How do I look up a kanji if I don't know the reading?

Every language learner eventually hits the same moment: you recognize a kanji but cannot remember how it is read. If you're asking how do I look up a kanji if I don't know the reading?, open the dictionary and type the kanji itself or an English meaning you associate with it. You do not need an ON or KUN reading first. Instead of digging through separate decks for characters, vocabulary, and conversation phrases, the dictionary gives you one search box that reaches across your whole library at once. Type a character, an English keyword, a reading, or even text from your own saved notes, and results from all three content types come back together in a single scrollable list, colour-coded by how well you know each one.

This page walks through exactly what you can search for, how to read a result card, what the coloured status badges mean, and how the Studying list differs from a search. By the end you'll know not just how do I look up a word or kanji when you're mid-conversation, but also how to use the dictionary as a daily reference tool alongside your regular study sessions.

Search

What you can search for

The search box matches on several fields at once, so there isn't a "right" way to phrase a query - type whatever you remember and the dictionary works from there:

• The character or word itself - 木, 明日, こんにちは, or a Chinese/Korean/Spanish equivalent, typed directly.
• An English keyword or meaning - "tomorrow," "tree," "hello" - the same word you'd reach for in a sentence.
• A reading - an ON/KUN reading for Japanese, pinyin for Chinese, or Jyutping for Cantonese - useful when you remember how something sounds but not how it's written.
• Part of a scene conversation line, if you're trying to place a phrase you heard in a dialogue.
• Your own saved notes or stories - a personal mnemonic you wrote yourself, not just the official keyword.

Because characters, vocabulary, and scene lines share one index, a single query can return a character, a vocabulary word built from it, and a scene line that uses it in context, all in the same results list. That's a big part of what makes the dictionary the fastest answer to how do I look up a word or kanji in the middle of studying, rather than switching between three separate search tools.

Reading and meaning

How do I search by reading or meaning?

You don't need to pick a mode first - the same box handles both. You can use this as a kanji dictionary by reading or meaning, depending on which clue you remember. To search by reading, type the sound rather than the written form: an ON or KUN reading for a Japanese kanji, pinyin for a Chinese character, or Jyutping for a Cantonese word. This is the fastest path when you can recall how a word sounds in conversation but have forgotten (or never memorized) its written characters. To search by meaning, type the English keyword you associate with the item - the same word you'd use describing it to a friend. Both approaches feed into the same ranked results, so a query like "ashita" (a reading) and a query like "tomorrow" (a meaning) can surface the very same vocabulary card.

Here's a quick way to think about which approach to use, depending on what you remember:

1. If you remember how it sounds but not how it's written, type the reading (ON/KUN, pinyin, or Jyutping).
2. If you remember what it means but not the exact character, type the English keyword.
3. If you remember the character or word itself, just type it directly - no romanization needed.
4. If none of those work, try a phrase from a scene conversation or one of your own saved notes - both are searchable too.
5. Tap the result card that matches to open its full detail page with every reading, meaning, and example sentence attached.

Results

Reading a result card

Each card in the results list shows enough to identify the item at a glance without opening it: the character or word, its primary reading, a short keyword or meaning, and - for characters - a hint of its "used in" relationships to related characters that share a primitive component. Tapping a card opens its full detail page, where you'll find every reading, example sentences drawn from a real sentence database, alternate forms (like simplified versus traditional Chinese), and any notes or mnemonic story you've saved. This detail page is the same one you'd reach from a character or vocabulary deck during a normal study session - the dictionary is simply a faster route into it.

Status

What do the status colours mean?

Every result card also carries a colour-coded badge showing where that item stands in your review schedule, so you can scan a long list and spot what needs attention without opening each card individually. The four statuses are consistent everywhere in the app - the dictionary, the Studying list, and library search results all use the same colours and the same meaning:

Because these are the same four colours across every screen that shows learning status, once you learn what they mean in the dictionary, you already know what they mean on the Studying list and in library search - there's nothing extra to memorize per screen.

Studying list

The Studying list

While the dictionary is for looking things up on demand, the Studying list is a standing view of everything currently in your active rotation - every character, word, and scene line you're actively reviewing, gathered in one place without needing to search for anything. You can filter it by:

• Language - see only your Japanese items, or only Spanish, when you study more than one language at once.
• Module - narrow to just characters, just vocabulary, or just scene conversations.
• Status - check only what's currently Due, or everything that's Paused across every language.

It's a good place to start a focused review session, or to do a quick health check before adding new material - if your Paused filter turns up more items than you expected, that's a sign to go resume a few before they're forgotten entirely.

Lookup vs. study

Looking things up without studying them

You don't need an item to be in your review queue to look it up - this is one of the most useful distinctions to understand once you know how do I look up a word or kanji in the first place. The dictionary works as a general reference: check a reading, see a primitive breakdown, or browse related "used in" characters, all without that item ever entering your active study rotation. It's there whenever you want to confirm something mid-conversation or out of curiosity, completely separate from your scheduled reviews. If you decide afterward that an item is worth learning properly, you can add it to a deck from its detail page - but a lookup alone never changes your review schedule.

Search strategy

How do I use a language learning dictionary when I only know part of a word?

If you are asking how do I use a language learning dictionary, begin with the information you actually have rather than translating a complete English sentence. Search a character, spelling, reading, or short meaning; inspect the result; then refine. A language learning dictionary is most useful as an investigation tool, not just a machine that returns one equivalent word.

Search by native spelling when you can copy it

Native text is usually the least ambiguous starting point. Copy the smallest meaningful unit from a sentence, removing punctuation and surrounding particles only when you know they are separate. For Chinese and Japanese, search a whole word before searching its individual characters. For languages with inflection, try the form you saw first; if results are poor, reduce it to a likely dictionary form.

Search by reading when you heard the word

Enter the reading or romanization used by the guide for that language. Treat a reading search as a candidate list because several words can sound alike. Compare meaning, script, tone or accent information, and example sentences before deciding which entry matches the audio. The surrounding sentence is evidence: a noun-shaped gap, a polite ending, or a common collocation can eliminate an otherwise plausible result.

Search by meaning when you need a word to say

Use a short concept such as “receipt,” “to borrow,” or “quiet,” not a paragraph. English prompts often return several target-language choices with different formality, grammar, or range. Read the examples and usage notes; do not assume the first result is interchangeable with every English use. If you need a word for a real message, look for an example whose situation resembles yours.

Evaluate an entry

How can I tell whether a dictionary result is the right word?

Check four signals together: form, meaning, grammar, and context. The form must match what you saw or heard. The meaning must fit the specific sentence. The entry's part of speech or pattern must fit the slot. At least one example should show a similar use. A result that matches only the English gloss is not yet confirmed.

For a word with several senses, create a note that names the sense you are learning, not a long list of every possible translation. “bank — financial institution” is a better first retrieval cue than an undifferentiated block containing riverbank, storage bank, and banking verbs.

From lookup to learning

What should I do after I find a word in the dictionary?

1. Confirm the entry: compare the source sentence with the entry's form and example.
2. Listen once or twice: notice the part of the pronunciation that was not obvious from spelling.
3. Open the detail: inspect components, related forms, examples, and notes that explain why the word behaves as it does.
4. Save selectively: add the item to study when you expect to meet or use it again, not merely because it appeared once.
5. Write one useful cue: record the source situation, a contrast with a confusing word, or a short memory story.
6. Retrieve it later: let the shared review system bring it back instead of repeatedly rereading the entry immediately.

This workflow answers how do I use a language learning dictionary more completely than “type a word and read the definition.” The goal is to turn an uncertain encounter into one confirmed form, one relevant meaning, and one future retrieval opportunity.

Common mistakes

What dictionary habits slow language learning down?

Saving every result

An enormous review queue can bury the vocabulary that matters. Save words tied to your current level, recurring interests, real conversations, or a lesson you are actively studying. Leave rare curiosities searchable without making them due cards.

Learning translations without usage

Two target-language words can share an English gloss but differ in politeness, object type, region, or grammar. Add a short example or contrast to the note. If you cannot explain when you would choose the word, the translation alone is incomplete.

Looking up every unknown word before reading on

First decide whether the word blocks the main meaning. If not, finish the sentence or paragraph and infer a provisional sense. Look it up afterward. This preserves reading flow and gives you more context for choosing the correct entry.

Treating character components as word definitions

A character's primitive breakdown can support memory without predicting the modern meaning of every word that contains it. Use component labels as retrieval cues, then rely on the actual word entry and examples for meaning and grammar.

When a lookup remains uncertain after these checks, keep the source sentence in your note and ask a focused question in the community. That is a responsible part of how to use a language learning dictionary, especially for regional or informal language.

Dictionary learning questions

Should I use a bilingual or monolingual dictionary?

A bilingual dictionary is efficient for beginners and for confirming a core meaning quickly. A monolingual learner dictionary becomes useful when definitions and examples in the target language are understandable enough to add nuance instead of confusion. The transition does not need to be all or nothing.

Use bilingual results to identify candidates, then inspect target-language examples, usage labels, and collocations. For a difficult abstract word, compare both. The best dictionary is the one that lets you choose and use the word accurately, not the one that creates the most difficult reading task.

How do I look up a word when I heard it but do not know the spelling?

Write the sounds you are confident about, note the sentence position, and search the reading or romanization supported by the language. Try a shorter sound sequence rather than guessing many complete spellings. Then compare candidate meanings and example sentences with the original situation.

For tonal languages, tone can separate otherwise similar candidates. For languages with inflection, the sound you heard may be a changed verb or adjective form. Keep the surrounding audio or sentence because grammar often identifies the dictionary form.

Why should I learn collocations instead of single-word translations?

Collocations are words that commonly occur together, such as a verb with a particular noun or an adjective with a conventional preposition. Two words can be grammatical together yet sound unusual because another combination is preferred. Record one short partner phrase when a lookup reveals this pattern.

Instead of learning only “decision,” learn the equivalent of “make a decision” in the target language. Instead of recording a preposition as an isolated translation, keep the verb-preposition or adjective-preposition phrase that licenses it.

When should I stop looking up unknown words while reading?

Look up a word immediately when it blocks the main event, repeats often, or appears central to your goal. Delay lookup when the sentence remains understandable and stopping would break reading flow. Mark the word, finish the passage, and see whether later context resolves it.

After reading, choose only a few words for detailed study. A dictionary should clarify meaningful encounters, not turn every page into a list-building exercise. Frequent low-value lookup can reduce exposure to complete sentences and make reading feel slower than it needs to be.

Retain useful lookups

How can I remember words I find in a dictionary?

Keep the source sentence, choose one relevant meaning, listen to the pronunciation, and write a short phrase you could actually use. Retrieve the word later from that situation rather than rereading the complete entry. If the word contrasts with a familiar synonym, record the deciding difference.

Do not save every lookup. A word becomes a strong study candidate when it repeats, blocks important meaning, belongs to your current topic, or is something you expect to produce. Let rare words remain searchable. Selective review leaves more time to meet high-value vocabulary in several contexts.