WaniKani random font

I’ve found that WaniKani makes me really good at recognizing Kanji, but only when it’s written in the one font that it uses during reviews. When I see Kanji signs on the streets or elsewhere, I can’t read anything because of the calligraphic-style writing. This is pretty depressing because it makes my knowledge almost worthless IRL. Today I decided to do something about it.

Link to script


This userscript will randomize the font used in reviews and lessons every 60 seconds among a set of Japanese fonts that you may have installed on your system. If you can’t read it, hover the word with your mouse and it will revert to a more familiar font.

You need to modify the font array (called “fonts”) to contain a list of Japanese fonts on your system, which is why this isn’t being distributed as a greasyfork script. Optionally, you can modify the “good” font (“Meiryo” by default) that is used when hovering, as well as the swap interval (by default 60 seconds = 1 minute).

Hope this helps someone.

5 Likes

Hm, I tried adding it to Tampermonkey but I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to do to make it work. I edited the array to include fonts installed on my system, maybe I got the names wrong? The font names in my win7 font folder have “Regular” added to them. Not sure if I had to include those.

Not sure how fonts are named on Windows. Try using Ctrl+Shift+I to bring up your browser’s developer tools, select a paragraph of text or something on the page, and add a style=“font-family: ‘my font name here’;” attribute to it. If it changes font then you’ve got the name right. The script is basically doing the same thing as that operation would do.

Also I think http://www.fontsquirrel.com/tools/webfont-generator will generate a CSS file with the correct font name in it if you upload the font you want to find the title of.

Thank you! I’ve been wishing for this script for a while now, so I’m grateful.

I’ve gotten it to work just fine! I have a question about the names of the fonts. In Apple’s standard font-package, there is a  difference in the kanji, like different radicals.

Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro
versus
Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN

Can anyone tell me why these differentiate so much in radicals?! There are like 4 cases, where there’s a version with or without the “N”… And which one should I use in the script?


Works beautifully, thank you! Just a quick question. If you list a font in the script that’s not installed on your system, does it just automatically jump to the next available font?

TRDL: should I delist the fonts you included in the script you so graciously shared with us? 

I just deleted the ones that weren’t in there, and added anything that came up under language - Japanese on my Mac

I am not at all tech savvy, barely tech capable: how does one find out which Japanese fonts are on my computer?

If you have a mac, just type Font Book in spotlight 
For windows, I have no idea.

Begin typing here...
EskimoJo said... I am not at all tech savvy, barely tech capable: how does one find out which Japanese fonts are on my computer?
 


Thanks a lot for this script. I had the same problem with signs and pictures that I was trying to read. 
I typed the names of some of my fonts into the script and can't recognise half of what is written. :) but that's great, gives me some real world practice.


EskimoJo said... I am not at all tech savvy, barely tech capable: how does one find out which Japanese fonts are on my computer?
 I went スタート → コントロールパネル → フォント, then right clicked, then グループで表示 → デザイン対象.
There'll be listed under 日本語, but I also had a bunch at the bottom under 未指定.

How would I install more fonts? Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should install?

tetraflu0ride said... How would I install more fonts? Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should install?
 I second this! Found a few sites via google, but am unsure of if the fonts I find support all the most common kanji? I've come across the term "JIS level 1" and "JIS level 2"...

All I want is to find a handwritten font with a lot of lot of lot of kanji, and maybe one with calligraphy. Any recommendations?
Izana said... Works beautifully, thank you! Just a quick question. If you list a font in the script that's not installed on your system, does it just automatically jump to the next available font?

TRDL: should I delist the fonts you included in the script you so graciously shared with us? 
You should either delist the fonts you don't have installed on your system, or you should download and install them on your system.
Frouzich said...
tetraflu0ride said... How would I install more fonts? Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should install?
 I second this! Found a few sites via google, but am unsure of if the fonts I find support all the most common kanji? I've come across the term "JIS level 1" and "JIS level 2"...

All I want is to find a handwritten font with a lot of lot of lot of kanji, and maybe one with calligraphy. Any recommendations?
I got all my fonts and download links (besides Meiryo) by searching for topics with "font" in the name in the WaniKani forums.

I couldn’t do my reviews on my sisters macbook because the font was different :S I think this could be useful, thanks^^

Can anyone tell me which font name to write into the script? Is it the one in the .tff/.otf files or the one in the font book directory, and do you include Regular/Bold/etc. in the name?

Guys, is there any chance someone making a “for dummies” tutorial? I tried to install it, but it changed the font of the text I was typing, not the kanji I should guess.
I’m using Tampermonkey in Chrome.

Frouzich said... Can anyone tell me which font name to write into the script? Is it the one in the .tff/.otf files or the one in the font book directory, and do you include Regular/Bold/etc. in the name?
Use a font selection on your system as orientation, for example Word, Writer or the font setting dialog in Notepad to determine the name. It should match with what is shown in C:/Windows/Fonts. It's not the file name. Don't include the style, the default should be fine. 
protake said...
Frouzich said... Can anyone tell me which font name to write into the script? Is it the one in the .tff/.otf files or the one in the font book directory, and do you include Regular/Bold/etc. in the name?
Use a font selection on your system as orientation, for example Word, Writer or the font setting dialog in Notepad to determine the name. It should match with what is shown in C:/Windows/Fonts. It's not the file name. Don't include the style, the default should be fine. 
 Thank you for your help! I have a mac, so couldn't follow your instructions too precisely, but you pushed me in the right direction.
On a mac, have the font active in the finder > cmd+i > check the field "full name"
Most of my fonts are working properly now, but am crosschecking with information on fontexplorer pro with the last buggers.

edit: for people looking for new Japanese fonts, this side has a lot, most with sufficient kanji amount as well.

A for Dummies tutorial is needed here too (the reason I have never installed this). I got the list on C:/Windows/Fonts but then how do I know which ones are for Japanese characters. I am your computer illiterate great grandma - please help appropriately!

And I like a lot of the ones on Frouzich’s link, but what does ‘most with sufficient kanji’ mean? Do some of them not cover all possible kanji??

#lost