Found a kanji you can't read?
It happens to every Japanese learner: you spot a kanji on a sign, in a book, in a game, or in a manga panel, and you have no idea how to pronounce it. Without a reading, you can't type it into a normal search box, so a text-based dictionary lookup is a dead end.
Drawing search solves exactly this problem. Instead of typing, you trace the shape of the kanji you saw, and JapanDict's handwriting recognition engine matches your strokes against thousands of kanji. It's the fastest way to identify an unfamiliar character when you only know what it looks like.
Three ways to look up an unknown kanji
JapanDict offers three ways to find a kanji: type it directly if you know its character or reading, or draw it or build it from radicals if you don't.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Kanji Search | Type the kanji character directly, or type its reading if you know it. |
| Draw Search | Trace the kanji's shape on a canvas with a mouse, stylus, or finger. |
| Radical Search | Build the kanji from its component radicals one by one. |
The drawing engine does not require correct stroke order to find a match, but it performs better when you draw the strokes in their standard order.
Frequently asked questions
How many kanji does the drawing search cover?
JapanDict's kanji drawing search recognizes thousands of kanji, covering the characters most commonly encountered in everyday Japanese.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The drawing canvas works with touch input, so you can draw a kanji with your finger on a phone or tablet just as you would with a mouse on desktop.
What if my drawing is not recognised?
Try redrawing the kanji using its standard stroke order. You can also try Radical Search instead.