We're pleased to release Jisho Joshu, a free application for Japanese language learners that makes it easy to look up word definitions while reading native material.

The app links with WaniKani, a learning tool that teaches over 2000 kanji (Chinese characters) and 7000 vocab words using an SRS learning system.  When you input some Japanese text, Jisho Joshu analyzes it for words you might not know based on your progress in WaniKani and makes it easy to look those words up in an online dictionary.  Even if you're not using WaniKani, the app still makes it easy to look up words you don't know with a single click.  It's a great way to get started reading native Japanese material!  You can even get a full translation of the text if you're having a hard time and want to give up. =)

I made this app because some friends and I are all going through the WaniKani system, but are at different levels, so it was hard to know which words they would understand when we were practicing.  The idea was that I could write what I wanted to write, then set it to the level I knew my friends were at to see what words they wouldn't know.  It sort of evolved into a general purpose dictionary assistant that can help anyone work through Japanese reading material and increase their reading skills.  I use it myself for reading online news and manga.

Of course I had to over-engineer it with a kawaii digital assistant and swappable themes to make the reading experience a bit more fun and enjoyable.  If any of you are studying Japanese or going through WaniKani, I hope this will be an excellent tool to help with your reading and understanding of Japanese!