matt-m-o / YomiNinja

Open-source OCR and dictionary tool.

YomiNinja

YomiNinja is an application for extracting text from any type of visual content and is designed with language learners in mind.

Demonstration with 10ten

v0.3.x.demo.av1.mp4

Demonstration with Yomichan

merged_github.mp4

The extracted text overlays the original content, allowing for quick look-ups with pop-up dictionaries like 10ten, Yomitan and Inkah.
It minimizes distractions and simplifies the process of looking up unfamiliar words.
This is especially beneficial for language learners who study through videos or games.

YomiNinja is perfect for:

• Language learners who study through games, videos, or any other visual content.
• Anyone who values a distraction-free, efficient way to look up unfamiliar words.
• Users looking for seamless text extraction and workflow improvement.

Check out this video by ganqqwerty to get started quickly and easily!

Dictionary Extensions

YomiNinja supports web browser dictionary extensions, enabling convenient word lookup without external applications.
While not all extensions are currently installable, 10Ten and Yomitan have been successfully tested and are included as pre-installed options for simplified installation.

Installation

Windows

You need Windows 10 or 11 and VCRedist installed.
If you are using the N or KN edition of Windows 10 or 11, please be aware that you will also need to install the Media Feature Pack. This is necessary to ensure that all the required DLLs are installed.

Download and install the latest YomiNinja release.

Linux

YomiNinja currently offers support for distros using the X11 window system. Wayland is not supported due to its limitations with global shortcuts and window positioning.

1. Install xdotool.

2. Download the YomiNinja package corresponding to your distribution.

3. Install the package. For example, on Debian-based distributions:

   sudo dpkg -i yomininja-e_x.x.x_amd64.deb
   

macOS

Download and install the latest YomiNinja release (.dmg file).

Notes:

• The list of available languages for the Apple Vision OCR engine depends on your macOS version.
• Manga OCR will be supported in version 0.8 and above.
• Native support for ARM64 (Apple Silicon) is coming in version 0.8 and above.

Current features

• Text extraction from the entire screen or specific window.
• Built-in pop-up dictionaries.
• Chrome Extensions (partial support).
• OCR Templates (predefined text areas, optimizing OCR efficiency).
• Auto OCR.
• Text to speech.
• WebSocket for Texthookers.

Planned Features

• Text extraction from snip.
• Anki integration.
• History.
• Text translation.
• Support for more OCR engines.
• Support for more TTS voices.

Supported Languages

• English
• Japanese
• Chinese
• Korean

Supported OCR Engines

• PaddleOCR
• Google Cloud Vision
• Google Lens

Building

1. Clone the git repository

   git clone https://github.com/matt-m-o/YomiNinja.git && cd YomiNinja
   

2. Build OCR services:

   cd ./ocr_services/py_ocr_service
   ./gen_grpc_service.bat
   ./build.bat
   cd ../..
   ./copy_py_ocr_service_build.bat
   

3. Based on your platform, download and extract the latest build of PPOCR-Inference-Service into the appropriate directory:

   • Windows: ./bin/win32/ppocr
   • Linux: ./bin/linux/ppocr

4. (optional) Download 10ten v1.15.1 for Chrome, and place the zip file into the following directory:

   ./yomininja-e/extensions/
   

5. Install node modules. Note: --force is used due to outdated react-furi peerDependencies, but it should function normally.

   cd yomininja-e && npm install --force
   

6. Generate gRPC Protobuf types

   npm run grpc-types
   

7. Build

   npm run dist
   

Inspired by:

• Yomichan
• mokuro
• kanjitomo-ocr