Japanese OCR
Japanese OCR online — free. Recognize kanji, hiragana, and katakana from images and PDFs. Over 95% accuracy on printed Japanese.
Drop image or PDF here
or click to browse · paste from clipboard ( ⌘V)
ScanRead's Japanese OCR is a free online tool that extracts Japanese text (kanji, hiragana, katakana) from images and PDFs using AI. Upload a photo, and the engine returns editable text in about 2 seconds. Character accuracy exceeds 95% on printed Japanese — outperforming Google Vision in benchmarks. Free for 20 pages per day. Handles both vertical and horizontal writing.
How to use japanese ocr
Upload the document
Drop an image or PDF containing Japanese text. Manga scans, menu photos, book pages, signs, and business documents all work.
Processing runs automatically
Japanese script (kanji, hiragana, katakana) is auto-detected. Processing takes about 2 seconds per page.
Copy or translate the text
Extracted output is ready to copy, download, or paste into a translator. Vertical text direction is preserved when detected.
Common use cases
Scenarios where this tool saves time and delivers accurate, copyable text.
Manga and novels
Fans and translators extract dialogue from manga panels or light novel pages without retyping.
Restaurant menus in Japan
Travelers photograph menus, extract the text, then paste it into Google Translate or DeepL to understand dishes.
Business documents
International businesses digitize contracts, reports, and correspondence received from Japanese partners.
Language learning
Students run Japanese OCR on textbook pages, flashcards, and practice sheets to check their own reading.
Why ScanRead
AI-powered accuracy
We use PP-OCRv5, a state-of-the-art open-source model that matches Google Vision and Adobe Acrobat on printed text (95-99% accuracy) and outperforms both on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean documents.
No signup needed
Try up to 10 pages per day without creating an account. Create a free account for 20 pages per day. No credit card required.
100+ languages
Works with 100+ languages including English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, and Russian. Automatic language detection.
Frequently asked questions
Related tools
Arabic OCR
Arabic OCR online — free. Extract Arabic text from images and PDFs with high accuracy. Handles printed and handwritten Arabic script.
Open toolImage to Text
Image to text online — free. Upload any photo, screenshot, or scan and extract editable text in seconds with ScanRead's AI-powered OCR.
Open toolScan and Translate
Scan and translate text from any image. Extract content in 100+ languages, then translate with Google Translate, DeepL, or Linnk AI.
Open toolPhoto to Text
Photo to text online — free. Snap a picture with your phone, upload it, and extract editable text in seconds. Works with 100+ languages.
Open toolTry the japanese ocr tool now — free
No signup required for the first 10 pages per day. Create a free account for 20 pages per day.
Get started — it's free