We have just released a change to our font handling across Wanikani. Previously we used Google Fonts to deliver fonts to your browser, however there are privacy concerns when it comes to loading fonts from Google so we have taken the step to deliver the fonts from our own Wanikani servers.
As part of this change we consolidated our font stack to use Noto Sans for all text on Wanikani which will provide a more consistent experience for all learners.
Update:
As some people have wanted more information about the privacy issue mentioned:
This is a known GDPR issue that stems from court rulings in Europe.
Anyway to get back to the old thicc font?
This skinny one is a pain in the arse to read at speed.
Edit - Seriously though, skinny fonts are great for small characters in pages of text. But large characters written with thin lines are just unpleasant.
Iâm also having a harder time reading the fonts. It may be a learning curve but I got really used to the old font. Itâs tripping up my muscle memory and making me go slower with the new one.
Neat. Iâll gladly get used to a new font if it means less reliance on Google. Thanks. For othersâ note about thinness with large characters, perhaps font-weight in the css could be adjusted slightly? Not sure how much of a solution that would be, but worth a try?
I would just like point out what you call the âold fontâ was only specific to your system and the fonts you had installed. I am not saying that one option is better than another, just want to point out the inconsistency.
For the more technically inclined user, the fonts are set using the css variable --font-family-default so can be easily overridden.
While I also appreciate the decreased reliance on Google, I am not a fan of having learned there is such a thing as font being so thin as to cause eye pain.
Did you actually use it. It is a terrible font at large size. Not just thin, but aesthetically ugly. Itâs annoying when companies think âone font can fit all usesâ. Large characters on announcements / signage all over Asia use thick weighted fonts for a reason.
I am surprised by how much the font change is tripping me up. However, even if itâs a little bit frustrating, it probably means I am learning to read across different fonts better - that is, until I get used to this one.
changing the font weight font-weight: var(--font-weight-light) on the body may help those who prefer thicker fonts. This change also brought in the use of a variable font which supports multiple weights without the need to download more fonts.
Theyâre all shifted down and to the right. Itâs this way across the rest of the site too and not just on the main page. (however in the case of radicals shown on a kanjiâs item page, the radicals appear to be shifted to the left instead?)
That makes sense. I always wondered why the images for non-character radicals were so weirdly thin. Perhaps itâd be wiser to make all the characters thicker, then, like they were before (at least for 90% of users).
I assume as you were relying on google fonts before, it was a default font across chrome browsers? It certanly looked the same to me across multiple systems (and I didnât like using wanikani as much on iPad/safari)
Do you happen to know what that google font was called?
This also dosnât change that you have now made a deliberate choice with your font, and it is a poor choice for characters displayed at large sizes.
A guide to restoring the font to the old Chrome standard font would be appreciated for less technically inclined users (me!).
For everyone who is struggling with thin fonts: this happened to me even before this change. The solution is to install Microsoftâs Meiryo font. It has all the nice thick-lined kanji. You can tell you donât have it if the characters are serifed.
Itâs part of the Japanese language pack you can download on system settings.
Gonna have to chalk this one up to âit just doesnât affect me that muchâ. Itâs not so large itâs annoying or aesthetically bad to me. Sorry it is to you and others, I guess? But even though I can get used to it without changes, there are at least ways it can be addressed. I donât think itâs productive to approach this with such venom in the wording. Itâs entirely possible to express oneâs displeasure without it.
