> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/crizmo/KAnki/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom fonts

> Install and configure language-specific fonts for proper character rendering in KAnki

KAnki requires custom fonts to properly display characters from different writing systems. This guide shows you how to install and configure fonts for your target language.

## Why custom fonts are needed

Kindle devices have limited built-in font support. For languages with non-Latin scripts (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, etc.), you must install a custom font that includes the necessary character sets.

## Font requirements

Your font file must meet these requirements:

* **Format**: TrueType Font (`.ttf`)
* **Character coverage**: Must include all characters in your vocabulary
* **File name**: Must be named exactly `language.ttf`
* **Location**: `kanki/assets/fonts/language.ttf`

<Warning>
  The font filename must be exactly `language.ttf` (lowercase). KAnki looks for this specific filename and will not work with other names.
</Warning>

## Installing a font

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find or download a font">
    Choose a TrueType font that supports your target language's character set.

    ### Recommended sources

    * [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/) - Free, open-source fonts
    * [Adobe Fonts](https://fonts.adobe.com/) - Professional fonts (requires subscription)
    * [Font Squirrel](https://www.fontsquirrel.com/) - Free commercial-use fonts
    * Language-specific repositories (see examples below)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Rename the font file">
    Rename your downloaded font file to exactly `language.ttf`:

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    mv NotoSansJP-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your Kindle">
    Connect your Kindle to your computer via USB cable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy to Kindle">
    Navigate to the KAnki fonts directory and copy your font:

    ```
    Kindle/documents/kanki/assets/fonts/language.ttf
    ```

    Replace any existing `language.ttf` file.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Disconnect and test">
    Safely eject your Kindle and launch KAnki to verify the font displays correctly.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Recommended fonts by language

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Japanese">
    ### Noto Sans JP (Recommended)

    * **Source**: [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+JP)
    * **Coverage**: Complete hiragana, katakana, and kanji
    * **Style**: Clean, readable sans-serif
    * **File size**: \~5-8 MB (depending on weight)

    ### Alternatives

    * **Noto Serif JP**: Serif style for traditional appearance
    * **M PLUS 1p**: Open-source Japanese Gothic font
    * **Sawarabi Gothic**: Lightweight option

    ### Download and install

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    # Download from Google Fonts, then:
    mv NotoSansJP-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Chinese (Simplified)">
    ### Noto Sans SC (Recommended)

    * **Source**: [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+SC)
    * **Coverage**: Simplified Chinese characters
    * **Style**: Sans-serif, optimized for screen reading
    * **File size**: \~10-15 MB

    ### Alternatives

    * **Source Han Sans CN**: Adobe's open-source font
    * **WenQuanYi Zen Hei**: Free Chinese font

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    mv NotoSansSC-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Chinese (Traditional)">
    ### Noto Sans TC (Recommended)

    * **Source**: [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+TC)
    * **Coverage**: Traditional Chinese characters
    * **Style**: Sans-serif
    * **File size**: \~10-15 MB

    ### Alternatives

    * **Source Han Sans TW**: Traditional Chinese variant
    * **Noto Serif TC**: Serif option

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    mv NotoSansTC-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Korean">
    ### Noto Sans KR (Recommended)

    * **Source**: [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+KR)
    * **Coverage**: Complete Hangul and Hanja
    * **Style**: Modern sans-serif
    * **File size**: \~5-8 MB

    ### Alternatives

    * **Nanum Gothic**: Popular Korean font
    * **Source Han Sans K**: Adobe's Korean font

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    mv NotoSansKR-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Arabic">
    ### Noto Sans Arabic (Recommended)

    * **Source**: [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+Arabic)
    * **Coverage**: Complete Arabic script
    * **Style**: Sans-serif with proper RTL support
    * **File size**: \~2-4 MB

    ### Alternatives

    * **Amiri**: Traditional Arabic font
    * **Cairo**: Modern geometric Arabic

    ```bash Terminal theme={null}
    mv NotoSansArabic-Regular.ttf language.ttf
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Other languages">
    ### European languages with diacritics

    Most Latin-based languages (Spanish, French, German, etc.) work with Kindle's built-in fonts, but you can install custom fonts for better appearance:

    * **Noto Sans**: Universal coverage
    * **Open Sans**: Clean, modern sans-serif
    * **Roboto**: Google's readable font

    ### Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian, etc.)

    * **Noto Sans**: Includes Cyrillic
    * **PT Sans**: Open-source Cyrillic font

    ### Thai

    * **Noto Sans Thai**: Complete Thai script
    * **Sarabun**: Modern Thai font

    ### Hebrew

    * **Noto Sans Hebrew**: Full Hebrew coverage
    * **Open Sans Hebrew**: Clean sans-serif option
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Converting fonts to TTF

If you have a font in a different format (`.otf`, `.woff`, etc.), convert it to `.ttf`:

### Using online converters

1. Visit [CloudConvert](https://cloudconvert.com/otf-to-ttf) or [OnlineConvert](https://www.onlineconvert.com/)
2. Upload your font file
3. Select TTF as output format
4. Download the converted file
5. Rename to `language.ttf`

### Using FontForge (advanced)

```bash Terminal theme={null}
# Install FontForge
sudo apt-get install fontforge  # Linux
brew install fontforge          # macOS

# Convert font
fontforge -lang=ff -c 'Open($1); Generate($2)' input.otf language.ttf
```

<Note>
  TTF files are preferred over OTF because they have better compatibility with Kindle's older browser engine.
</Note>

## Font file size considerations

Larger font files may slow down KAnki on older Kindle devices:

| Language | Typical file size | Notes                          |
| -------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Japanese | 5-15 MB           | Large due to kanji coverage    |
| Chinese  | 10-20 MB          | Largest due to character count |
| Korean   | 5-10 MB           | Moderate size                  |
| Arabic   | 2-5 MB            | Smaller with RTL support       |
| European | 1-3 MB            | Smallest files                 |

### Optimizing large fonts

If your font file is too large:

1. **Use a lighter weight**: Choose "Regular" or "Light" instead of "Bold"
2. **Subset the font**: Include only characters you need (advanced)
3. **Choose a simpler font**: Some fonts have smaller file sizes

## Verifying font installation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Launch KAnki">
    Open KAnki on your Kindle after installing the font.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Load a card">
    Navigate to a deck and start a study session.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check character rendering">
    Verify that:

    * All characters display correctly (no boxes or missing glyphs)
    * Text is readable and properly sized
    * Special characters and diacritics appear correctly
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Troubleshooting display issues

If characters don't display correctly:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Missing characters (boxes) theme={null}
  ❌ Font doesn't include required character set
  ✅ Download a font with complete coverage for your language
  ```

  ```text Incorrect filename theme={null}
  ❌ Font is named NotoSansJP.ttf or my-font.ttf
  ✅ Must be exactly language.ttf (lowercase)
  ```

  ```text Wrong location theme={null}
  ❌ Font is in kanki/fonts/ or kanki/assets/
  ✅ Must be in kanki/assets/fonts/language.ttf
  ```

  ```text Wrong format theme={null}
  ❌ Font is .otf, .woff, or .woff2
  ✅ Must be .ttf format
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Multiple language support

<Warning>
  KAnki uses a single font file for all languages. You cannot use different fonts for different decks.
</Warning>

If you study multiple languages with different scripts:

### Option 1: Use a multi-script font

Choose a font family that covers multiple scripts:

* **Noto Sans**: Includes variants for most world scripts
* **Arial Unicode MS**: Wide character coverage (if available)

### Option 2: Switch fonts when changing languages

Manually replace `language.ttf` when switching between languages:

1. Keep multiple font files on your computer (e.g., `japanese.ttf`, `chinese.ttf`)
2. Rename the appropriate one to `language.ttf` when transferring
3. Replace the file on your Kindle

### Option 3: Use Noto Sans CJK

For studying Japanese, Chinese, and Korean simultaneously:

```bash Terminal theme={null}
# Download Noto Sans CJK (covers all three languages)
mv NotoSansCJK-Regular.ttf language.ttf
```

<Note>
  Noto Sans CJK files are very large (15-25 MB). This may impact performance on older Kindle devices.
</Note>

## Font licensing

Ensure your chosen font allows personal use:

* **Open source fonts** (Noto, Open Sans): Free for any use
* **Commercial fonts**: Check license terms
* **Google Fonts**: All fonts are open source and free

<Warning>
  Do not distribute font files with your KAnki configuration unless you own the rights or the font is open source.
</Warning>

## Testing before full installation

Before creating a large vocabulary deck:

1. Install your chosen font
2. Create a small test deck with 5-10 sample cards
3. Verify all characters render correctly
4. Test with the most complex characters in your vocabulary
5. Check readability on your specific Kindle model

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Language setup" icon="language" href="/configuration/language-setup">
    Configure vocabulary and proficiency levels
  </Card>

  <Card title="Deck management" icon="layer-group" href="/configuration/deck-management">
    Organize your flashcard decks
  </Card>
</CardGroup>