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Meikipop offers extensive customization of the dictionary popup’s appearance. Choose from built-in themes or create your own custom color scheme.

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Built-in themes

Meikipop includes four carefully designed color themes plus a custom option.
Dark gray theme with cyan and green highlights
Background: #2E2E2E (dark gray)
Foreground: #F0F0F0 (light gray)
Word highlight: #88D8FF (cyan)
Reading highlight: #90EE90 (light green)
Opacity: 245/255
Named after the Nazeka browser extension that inspired meikipop. Provides excellent readability with comfortable colors for extended reading.

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Changing themes

1

Open Settings

Right-click the meikipop tray icon and select Settings.
2

Navigate to Popup Appearance tab

Click the Popup Appearance tab in the Settings dialog.
3

Select a theme preset

In the Theme section, choose a preset from the Preset dropdown.
4

Preview (optional)

The changes apply in real-time. Trigger a lookup to see the new theme.
5

Save

Click Save to make your changes permanent.
Theme changes take effect immediately without restarting meikipop.

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Customizing colors

You can customize individual colors to create your own theme.

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Color settings

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color_background
hex color
default:"#2E2E2E"
Background colorThe popup window’s background color.Tips:
  • Dark backgrounds (#1E1E1E - #4E4E4E) reduce eye strain in low light
  • Light backgrounds (#E0E0E0 - #FFFFFF) work better in bright environments
  • Avoid pure black (#000000) or pure white (#FFFFFF) for better comfort
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color_foreground
hex color
default:"#F0F0F0"
Foreground colorThe default text color for definitions, part of speech, and body text.Tips:
  • Ensure high contrast with background (4.5:1 minimum for readability)
  • Light gray on dark background is easier on eyes than pure white
  • Dark gray on light background is more comfortable than pure black
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color_highlight_word
hex color
default:"#88D8FF"
Word highlight colorColor used for the main word form (kanji/kana) and kanji characters.Tips:
  • Choose a bright, saturated color for emphasis
  • Should stand out from foreground color
  • Common choices: cyan, gold, red, bright blue
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color_highlight_reading
hex color
default:"#90EE90"
Reading highlight colorColor used for furigana/reading text in square brackets.Tips:
  • Should be distinct from word highlight color
  • Slightly less saturated than word color works well
  • Common choices: light green, lavender, orange, pink

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Picking custom colors

1

Open color settings

Navigate to Settings → Popup Appearance → Colors section.
2

Click a color button

Each color setting has a button showing the current color. Click it to open the color picker.
3

Choose your color

Use the color picker to select a new color:
  • Pick from the color wheel
  • Enter a hex code (e.g., #FF5733)
  • Use RGB sliders for precise control
4

Confirm selection

Click OK in the color picker. The button updates to show your new color.
5

Test and iterate

Trigger a lookup to see your color in action. Adjust as needed.
6

Save changes

Click Save in the Settings dialog to apply your custom theme.
When you customize any color, the theme automatically switches to “Custom” to preserve your changes.

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Adjusting opacity

Control the transparency of the popup background.
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background_opacity
integer
default:"245"
Background opacityControls how transparent the popup background is.Range: 50-255
  • 255: Fully opaque (no transparency)
  • 245: Slightly transparent (default)
  • 200: Noticeably transparent
  • 150: Highly transparent
  • 50: Very transparent (minimal visibility)
Slight transparency (230-250) makes the popup feel lighter and less obtrusive while maintaining excellent readability.

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How to adjust

  1. Open Settings → Popup Appearance
  2. In the Theme section, adjust the Background Opacity slider
  3. The label shows the current value (50-255)
  4. Changes preview in real-time
  5. Click Save to apply
Very low opacity values (below 150) can make text difficult to read, especially over complex backgrounds like games or videos.

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Typography settings

Customize fonts and sizes for optimal readability.

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Font family

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font_family
string
default:""
Font familyThe font used for all popup text. Empty string uses the system default.Recommended Japanese fonts:Windows:
  • Yu Gothic - Modern, clean (default on Windows 10/11)
  • Meiryo - Excellent screen readability
  • MS Gothic - Traditional monospaced
  • MS PGothic - Proportional variant
macOS:
  • Hiragino Sans - System default, excellent quality
  • Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro - Classic choice
  • Hiragino Mincho Pro - Serif style
Linux:
  • Noto Sans CJK JP - Google’s high-quality font
  • Noto Serif CJK JP - Serif variant
  • IPAGothic - Free, widely compatible
  • TakaoGothic - IPA-based alternative
Leave this setting empty to use your system’s default Japanese font, which is usually a good choice.

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Font sizes

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font_size_header
integer
default:"18"
Header font sizeSize in pixels for the main word and reading.Range: 8-72Guidelines:
  • 14-16: Compact (more entries visible)
  • 18-20: Comfortable (default range)
  • 22-26: Large (easier to read)
  • 28+: Very large (accessibility)
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font_size_definitions
integer
default:"14"
Definition font sizeSize in pixels for definitions and body text.Range: 8-72Guidelines:
  • 12-13: Compact
  • 14-15: Standard (default)
  • 16-18: Comfortable
  • 20+: Large
Keep definition size 2-4 pixels smaller than header size for good visual hierarchy.

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Changing typography

1

Open Settings

Navigate to Settings → Popup Appearance.
2

Find Typography section

Scroll to the Typography group.
3

Select font (optional)

Choose a font from the Font Family dropdown. Fonts are filtered to show Japanese-compatible options.
4

Adjust sizes

Use the spinboxes to set:
  • Font Size (Header): Main word size
  • Font Size (Definitions): Body text size
5

Test readability

Trigger a lookup to see how your changes look in practice.
6

Save

Click Save to apply your typography settings.
For visually impaired users: Try font_size_header = 24, font_size_definitions = 18, and a clear sans-serif font like Noto Sans CJK.
Control how the popup is positioned relative to your cursor.
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popup_position_mode
string
default:"flip_vertically"
Position modeDetermines how meikipop positions the popup to avoid screen edges.
Default and recommended
  • Appears below cursor by default
  • Flips above cursor if no space below
  • Pushes horizontally to stay on screen
Best for: General use, games, manga

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Changing position mode

In Settings → General → Popup Behavior:
  1. Locate the Position Mode dropdown
  2. Select your preferred mode
  3. Click Save
  4. Test by moving cursor to different screen positions
Try Visual Novel Mode if you’re reading text that appears at the bottom or top of the screen. It’s designed to minimize obstruction.

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Content display options

Control what information appears in the popup.

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Compact vs expanded mode

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compact_mode
boolean
default:"true"
Compact mode
Multiple definitions on one line, separated by semicolons.
食べる [たべる] to eat; to live on; to make a living
Pros:
  • More entries fit on screen
  • Faster to scan
  • Less popup movement
Best for: Quick lookups, compact displays

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Information visibility toggles

All of these are configured in Settings → Popup Content.
Show all glosses (default: false)When enabled, shows every gloss for each definition instead of just the first.Example:
  • Disabled: to eat
  • Enabled: to eat, to consume, to devour, to gobble up
Makes popups longer but more comprehensive.
Show deconjugation (default: false)Displays the deconjugation process for inflected forms.Example:
食べられる [たべられる] (食べる ← potential form)
Helpful for learners to understand verb conjugations.
Show part of speech (default: false)Adds part-of-speech tags to definitions.Example:
(1) (v1, vt) to eat
(2) (exp) to make a living
Tags like v1 (ichidan verb), vt (transitive), exp (expression).
Show tags (default: false)Displays dictionary metadata tags in the header.Example:
食べる [たべる] [common, jlpt-n5, v1, vt]
Includes frequency, JLPT level, and word type information.
Show kanji entries (default: true)Includes kanji information in lookup results.When disabled:
  • Only vocabulary entries shown
  • Faster lookups
  • Shorter popups
When enabled:
  • Shows kanji meanings, readings, examples
  • More comprehensive
  • Helpful for learning kanji
Show examples (default: false, kanji only)Displays example words containing the kanji.Example:
食 [ショク, ジキ]
食, eat, food
食事 [しょくじ] meal; 食べ物 [たべもの] food
Only applies to kanji entries. Requires show_kanji = true.
Show components (default: false, kanji only)Shows the radical components that make up the kanji.Example:
食 [ショク]
食, eat
人 person, 良 good
Helpful for remembering kanji through mnemonics.
Only applies to kanji entries. Requires show_kanji = true.

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Creating a custom theme

Let’s walk through creating a custom purple theme from scratch.
1

Start with a base theme

Open Settings → Popup Appearance.Choose Celestial Indigo as a starting point since it’s already purple-ish.
2

Customize the background

Click the Background color button.Choose a deeper purple: #1A0F2E (very dark purple).
3

Adjust the foreground

Keep foreground light for contrast: #E8DFF5 (light lavender).
4

Pick accent colors

  • Word highlight: #C77DFF (bright purple)
  • Reading highlight: #FFD60A (golden yellow for contrast)
5

Fine-tune opacity

Set background opacity to 240 for slight transparency.
6

Test readability

Trigger several lookups to test the theme with different words.Adjust if colors are too similar or contrast is insufficient.
7

Save your theme

Click Save. Your custom theme is now active!
The theme selector will show “Custom” when you have manually adjusted colors.

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Theme showcase

Here are some community-inspired themes you can recreate:

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Solarized Dark

[Theme]
theme_name = Custom
color_background = #002B36
color_foreground = #93A1A1
color_highlight_word = #268BD2
color_highlight_reading = #2AA198
background_opacity = 245

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Gruvbox

[Theme]
theme_name = Custom
color_background = #282828
color_foreground = #EBDBB2
color_highlight_word = #FABD2F
color_highlight_reading = #B8BB26
background_opacity = 245

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Nord

[Theme]
theme_name = Custom
color_background = #2E3440
color_foreground = #ECEFF4
color_highlight_word = #88C0D0
color_highlight_reading = #A3BE8C
background_opacity = 245

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Tokyo Night

[Theme]
theme_name = Custom
color_background = #1A1B26
color_foreground = #C0CAF5
color_highlight_word = #7AA2F7
color_highlight_reading = #9ECE6A
background_opacity = 245
Copy these configurations into your config.ini file and restart meikipop to try them out!

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Accessibility considerations

Recommended settings:
  • font_size_header = 24
  • font_size_definitions = 18
  • background_opacity = 255 (fully opaque)
  • High contrast theme (Academic or custom)
  • compact_mode = false (more spacing)
Color contrast:
  • Aim for 7:1 contrast ratio (WCAG AAA standard)
  • Test with a contrast checker tool
Recommended settings:
  • Clear sans-serif font (Noto Sans CJK)
  • Larger font sizes (20+)
  • Slightly lower opacity (220-235) to reduce harsh contrast
  • Warm background colors (beige, cream)
  • compact_mode = false
Protanopia/Deuteranopia (red-green):
  • Avoid red/green color combinations
  • Use blue/yellow or blue/orange instead
  • Example: word = #4A9EFF, reading = #FFB347
Tritanopia (blue-yellow):
  • Avoid blue/yellow combinations
  • Use red/green or pink/teal instead
  • Example: word = #FF6B9D, reading = #26A69A

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Performance impact

Appearance settings have minimal performance impact. Font rendering and color calculations are highly optimized by Qt.
Factors that do affect performance:
  • Very large font sizes (40+) slightly increase render time
  • Extremely long popups from show_all_glosses + many definitions
  • Multiple kanji entries with show_examples and show_components
Factors that don’t affect performance:
  • Color choice
  • Opacity level
  • Theme selection
  • Font family (assuming the font is installed)

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  • Insufficient contrast between colors
  • Opacity too low
  • Font size too small
Solutions:
  1. Switch to a built-in theme (Nazeka or Academic)
  2. Increase background_opacity to 245+
  3. Increase font sizes
  4. Use a contrast checker to verify color choices
Symptoms: Boxes, question marks, or missing charactersCause: Missing Japanese fontSolutions:
  • Windows: Install Yu Gothic or Meiryo
  • macOS: Should work by default
  • Linux: Install fonts-noto-cjk package
  • Or explicitly set font_family to an installed Japanese font
If using Settings dialog:
  • Ensure you clicked Save
  • Try triggering a new lookup
  • Check if config.ini was updated
If editing config.ini manually:
  • Restart meikipop after editing
  • Verify syntax (no typos in color codes)
  • Check file permissions
Possible causes:
  • Monitor color profile
  • Display calibration
  • Night mode/flux affecting colors
  • Graphics driver settings
These are system-level factors. Adjust your color choices to compensate or configure your display settings.

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