Help
Requirements
- macOS 14 or later (2023 and later)
- Apple Silicon
- Japanese text on the display
- Screen Recording permission for Peek
Rubiyomi itself does not require macOS 15. Full-sentence English in Meaning does. See Offline use and sentence Meaning.
Installation and first use
Open the notarized Rubiyomi disk image. Drag Rubiyomi onto Applications, eject the image, then open Applications → Rubiyomi. It lives in the menu bar.
The first run walks through the shortcut, optional AI, and Japanese Translation when needed. Default shortcut: ⌥ Space. Change it in Settings → General. Open the tutorial again from the menu bar (Tutorial).
Screen Recording permission
macOS asks the first time you peek. Allow Rubiyomi. If you declined, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording and turn Rubiyomi on, then try again.
Rubiyomi does not continuously record video. It captures a still of your display so you can select text.
Making a selection
- Press ⌥ Space, or choose Peek at Japanese.
- Draw a tight rectangle around the Japanese.
- Read the Japanese and its reading first.
- Close the window when you are finished.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Explains the selected Japanese in English. Dictionary glosses work on your Mac. Full sentences have extra setup, described below. Meaning does not use online AI by itself. |
| Breakdown | Shows notes about individual words. Explain more appears when an online explanation is already on the card. |
| Speak | Reads the Japanese aloud with a voice on this Mac. If optional AI is on, Speak can use Rubiyomi’s online voice instead. |
| Use AI | Shown only if optional AI is on. Re-reads the selected rectangle and explains it. |
Romaji is off by default. Turn it on in Settings → Reading. Peek text size is on that tab too.
Keep a window open from the ⋯ menu (Pin to front) or from Settings → General → Pin to front. While it is pinned, Esc goes back to the game instead of closing Rubiyomi.
Offline use and sentence Meaning
Readings, basic word help, and spoken Japanese on this Mac work without the internet and without AI.
Meaning for a full sentence uses Apple’s on-device translation on macOS 15 or later when the Japanese and English translation language packs are installed. On macOS 14, or if those packs are not installed, Meaning uses local dictionary glosses instead.
If sentence Meaning is missing on macOS 15+, install the Japanese and English translation language packs (System Settings → Language & Region), then try again. Setup can open Language Settings for you when AI is off.
Troubleshooting
- No capture: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording → Rubiyomi on.
- Weak reading: draw a tighter rectangle around the words.
- Fullscreen games, overlays, and focus changes can fail or look odd. Rubiyomi captures a still so you can select text. The game may keep running underneath. There is no published list of tested games yet.
- Little or no Meaning: the local dictionary is not complete. On macOS 15+, install Japanese and English translation language packs for sentence Meaning.
- Speak fails: install a Japanese voice on this Mac, or check optional AI settings if that path is on.
Optional AI
Optional AI is off by default. Turn it on in Settings → AI if you want Use AI, Use AI by default, or the online Speak voice.
Use AI by default sends each Peek for reading and meaning instead of the local path. Use AI (when AI is on but not by default) sends only the rectangle you drew, then the recognized text, and only after you click it. See Privacy.
Support
Email support@rubiyomi.com or call 775-471-3490.
On this Help page, Rubiyomi Support (bottom right) opens an optional AI help desk that answers from support documentation. It can still be wrong. Prefer email or phone for anything important. See Privacy.
Purchase
Rubiyomi · $11.99 once (promotional pricing may apply). Buy once. Lifetime updates on your purchase channel. See Terms.
Requires macOS 14+ (2023) on Apple Silicon. Direct: license key, up to 3 Macs, 7-day offline grace. See Buy.
Lost your Direct license email? Use Recover your license with the purchase address — we email a one-time code, then resend your key(s).
Technical details and acknowledgments
Word help uses a bundled extract of JMdict/EDICT from the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 under the EDRDG licence.
Local text recognition runs on your Mac. Optional AI uses Rubiyomi’s servers when enabled.
Ordinary customers should not need Recovery. Capture-reset and research controls live under Settings → Recovery.