# Sumiyomi - Japanese Reader — Furigana · Scan · Flashcards

> Furigana · Scan · Flashcards (iPhone/iPad app by 昶 黄.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumiyomi-japanese-reader/id6761248040 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [昶 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882273731)
- Category: Education, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 19 MB
- Languages: Korean, German (Germany), Vietnamese, Norwegian Bokmål, European Spanish, American English, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) and 4 more
- Released: 2026-03-28
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumiyomi-japanese-reader/id6761248040/reviews.md

## What is Sumiyomi?

Can't read the kanji? Just paste and tap — furigana appears instantly.

Sumiyomi makes it effortless to read any Japanese text. Copy a sentence, paste it into the app, and tap "読む" (Read). Beautiful furigana annotations appear above every kanji character.

◆ Three Display Modes
· Furigana — hiragana readings above kanji
· Kana — convert everything to hiragana
· Romaji — convert to Latin characters

◆ Key Features
· Fully Offline — no internet required, works anywhere
· iPad Optimized — split input and results side by side on large screens, making reading and editing easier in landscape
· Image Text Recognition — scan photos and screenshots, review the OCR text, then add readings
· Flashcard Study Mode — review kanji words with tap-to-flip cards and shuffle
· Favorite Words — star any word to save it; study only your favorites with a dedicated deck
· Progress Card — see this month parses, favorited words, and consecutive day streak right on the home screen, glowing brighter the longer you keep it
· Katakana Furigana (optional) — show hiragana readings above words like コーヒー and アルバイト; toggle in Settings
· iOS Share Sheet (text & images) — Japanese text from Safari/Notes, or photos, screenshots, and manga pages; tap Share and pick Sumiyomi to recognize and show readings right there
· iCloud Sync — history and favorites stay in sync across iPhone and iPad via your private iCloud
· Clipboard Detection — automatically detects copied Japanese text
· Text-to-Speech — listen to Japanese text read aloud with a native voice; the word being spoken underlines in real time, and a long-press lets you choose Slow / Normal / Fast
· One-Tap Copy — quickly copy and share annotated results
· History & Favorites — revisit your past lookups anytime
· Home & Lock Screen Widgets — "word of the moment" flashcard that refreshes hourly and prioritizes your favorites; tap to jump back into the full sentence
· History Search & Export — find past lookups by keyword and export to CSV with clearer error handling
· Full VoiceOver Support — every control is accessible
· Dark & Light Themes — elegant Japanese ink-and-paper aesthetic
· 14 Localisations — UI available in English, Japanese, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, Spanish, Norwegian, Indonesian, German, Thai, Brazilian Portuguese, and Hindi

No account required. No ads. No subscriptions. Just a clean tool that works.

Built for Japanese learners, translators, and anyone who encounters Japanese text.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.4.1 — 2026-08-13

v3.4.1 — Improved vertical OCR accuracy
- Improved image processing for more accurate recognition of printed kanji and numbers on iOS 17 and iOS 18
- Results may still vary with print quality and page layout, so please review the recognized text before using it
- If you run into a problem or have an idea, tap Send Feedback in Settings

### 3.4.0 — 2026-08-01

Vertical OCR on iOS 17 and iOS 18
- Scan in the main app can now recognize vertical Japanese text in books and printed pages on iOS 17 and iOS 18
- A dedicated on-device vertical model automatically takes over when standard recognition finds no text
- Switch between Auto, Horizontal, and Vertical in the review screen. Results may contain errors depending on print quality and page layout
- Images and recognition stay on your device and are not sent to an external service
- If you run into a problem or have an idea, tap Send Feedback in Settings

### 3.3.2 — 2026-07-31

Clearer OCR compatibility guidance
- On iOS 17 and iOS 18, Sumiyomi now explains that horizontal OCR remains available while vertical OCR requires iOS 26 or later
- The message shown when no text is found is now more helpful
- If you run into a problem or have an idea, tap Send Feedback in Settings

### 3.3.1 — 2026-07-29

Stability improvements
- Learning stats record more efficiently, and older low-use query data is pruned
- When nothing is due today, you see a clear empty state instead of a completion screen
- Starred history is clearer vs favorite words used in Daily Review
- Very long text is safely limited to the first 5,000 characters before analysis
- If you run into a problem or have an idea, tap Send Feedback in Settings

### 3.3.0 — 2026-07-28

Japanese vertical OCR
- On iOS 26 and later, Sumiyomi can automatically detect and recognize vertical Japanese text in books and printed pages
- Switch between Auto, Horizontal, and Vertical in the review screen to recognize the original image again
- Improved photo orientation handling makes horizontal OCR more reliable too
- If you run into a problem or have an idea, tap Send Feedback in Settings

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All apps by 昶 黄: https://appshunter.io/developer/1882273731

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*