Android App for Quick Lookups and Searches

Japanese Language Resources
1

Hi everyone!

I recently started studying Japanese again, after having taken classes for a few years back in High School many years ago. WaniKani and this community quickly became part of my daily study routine after I found out about it, and even helped get to the point where I felt confident enough to take the JLPT N5 at the beginning of December!

During my studying for the N5, I found that I could only really retain new words if I have more actual context - be it additional definitions on Jisho/Takoboto, sample sentences on Kanshudo, or even actual video examples through Youglish (Japanese). However, constantly copying and pasting from Anki, Wanikani, or web articles like NHK Easy was kind of a pain.

So I wrote an app! It is an app that expands the Android text selection menu (if the given app allows) and let’s you send the selected text to any URL you’d like! If a given app does not allow custom apps to show up the text select menu, you can also use the “share” button to send the text to your URL shortcuts.

Please check it out here!! - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deleontech.searchon

Although I originally wrote the app to help me study Japanese more efficiently when using my phone, it is generic so you can configure it to send your selected text to any website that supports search directly via URL. The app includes a lot of pre-configured shortcuts for popular searchable sites, including the ones I personally use for studying Japanese.

Here is an example of how I use it from within WaniKani on my phone:

wanikani-text-select
wanikani-text-select919×2048 181 KB

wanikani-searchon
wanikani-searchon919×2048 133 KB

wanikani-kanshudo-result
wanikani-kanshudo-result914×1852 263 KB

FAQ

Is it free?

  • The app is free to download and use, and you can add as many shortcuts as you’d like. However, you can only have 3 enabled at a time unless you upgrade. The upgrade is a one-time charge of $2.99 USD.

Is there a iOS version?

  • Not at the moment, but I might look into porting it over if there is enough demand!

What if the app doesn’t show up in the text selection menu?

  • If the “Search On
” button doesn’t appear, it means the app you’re using doesn’t support custom entries in the text selection menu. You can try using the “Share” button instead and select this app from the list.

Can I add my own URLs?

  • Yes! The app offers two simple ways to add your own custom shortcuts for any site that supports search via URL.

I found a bug or have a suggestion. Can I send it to you?

  • Absolutely! Please leave a comment here, DM me, or email me at deleontech.us@gmail.com with the details. I’d love to hear your feedback!
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