kanji text recognition

[metablue]

When I come across a new kanji in a paper or book, I have a really hard time finding it in a dictionary. The fastest way (at work) is to open a drawing program, copy it the best I can, then send the picture to a Japanese-speaking friend. But sometimes he's busy or on vacation.

It'd be great if there was an online tool that took the place of my friend. I'd copy the kanji into a box with my mouse and the tool would try to tell me which it is.

[Harv]

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi- ... dic.cgi?1R

Just select the radicals that make up the kanji and you should find the kanji you're looking for.

[Shaydwyrm]

The Microsoft Japanese IME also has a handwriting recognition module. If you have Japanese Input on a Windows PC you can probably set it up.

I actually prefer the WWWJDIC Multiradical input that Harv mentioned, but that's just because I don't like drawing with a mouse ><

[jemstone]

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1R

Just select the radicals that make up the kanji and you should find the kanji you're looking for.

that's really useful! but some of the definitions are rather simple... lacks details for the definitions.

[metablue]

Thank you! That's really helpful.

After posting, I also remembered that I have a book called "Kanji Fast Finder". The kanji are categorized visually depending on shape. I think I got frustrated with it before because it only has the jouyou kanji, but for those it's quite useful.