One Wrong Stroke, No Kanji Match: Claude Built Him a Japanese Handwriting Dictionary in Under 2 Hours
- Level Advanced
- Setup1–3 hrs (estimated)
- Evidence Some evidence
- CostNot stated in source
- No-codeNo
What they did
A longtime programmer studying Japanese drew one stroke wrong in jisho.org's handwriting lookup and got no matches, and the site isn't open source. So he asked Claude to build something similar, splitting the dictionary into small files so it could run on GitHub Pages with no database. It was usable in under 2 hours. Later he added camera input, FSRS flashcards and syncing across his machines. Separately, Claude built him a native Mac system-audio capture app in about 4 minutes.
How it went
A personal kanji handwriting dictionary on GitHub Pages in under 2 hours, later extended with flashcards and sync.
Worth knowing
- Hacker News comment by greggman65 (Oct 20, 2026 Denver time): Claude built a sharded, database-free Japanese handwriting dictionary in under 2 hours, then camera input, FSRS flashcards and sync; he shares it free.
- Check the dictionary data's license before publishing a public copy.
Prompt
Cleaned version rewritten from the source — not a direct quote.
Build me a static web app for [task, e.g. looking up words by drawing them] that runs on GitHub Pages with no server or database. Use [open dataset] split into small files that load on demand. It should be forgiving of small input mistakes. Start with the core lookup, then list optional features (camera input, flashcards, sync) for me to choose from.
Recommended
Try it in Grok Bot
Grok Bot can hand a build like this to a coding agent and report back.
- Copy the prompt (button below).
- Open Grok Bot chat and paste it. Replace any [bracketed] placeholders.
- Connect the listed tools (GitHub) as connectors when Grok Bot asks.
- If the task repeats, ask: "Make this a daily routine."
Alternatives: the same prompt works in Claude, ChatGPT Agent, OpenClaw.
Set it up
Tools: GitHub · Stack: Claude + GitHub Pages
- Read the original source for full context.
- Connect the tools your agent needs.
- Paste the prompt and replace [bracketed] placeholders.
- Run once manually and check the output before scheduling it.
Generic suggested steps, not from the source.
Evidence
Hacker News comment by greggman65 (Oct 20, 2026 Denver time): Claude built a sharded, database-free Japanese handwriting dictionary in under 2 hours, then camera input, FSRS flashcards and sync; he shares it free. Check the dictionary data's license before publishing a public copy
Source: HN · 2026-10-20 · Verified by us: not yet · Report broken or outdated