Upload a scanned Japanese PDF up to 50 MB. Select the jpn language pack plus English so kanji, kana and Latin characters are all recognized. For best accuracy, use scans at 200-300 DPI; lower resolution will miss fine strokes in kanji.
Tesseract adds a searchable text layer, so you can copy or search within the file. No signup, no watermark, and files are deleted after one hour. You get 40 conversions per hour per IP, which covers most batch work.
Frequently asked questions
Why should I add both jpn and English packs?
Japanese business docs often mix kanji, kana, and Latin terms like product codes or URLs. Using both packs lets Tesseract recognize each script correctly without misreading Latin as kanji.
What if my scan is below 200 DPI?
Accuracy drops noticeably below 150 DPI because small strokes in kanji blur together. Re-scan at 300 DPI if possible; if not, expect more errors in complex characters.
Does this change the original image quality?
No. OCR only adds an invisible text layer on top of your existing pages. The visual appearance stays identical; you just gain selectable and searchable text.
Do it in the full tool
Open OCR PDF for all options, or jump straight to another step below.
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