LipSurf

    Lipsurf is a nifty extension you can add to Google Chrome to control it with your voice. Open web pages, click links, and enter text with your voice alone! How does this count as a Japanese learning resource?

    It has a built-in WaniKani plugin!

    Now you can do all of your WaniKani reviews with your voice! You can see how it works in the video above, but it's all quite simple.

    Install the app, follow the prompts to learn the basics, and then head right on over to WaniKani.

    During reviews you can answer in English and Japanese. If the answer is detected correctly, it will fill automatically, marking it as correct. You can then say "next" if it was the English meaning or 「次」 if it was the Japanese reading to move on. If you're having trouble, or if the extension can't understand you, the correct answer will appear in light gray. You can then say "wrong" or 「だめ」 to manually mark it wrong.

    There were only a few occasions where I had to slow down and enunciate my Japanese so LipSurf could catch what I was saying. And it was actually faster than typing out my reviews!

    There are other shortcuts, like "show info," which opens the information for an item. "Wrap up" is just like the wrap up button, letting you finish the next ten reviews and take a break.

    The voice recognition works surprisingly well! Surprisingly, because I usually associate voice recognition with someone in their mid-fifties yelling loudly into a phone, but that's just me. There were only a few occasions where I had to slow down and enunciate my Japanese so LipSurf could catch what I was saying. And it was actually faster than typing out my reviews!

    It is really easy to cheat though, which is the only downside other than the occasional recognition misunderstanding. And of course, the way you speak English might be different, and harder for the extension to understand.

    These are just the WaniKani possibilities that come with LipSurf. There are tons of other situations where voice control of your browser will change the game. And, I hear there is going to be Anki support in the near future, so even those of you who don't use WaniKani for your kanji needs will get some love.

    Also, speaking into my computer makes me feel like I'm in the future, so there's that plus as well.

    P.S. Everyone currently has access to the Pro version of the site. This will end on November 9, 2018, so check it out sooner rather than later!

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