Wakan 1.67

Wakan is a comprehensive learning tool for Japanese and Chinese languages that will assist users in learning two languages by providing dictionaries, a character list, an editing tool, a translator tool and a vocabulary. Each section of the application can be accessed from the main screen.

The character list can only be displayed if a user has installed one of the Chinese or Japanese fonts which are available from Microsoft. If these fonts are not installed, users will still be able to use the application, but they will not be able to visualize specific Japanese or Chinese characters.

The "Dictionary" section provides access to four dictionaries, allowing users to search for words from Chinese/Japanese into English and vice versa. Besides its translation into the selected language, the searching results will provide the phonetic and written forms of the researched word. If the Japanese and Chinese fonts are not installed, the written form of the word will be replaced by small squares.

The "Editor/Translator" section will allow access to simple editing options and to automatic translation of the typed text into the selected language, while the "Vocabulary" section will allow users to add new words manually, import word lists or export a list into Excel format.

To sum up, Wakan is a useful tool for English-speaking learners who need an aiding tool for improving their Chinese or Japanese. It can be a reliable writing tool provided the Japanese/Chinese fonts are installed on the user's PC.