Questions about imiwa??

No. The entire dictionary, kanji database, stroke diagrams, and example sentences are bundled inside the app and stored on your device. imiwa? works completely offline — on a plane, in a remote area, or anywhere without Wi-Fi or mobile data. The only features that require internet access are iCloud sync and Apple Intelligence AI translations (when using cellular data).

imiwa? provides dictionary definitions in up to four languages: English, French, German, and Russian. English definitions are available for all 218,822 entries in the JMDict database. French, German, and Russian definitions are available for a subset of entries. You can search in any of these four languages, plus Japanese (kanji, hiragana, katakana) and romaji. Apple Intelligence AI translations can provide on-device glosses in additional languages including Spanish, Italian, Korean, and Portuguese.

The current version of imiwa? requires iOS 26 or later. It runs on iPhone and iPad. imiwa? takes full advantage of iOS 26 features including Liquid Glass design, Apple Intelligence, and the latest SwiftUI capabilities. The companion Apple Watch app requires watchOS 26 or later.

imiwa? is completely free to download and use. There are no subscriptions and no advertisements, and no feature is ever locked behind a paywall. All features — including the full dictionary, kanji tools, analyser, flashcards, and AI translations — are available to everyone at no cost. The only in-app purchases are optional tips. If you find imiwa? useful, you're welcome to leave a tip in the app or make a donation to support continued development, but it's entirely optional.

imiwa? offers several ways to look up a kanji without knowing how to type it:

• Handwriting recognition — Draw the kanji with your finger. imiwa? uses on-device recognition to match your strokes to the right character.
• Multi-radical visual search — Select the radicals you can see in the kanji from a visual grid.
• SKIP lookup — Classify the kanji by its visual pattern (left-right, up-down, enclosure, or solid) and stroke counts.
• Four Corner lookup — Build the kanji's Four Corner code by picking the shape of each of its corners.
• Camera — Point your camera at the kanji and tap it to look it up instantly.
• iOS keyboard — Use the Traditional Chinese character recognition keyboard built into iOS to draw kanji directly in the search bar.

Yes. Vocabulary lists, flashcard decks, and notes sync automatically via iCloud across all your iPhone and iPad devices signed into the same Apple ID. You can also use the Backup & Restore feature to export and import your data manually.

Apple Intelligence is Apple's on-device AI system available on compatible iPhone and iPad models. imiwa? uses it to translate dictionary glosses into additional languages — including Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, and more — privately on your device, without sending any data to a server. No subscription is required. AI translations may occasionally make mistakes; always verify AI output before using it for important, professional, or formal purposes.

The JMDict database is a collaborative project maintained by the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group (EDRDG). English translations are provided for all entries. French, German, and Russian translations are contributed by a separate set of volunteers and are only available for a subset of the dictionary. This is a characteristic of the underlying open-source data, not a limitation of imiwa? itself.

Visit your system accessibility settings and add premium voices for the languages that you want. You can also select one voice in particular if you have several premium voices. Unfortunately Siri voices are not available for third-party applications.

Yes. imiwa? can import backups from several popular Japanese dictionary apps. Export a backup from your previous app, then open the file with imiwa? (from the Files app or a share sheet) and your vocabulary lists are imported. You can also restore imiwa?'s own backups from Learn → Backup & Restore.

Yes. Turn on Auto Clipboard Look-up in Settings. While imiwa? is open, it watches the clipboard and looks up Japanese text automatically, so you can copy a word in another app and find it already looked up when you switch back. An eye button next to the Paste button in Search turns it on or off at any time.