does renshuu have something where I can see similar kanji to the searched one? I sometimes encounter kanji which i mistake for a different one but can not remember which. This feature would definitely help. I know it might be not that easy to implement.
The hard part is deciding which kanji are similar. The answer depends on the user and their background. Advanced users may confuse similar sounds or meanings of characters that look entirely different. Beginners may confuse similar looking characters that differ by only a stroke, but have vastly different meanings and readings.
I believe the best way to approach this is to build a database of what kinds of mistakes users actually make when taking quizzes, and I wonder if Michael isn’t already doing that.
There is always the possibility to go to the dictionary of renshuu (book symbol in the upper right), click Kanji, click the "Handwriting input" symbol, and write the Kanji with the mouse in the field (or touchscreen I suppose). The dictionary will in this case offer a number of Kanji which look more or less to the input. HTH
I highly recommend a touchpad over a mouse. It’s not as easy to use as a touchscreen, but trying to enter kanji with a mouse is an exercise in frustration.
I don't think such a feature exists, but I can give you some tips. If you're not learning to write kanji, you should consider it. Learning to write them forces you to memorize stroke order. This helps a ton in differentiating between similar looking kanji. It also helps to write your vocab words. You can enable handwriting on your mastery schedules.
Renshuu pro has kanji handwriting, but if you can't afford it, there's always Ringotan.
Besides handwriting, try and pay attention to your vocab words. You'll notice patterns where similar kanji are used in very different kinds of words. Noticing those patterns can help you remember which kanji is which. As an example, let's look at 動 and 働. You'll notice, as their definitions suggest, that 動 is used in words related to animals and movement while 働 is used in words related to working. Once you pick up on that pattern in your vocab words, you might notice that 働 has the person component. Why? Because people work. Now you'll almost never confuse the two.
Thank you all for your advice. I want to be able to write by hand one day, but at this point, it's just too much effort and takes time away from other activities which are more important to me (getting as many words and as much grammar under my belt).
I just found a website which does exactly what I was looking for:
Maybe some of you might be interested. I don't exactly know if the developer is using only free resources or if there is some AI in there, but maybe Michael could understand the code or even use it as it is, because it's openly shared on GitHub. However, the idea of using the mistakes of all the users is also really interesting.
