FAQ
Here are common questions about Kneading Cat Typing and their answers. If your question is not covered, feel free to email us at the address on the About & Contact page.
Price and sign-up
Is it free?
Yes, every feature is free to use. The site is funded by advertising shown on its pages. We may change or add to the service in the future; if so, we will announce it in the Terms of Service.
Do I need to sign up or log in?
No. Open the page and you can start practicing right away. You never need to enter an email address or any other personal information.
Supported environments
Which browsers can I use?
The app is designed for current desktop browsers (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox and so on). The mascot on the left is drawn in 3D (WebGL), so it may not appear correctly in old browsers or where WebGL is disabled. If something looks wrong, update your browser to the latest version and try again.
Can I use it on a smartphone or tablet?
The page will display, but the app is built for practicing on a physical computer keyboard. The on-screen keyboard and the passing scores, which are calculated from how far your fingers travel, are both based on real keyboard layouts. Typing on a phone’s on-screen keyboard is not real practice for this. If you connect an external keyboard to a tablet, choose the JIS or US keyboard course that matches it.
What is the difference between a JIS keyboard and a US keyboard?
Most computers sold in Japan have a JIS (Japanese) keyboard, with keys such as “英数” and “かな” on each side of the space bar. A US (English) keyboard places some symbol keys differently; for example, @ is Shift + 2. Keyboards sold outside Japan are usually US-style. If you choose a course that does not match your keyboard, the symbol positions will not match, so be careful. You can switch courses at any time in the practice menu.
Who is the “JIS Keyboard - Japanese (Romaji)” course for?
It is for people learning Japanese. After the key-position ranks, you type Japanese sentences written in hiragana and katakana using romaji, the way Japanese is typed on a computer. The questions are not translated. If you only want to practice English typing, choose “JIS Keyboard - English” or “US Keyboard”.
Does it make sounds?
The kitten mews when you make a typo and when you finish at or above the passing score, among other times. There is no volume or mute setting in the app, so adjust the volume on your computer or browser.
Records and data
Where are my practice records stored?
The ranks you have passed, your personal best for each question and the course you chose last are stored only in your browser (local storage). They are never sent to the operator’s server. See the Privacy Policy for details. The English and Japanese versions of the site use the same records in the same browser.
Can I continue on another computer or browser?
No. Records are stored per browser, so opening the app on another device or in another browser starts from the beginning. In private browsing mode, records may be lost when you close the window.
My records disappeared.
Clearing your browser history, cookies or site data also deletes the saved records. Since records are not stored on a server, the operator cannot restore them.
How do I reset my records?
Press “Reset scores” in the “About this app” section at the bottom of the top page and confirm the message. All ranks passed and personal bests are erased, and you can start again from the first rank.
Practice and scores
In a Japanese question, I type correctly but nothing moves.
Your Japanese input method (IME) may be on. This app checks Japanese as romaji, so type in half-width alphanumeric mode. When Japanese input is on, a warning appears on screen. Also, katakana must be typed while holding Shift; if you release Shift partway through a katakana word, everything from that letter on counts as a typo.
What is the difference between the score and WPM?
The score is the number of characters typed correctly per minute. WPM is the common unit of typing speed: words per minute, counting five characters as one word. WPM is therefore roughly the score divided by five. The result screen shows both so you can compare with other typing practice.
How is the passing score decided?
It is calculated automatically for each question from the characters you type. A question you can type without leaving the home position has a passing score of 200 (about 40 WPM). The farther your fingers travel from one key to the next, and the more characters need Shift, the lower it gets. In one-handed ranks it is another 20% lower. The harder a question is to type, the lower the score it asks for.
Can I practice typing kanji?
No. The Japanese questions are about typing the hiragana and katakana readings in romaji; converting to kanji is not included. The goal is to type kana quickly in romaji.