Kaku

Kaku is an open-source Android application for Japanese learners who study from authentic material displayed on a screen. It is intended for reading raw manga and playing untranslated games, where Japanese text is already visible within the activity. The application focuses on recognizing kanji from that screen content for dictionary use.

Kaku stays on top of other applications so its dictionary and OCR workflow remains available while the source material stays visible. Its primary task is identifying Japanese characters directly from on-screen content. This approach supports lookup from the material itself instead of requiring the user to switch to a separate dictionary and enter text elsewhere.

Kaku fits the Productivity category because it is designed to support a focused language-learning workflow. Its defining OCR function also places it within MirrorNest’s Android OCR category. The open-source license identifies Kaku as software that can be distributed as an openly developed application.

MirrorNest mirrors the official Kaku build directly on its own storage. Before publishing it, MirrorNest scans the mirrored build for malware. This distribution setup provides an Android catalog copy while retaining the connection to the official build.