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This guide will walk you through using meikipop for the first time, from initial setup to performing your first dictionary lookup.
Before starting, make sure you’ve completed the installation process.

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Your first lookup

1

Launch meikipop

Start the application based on your installation method:
# Navigate to your meikipop directory and run the executable
./meikipop  # Linux
meikipop.exe  # Windows
You should see a confirmation message:
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meikipop.v.1.11.0 is running in the background.

  - To use: Press and hold 'shift' over Japanese text.
  - To configure or change scan area: Right-click the icon in your system tray.
  - Make sure to checkout the auto scan mode!
  - To exit: Press Ctrl+C in this terminal.

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Look for the meikipop icon in your system tray. This indicates the application is running.
2

Select your scan region (first launch only)

The first time you run meikipop in region mode, you’ll be prompted to select an area of your screen to scan.
  1. A selection interface will appear
  2. Click and drag to define the area containing Japanese text
  3. Release to confirm your selection
The scan region is the area meikipop will monitor for text. Choose a region that covers your game window, manga reader, or video player.You can change this later by right-clicking the tray icon and selecting “Reselect Region”.
3

Position your mouse over Japanese text

Find some Japanese text on your screen within the scan region:
  • Open a Japanese website
  • Launch a Japanese game
  • Open a manga image
  • Play a video with Japanese subtitles
Move your mouse cursor over the word you want to look up.
4

Press and hold the hotkey

Press and hold the Shift key (default hotkey).After a brief moment, a popup window will appear with dictionary entries for the word under your cursor.
The first lookup may take a few seconds depending on your internet connection, as the OCR processes the image.
The popup displays:
  • Written form: The kanji or kana spelling
  • Reading: Hiragana pronunciation (if kanji is shown)
  • Definitions: English meanings from JMdict
  • Deconjugation info: How the word was transformed (if applicable)
5

Look up additional words

While still holding the hotkey, move your mouse to other words. The popup will update instantly with new entries.Release the hotkey when you’re done to hide the popup.

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Understanding the popup

The dictionary popup shows entries in priority order, with the most relevant matches first. 
食べる  [たべる]
 ① to eat
 ② to live on; to make a living

食べ物  [たべもの]
 ① food
Each entry includes:
  • Written form (kanji/kana)
  • Reading in brackets (hiragana)
  • Numbered definitions from JMdict
If you looked up a conjugated word like 食べた (tabeta, “ate”), meikipop will show you the dictionary form 食べる (taberu, “to eat”) along with the conjugation process.

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Essential features

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Auto-scan mode

Auto-scan mode continuously scans your screen, providing lookups without pressing a hotkey.
1

Enable auto-scan

Right-click the system tray icon and select “Enable Auto Scan Mode”.
2

Configure behavior

In Settings, you can adjust:
  • Auto scan interval: How frequently to scan (0 = continuous)
  • Lookups without hotkey: Show popup automatically or require hotkey
  • Auto scan on mouse move: Trigger scan when mouse moves
Auto-scan mode is perfect for reading manga or watching videos where you want instant lookups without repeatedly pressing a hotkey.

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Scan modes

meikipop offers two scan modes:
  • Region mode: Scans a specific area of your screen (recommended)
  • Fullscreen mode: Scans your entire screen
To switch modes:
  1. Right-click the tray icon
  2. Select “Change Scan Mode”
  3. Choose “Region” or “Fullscreen”
Region mode is faster and more accurate. Use fullscreen mode only if you need to look up text across multiple windows.

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Customizing the hotkey

To change the hotkey from Shift to another key:
1

Open settings

Right-click the tray icon and select “Settings”.
2

Change hotkey

Find the “Hotkey” dropdown and select your preferred key.Available options include:
  • shift
  • ctrl
  • alt
  • And more…
3

Save and test

Click “Save” and test your new hotkey with Japanese text.

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Common workflows

  1. Launch your visual novel
  2. Select a scan region covering the text box
  3. Enable auto-scan mode for continuous lookups
  4. Configure “lookups without hotkey” so the popup appears automatically
  1. Open your manga reader or image viewer
  2. Select a scan region covering the page
  3. Use the default hotkey mode or enable auto-scan
  4. Hold the hotkey over speech bubbles to look up words
  1. Launch your video player
  2. Select a scan region covering the subtitle area
  3. Enable auto-scan mode
  4. Set a short auto-scan interval (0.5-1.0 seconds) to catch changing subtitles
  1. Switch to fullscreen scan mode for flexibility
  2. Use the default hotkey mode
  3. Hold the hotkey over words as you read

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Configuration overview

meikipop is highly customizable. Access settings by right-clicking the tray icon and selecting “Settings”. Key configuration options:

Hotkey

Change the key you press for lookups

Theme

Choose color schemes and fonts

OCR Provider

Switch between Google Lens, owocr, or custom backends

Display Options

Toggle parts of speech, tags, examples, and kanji info
All settings are saved to config.ini in your meikipop directory.
On macOS, if the settings GUI doesn’t appear, you can edit config.ini directly with a text editor.

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Troubleshooting

  • The OCR might be misreading characters
  • Try adjusting your scan region to include only clear text
  • Consider switching OCR providers (see OCR providers)
  • Increase font size in your game or application if possible
  • Use region mode instead of fullscreen mode
  • Make your scan region smaller
  • The first lookup is slower due to OCR initialization
  • Consider using a local OCR backend like owocr for offline performance

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Next steps

Now that you’re up and running, explore meikipop’s advanced features:

Configure settings

Customize appearance, behavior, and keybindings

OCR backends

Switch to owocr or create a custom OCR provider

Scan modes

Learn about region vs fullscreen scanning

Build custom dictionary

Build your own optimized JMdict dictionary

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