Japanese OCR - Free Japanese Image to Text Converter
Convert Japanese images to text instantly with our AI-powered OCR technology. Supports Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, vertical writing, and manga/anime text extraction with high accuracy.
What is Japanese OCR?
Japanese Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is advanced AI technology that converts Japanese text in images into editable, searchable digital text. Whether you have scanned documents, manga pages, anime screenshots, or photographs of Japanese text, our OCR tool can accurately recognize and extract all three Japanese writing systems: Kanji (漢字), Hiragana (ひらがな), and Katakana (カタカナ).
Key Features of Our Japanese Text Extractor
- Three Writing Systems: Recognizes Kanji (漢字), Hiragana (ひらがな), and Katakana (カタカナ) with high accuracy
- Vertical Text Support: Handles traditional vertical writing (縦書き) common in novels and manga
- Manga & Anime: Specialized in extracting text from manga speech bubbles and anime subtitles
- Mixed Content: Handles documents with Japanese, English (Romaji), and numbers together
- Furigana Recognition: Can detect and extract ruby text (振り仮名) when present
- Fast Processing: Extract Japanese text in 2-3 seconds
How to Extract Japanese Text from Images
- Upload Your Image: Drag and drop or paste (Ctrl+V) any image containing Japanese text
- Automatic Detection: Our AI automatically detects Japanese language and script types
- Get Results: Japanese text appears ready to copy, maintaining proper formatting
- Copy or Download: Use the extracted text in Word, LINE, or any application
Common Use Cases for Japanese OCR
📚 Learning & Education
Extract Japanese text from textbooks, study materials, flashcards, and educational content. Perfect for Japanese language learners (JLPT students), teachers, and researchers studying Japanese literature or linguistics.
📖 Manga & Light Novels
Extract text from manga (漫画), light novels, and visual novels for translation or learning purposes. Works great with speech bubbles, sound effects (擬音語), and narrative text in both vertical and horizontal layouts.
🎮 Gaming & Anime
Capture and extract Japanese text from video game screenshots, anime subtitles, and Japanese mobile apps. Essential for understanding game dialogues, quest descriptions, and anime episodes.
💼 Business & Travel
Digitize Japanese business cards (名刺), restaurant menus, product labels, receipts, and street signs. Perfect for travelers, businesspeople, and anyone navigating Japanese documents or signage.
Japanese OCR vs Manual Typing
| Task | Manual Typing | Our Japanese OCR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 page of Japanese text | 20-25 minutes | 3 seconds ⚡ |
| 1 manga chapter | 2-3 hours | 2 minutes ⚡ |
| Accuracy | 95% (human errors) | 98%+ AI accuracy ⚡ |
Why Choose Our Japanese OCR Tool?
✅ Superior Accuracy
Our AI model is specifically trained on millions of Japanese characters from all three writing systems (Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana), including complex Kanji with many strokes and stylized manga fonts.
✅ Completely Free
No hidden costs, no subscription required. Process up to 25,000 images per month absolutely free.
✅ Privacy Protected
Your Japanese documents and manga images are processed securely and deleted immediately after text extraction. We never store your images or data.
✅ No Installation Required
Works directly in your browser on any device - Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, or Android. No software download needed.
Supported Japanese Image Formats
Our Japanese OCR tool supports all common image formats:
- JPG/JPEG - Photos and scanned documents
- PNG - Screenshots, manga scans, and graphics
- BMP - Bitmap images
- WEBP - Modern web images
- Maximum file size: 10MB per image
Tips for Best Japanese OCR Results
- Use high-resolution images (at least 300 DPI for scanned documents)
- Ensure good contrast between text and background (especially for manga)
- Keep the image straight and avoid skewed angles
- For manga, crop to individual panels or pages for best results
- Use clear fonts - Gothic (ゴシック体) and Mincho (明朝体) work best
- For handwritten Japanese, ensure characters are written clearly with proper stroke order
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this tool recognize all three Japanese writing systems?
Absolutely! Our Japanese OCR automatically detects and recognizes Kanji (漢字), Hiragana (ひらがな), and Katakana (カタカナ), including rare or complex Kanji characters. It handles mixed text seamlessly, which is how Japanese is naturally written.
Does it work with vertical Japanese text?
Yes! Our system handles traditional vertical writing (縦書き, tategaki) commonly found in Japanese novels, manga, and formal documents. It also works with modern horizontal left-to-right text (横書き, yokogaki).
Can I extract text from manga and anime?
Definitely! This is one of our most popular use cases. Take a screenshot of a manga page or anime frame and paste it directly into our tool. The Japanese text in speech bubbles, sound effects (オノマトペ), and captions will be extracted accurately. Great for learning Japanese through manga!
Does this work with handwritten Japanese?
Yes, our OCR can recognize clear, legible handwritten Japanese characters. However, highly stylized calligraphy (書道) or cursive grass script (草書) may have reduced accuracy. For best results, use printed text or neat handwriting.
Can it detect Furigana (ruby text)?
Our OCR can extract Furigana (振り仮名) when it's clearly visible in the image. However, very small ruby text may be challenging. For best results, use high-resolution images when Furigana is important.
Is there a limit on how much Japanese text I can extract?
You can process up to 25,000 images per month for free. There's no limit on the amount of text in each image - extract entire manga chapters, novel pages, or long documents without restriction.
Can I use this for translating Japanese text?
While our tool extracts Japanese text accurately, it doesn't translate. However, once you've extracted the text, you can easily copy it into translation tools like Google Translate, DeepL, or professional translation services for conversion to other languages.