with the most common words at the top of the list.
• Add words to vocabulary lists and test your knowledge with them.
• For non-native English speakers: make your own searchable dictionary with your custom definitions and word types. Add custom meanings for kanji too.
• User dictionary export and import. Useful when you want to build a dictionary in cooperation with someone else.
• You don't need an IME (input method editor) to be installed, only a Japanese font.

What is missing (and will be included later):

• The most important task is finishing the whole program to be usable for both kanji and vocabulary study, and to finalize the file formats so saved groups don't become useless after an update.
• Custom kanji card creation and generation is among my top priorities.
• The kanji study tab supports kanji groups and word examples for readings of a kanji, but no kanji study options are available right now.
• I have plenty of ideas regarding the development of a kanji study tool, but I need your ideas too!
• I plan to add regular expression searches when at least one kanji is present in the search field.
• I have changed my mind about printing. Vocabulary printing is already included in the latest versions and there might be kanji printing in future versions also.