Type your Anki reviews and practice Japanese kana
Kanatyping is a free Japanese kana typing trainer for a US keyboard. Practice JIS kana or romaji, drill JLPT N5 words, and type Anki reviews — even on a phone with Anki closed.
Free Japanese typing practice for ordinary keyboards, with two input modes. JIS kana mode maps physical
key positions to kana the way a Japanese JIS keyboard does (for example the 3 key is あ,
t is か, shown with US QWERTY labels) — direct kana input, not romaji conversion, and
non-QWERTY base layouts such as Dvorak work too since matching is positional. Romaji mode drills the same
vocabulary by typing standard romaji (ka for か, with all common spellings accepted). Use a
physical keyboard, or tap the on-screen keys on a phone or tablet.
You do not need Japanese keycaps or to switch the OS IME to kana input. Extra JIS keys that a US board
lacks are remapped onto nearby keys: ] is む, Shift+] is ー,
Shift+' is ろ, \ is へ, [ is dakuten ゛, and
= is handakuten ゜. Shift makes small kana (っ ゃ ゅ ょ). Weak keys can be drilled one
click — there are no separate top-row / home-row / bottom-row lessons. Guide:
JIS kana on a US keyboard.
The page shows a word in hiragana or katakana with its meaning and an example sentence, highlights the next key, and plays audio as you type. Vocabulary decks include a hand-curated essentials set, the full JLPT N5 word list (more levels planned), and words imported from a WaniKani account. A recall mode hides the word so you type it from memory, a spaced-repetition scheduler resurfaces weak words, and a vocabulary list tracks per-word accuracy. Words are read aloud with the browser's Japanese voice after you type them. There is no account, login, or cloud save; stats persist in this browser only.
The site can also be a typing screen for Anki reviews: due cards come up in Anki's own order and are graded from how you type — a clean run is Good, a recovered mistake is Hard, revealing the answer is Again. Reading, cloze, listen-then-type audio, and meaning cards all work, and cards with a recording play it. Connect by keeping desktop Anki open with AnkiConnect, or sync Anki to this site once and review from any browser — including a phone — with Anki closed. Setup steps: how to set up Anki.
FAQ
What is Kanatyping?
Kanatyping is a free Japanese kana typing trainer for a US keyboard. Practice JIS kana or romaji, drill JLPT N5 words, and type Anki reviews — even on a phone with Anki closed.
Do I need a Japanese keyboard to practice kana input?
No. Kanatyping is built for a US QWERTY keyboard. Extra JIS keys that have no US keycap are remapped: ] is む, Shift+' is ろ, Shift+] is ー, \ is へ. Leave the OS on a US layout — the trainer matches physical key position, not IME output.
Does it work on Mac, Windows, and phones?
Yes. It runs in the browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, and phones. On a phone you tap the on-screen keys, or type on a connected keyboard — leave iOS on a US layout. You do not need a Japanese IME or Japanese keycaps.
Is Kanatyping free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it is free and there is no account. Practice stats stay in this browser. Syncing Anki to the site is optional and can be removed.
Can I review Anki on a phone without the Anki app open?
Yes. Sync Anki to kanatyping.com once, then type due cards in any browser — including a phone — with Anki closed. Grades sync back the next time Anki syncs.
How are Anki cards graded when I type?
Typing the card cleanly grades Good, recovering from a wrong key grades Hard, and revealing the answer grades Again. Grades go into Anki's scheduler.
How do I type む and ろ on a US keyboard?
] is む. Shift+] is the long vowel ー. Shift+' (next to Enter) is ろ. [ after a kana adds dakuten ゛. = after a kana adds handakuten ゜. Shift makes small kana such as っ ゃ ゅ ょ.
Live site: https://kanatyping.com/. Contact: [email protected]. Machine-readable summary: llms.txt.