Always within reach
A global shortcut summons Honyac from whatever you are working on, without interrupting your flow.
Honyac Translation, closer at hand. More your own.
Honyac is a local AI translator you can call from anywhere on your Mac. Move between Japanese and English quickly — and understand why each translation reads the way it does.
WHY HONYAC
Three values
How Honyac brings translation closer
Local and private
Runs on the local LLM you choose, such as Ollama or LM Studio. You decide which model to use.
Learn from translation
Grammar, words, and expressions are explained in the language you choose, so each translation teaches you usable English.
TRANSLATE
Type once, translate instantly
Honyac detects the direction automatically
新しい機能のリリースは来週を予定しています。
We plan to release the new features next week.
Copy- Handles everything from single words to long passages
- Paste into the input field and translate
- Copy the result with one click
- No need to pick a direction every time
UNDERSTAND
Explanations that help you understand English
Translation is only the beginning — what you learn stays with you
We plan to release the new features next week.
How the sentence works
"plan to + base verb" expresses a future intention. The tense is present, but "next week" points to a future time.
Worth remembering
- release
- to make something available to the public
- feature
- a function or notable part of a product
- plan to 〜
- to intend to do something (base verb after "to")
- The explanation always covers the English side, regardless of direction
- Japanese → English: the generated English is explained
- English → Japanese: the original English is explained
- Sentence-level grammar, word order, tense, and natural phrasing
- Important words and phrases explained one by one
The language used for explanations is configurable. It defaults to your macOS system language; choose Japanese and the grammar and vocabulary notes appear in Japanese.
FROM YOUR BROWSER
Translate from your browser’s right-click menu
From the page you are reading, straight into Honyac
- 1
Select text in your browser
Select the passage you want to translate in Safari, Chrome, or another browser.
- 2
Right-click → Services → "Honyacで翻訳"
Choose "Honyacで翻訳" from the Services submenu of the context menu.
- 3
Read the translation and explanation
Honyac opens with the translation of the selected text and its English explanation.
Honyac registers itself as a macOS service, so keep Honyac.app in the Applications folder.
YOUR SHORTCUT
Call it with your own shortcut
Decide the fastest path for your own setup
- Defaults to ⌥⌘H
- Register any combination with ⌘, ⌥, or ⌃
- Combinations already in use by other apps or macOS are detected as conflicts
- If registration fails, the previous shortcut is kept
- Check the current shortcut and registration status in Settings
Default
⌥⌘H
Customizable in Settings
LOCAL LLM
Works with your local LLM
Choose the model yourself
Ollama support out of the box
Set the endpoint and model name in Settings and you are ready. Honyac connects to Ollama at http://127.0.0.1:11434 by default.
OpenAI-compatible APIs
Works with local setups that expose an OpenAI-compatible API, such as LM Studio. Connection type, endpoint, and model are configurable.
You stay in control
Which model to use and where to connect is entirely up to you. No cloud API key is required.
ROADMAP
Languages and future Pro features
The initial release focuses on Japanese ⇄ English. Support for more languages is planned as a future paid activation (Pro) feature.
Initial release
Japanese ⇄ English
Future Pro feature (planned)
Support for more languages
HOW TO USE
Three ways in
Type, shortcut, or right-click — start whichever way suits you
Type
Open Honyac and paste your text into the input field.
Shortcut
Summon it from anywhere with your global shortcut.
Right-click
Send selected text from your browser via the Services menu.
PRIVACY
Privacy
Translation traffic stays within the endpoints you configure
- Translation is performed by the LLM you configure as the endpoint
- With a local setup such as Ollama, your text can be translated without sending it to an external cloud
- The model and endpoint are chosen by you
- Actual network behavior depends on your connection settings
Note: actual network behavior depends on your connection settings.
FAQ
Using Honyac and what it supports
What are the system requirements?
Honyac requires macOS 14 or later.
Can I use it without Ollama?
Yes. Honyac also works with local setups that expose an OpenAI-compatible API (such as LM Studio) or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint you manage. You specify the model and endpoint in Settings.
Does it support OpenAI-compatible local APIs like LM Studio?
Yes. In Settings, choose the OpenAI-compatible connection type and enter the endpoint and model name.
Can I change the shortcut?
Yes. The default is ⌥⌘H, and you can register any combination that includes ⌘, ⌥, or ⌃ from Settings.
What happens if the shortcut conflicts with another app?
Combinations already in use are detected as conflicts. If registration fails, the previous shortcut is kept. You can check the current shortcut and its registration status in Settings.
Can I change the explanation language?
Yes. It defaults to your macOS system language and can be changed in Settings. Choose Japanese and the grammar and vocabulary notes appear in Japanese.
How do I use the browser right-click translation?
Select text in Safari or Chrome, then choose right-click → Services → "Honyacで翻訳". Honyac opens and translates the selection. Keep Honyac.app in the Applications folder so it registers as a macOS service.
Are more languages planned?
The initial release covers Japanese ⇄ English. Support for more languages is planned as a future paid activation (Pro) feature. It is not available yet.
Start translating with your local LLM
Once Honyac is available, you will be able to download it from this page. In the meantime, take a look at how it works.