Guide

Everything you need to know about DokiDokiDict.

Getting Started

1. Download DokiDokiDict from itch.io and run the installer.
2. Launch the app. You'll see the settings window.
3. In the General tab, pick a scan mode and select your target (your game, VN, or region).
4. Click the green Start button.
5. Hold Shift and point your cursor at Japanese text. A popup appears with definitions.

Scan Modes

DokiDokiDict needs to know where to look for text. You pick this in the General tab.

Window Mode

Captures a specific window. Click Select... then click on your game or VN window. DokiDokiDict will only scan that window, even if other things are on top of it. This is the recommended mode. All features work at their best in Window mode especially AI definition ranking, which uses the full window text as context.

Region Mode

Captures a rectangle on your screen. Click Select... then drag to draw the area. Good for when you only want to scan subtitles at the bottom of the screen, or a specific part of a page.

Screen Mode

Captures your entire screen. Simple but less focused. Works fine if the Japanese text is the main thing on screen.

Looking Up Words

Hold your lookup hotkey (default: Shift) and move your cursor over Japanese text. A popup appears showing:

• The word in blue, with its reading in green brackets
• Numbered definitions, each sense on its own line
• Entry badges (①②③...), press the matching number key to export to Anki

The popup follows your cursor and disappears when you release the hotkey.

Furigana Overlays

DokiDokiDict can display furigana readings directly on top of your game or VN window. There are three methods:

MeCab Furigana (Instant)

Press Num - to trigger. Uses MeCab. Runs locally, no internet needed, results appear instantly. The recommended mode.

Dynamic MeCab

Press Num / to toggle. When enabled, MeCab furigana updates automatically whenever new text appears. No need to press anything, just read and the furigana follows.

AI Furigana (Context-Aware)

Press Num * to trigger. Uses Gemini to pick the correct reading based on context. This handles ambiguous readings like names (衛宮士郎 えみやしろう) correctly. Requires a Gemini API key (see AI Features to see how to get one for free).

Clearing Furigana

Press Delete to clear all furigana from the screen.

Appearance

In the Appearance tab you can change the furigana color and size.

Skip Known Words

If you have Anki integration enabled with "Skip known words" checked, furigana won't appear on words you already know (mature cards with interval > 21 days).

AI Features

DokiDokiDict uses Google's Gemini API for definition ranking, reading disambiguation, and context-aware furigana.

Getting a Free Gemini API Key

New Google Cloud accounts get $300 in free credits. Sign up at cloud.google.com/free, create a Gemini API key, and paste it into DokiDokiDict's AI Settings tab. The $300 credit gives you higher rate limits and is the recommended approach.

AI Definition Ranking

Many Japanese words have lots of meanings. 掛ける alone has over a dozen. When enabled, Gemini reads the surrounding context and reorders the definitions so the most relevant one is on top.

Enable this in the AI Settings tab by checking Enable AI Definition Ranking. Ranked entries show a gold ✨ in the popup.

Press J while the popup is visible to toggle the AI's justification text, a short explanation of why it chose that definition.

The recommended model is gemini-2.5-flash-lite, which is fast and accurate.

Bulk Pre-Ranking

Press Num + to pre-rank definitions for all words currently on screen. Useful before you start reading a new page, everything will already be ranked when you hover over it. Not necessary with gemini-2.5-flash-lite, as it's fast enough to rank on the fly.

Model Selection

In AI Settings you can pick which Gemini model to use for ranking and furigana separately. Lighter models (like gemini-2.5-flash-lite) are faster and work well for ranking.

Dictionaries

DokiDokiDict ships with JMdict (English) built in. You can also import additional dictionaries in Yomichan/Yomitan format.

Importing Dictionaries

1. Get a Yomichan dictionary .zip file. Many are available from the Yomichan Dictionaries collection.
2. In the Dictionary tab, click Import or drag and drop the .zip file.
3. The dictionary appears in the list. Check it to enable it.

You can import as many dictionaries as you want. Enable or disable them individually.

Profiles

Profiles let you run multiple dictionary configurations simultaneously with different hotkeys. Each profile gets its own popup window and dictionary stack.

Why Profiles?

Say you want JMdict (English definitions) on Shift and a J-J dictionary on Alt for your monolingual transition. Create two profiles, assign different dictionaries and hotkeys to each, and both popups work independently.

Creating a Profile

1. Go to the Profiles tab.
2. Click + Add Profile.
3. Name it and select which dictionaries it should use.
4. In the Shortcuts tab, set the lookup hotkey for the new profile.

Anki Integration

DokiDokiDict can export words directly to Anki while you're reading. You'll need to download the AnkiConnect add-on in Anki.

Setup

1. Install the AnkiConnect add-on in Anki (code: 2055492159).
2. Make sure Anki is running.
3. In DokiDokiDict's Anki tab, check Enable Anki Integration.
4. Set your deck name and note type.
5. Map the fields: which Anki field gets the word, reading, definition, and sentence.

Exporting

While the popup is showing:

• Press E to export the currently highlighted entry
• Press 1-9 to quick-export a specific numbered entry

The export button in the popup changes to show status: + (ready) → … (sending) → ✓ (added).

Exported cards include the word, reading, definition, and the sentence you were reading as context.

Skip Known Words

Check "Skip known words" in the Anki tab. If enabled, words with mature Anki cards (interval > 21 days) won't show furigana.

Hotkey Reference

All hotkeys are configurable in the Shortcuts tab. These are the defaults:

Lookup

Furigana

AI

Anki Export

Settings Overview

Quick reference for each tab in the settings window.