An app I made specifically to help me study Japanese vocabulary. I thought you might get some use out of it too.
Go to "Word List & Settings" to pick your word list. Head to "Word Selection" to select the exact words you want to study.
Once you're done, go to "Learn" to start learning!
This site is not optimized for mobile at this time.
About
I had paused actively learning Japanese in July 2012.
I found myself suddenly getting back to it mid-January 2022 after I could not get enough of a manga I read. I decided not to wait for the next release in English. Instead, I read it in Japanese.
Reading one manga in Japanese lead to another and soon enough, I was making a custom word list of all the words I wasn't familiar with (which was a lot!). (Not just from manga either – applications I used and even a video game helped contribute to the list.)
I knew I wanted to study it the same sort of way I did with learning hiragana and katakana – the typing game of RealKana.
Problem was...a vocabulary version just didn't exist.
Especially not one that let me use my own word list.
So I built it.
How to Use
Designed typing gaming-style. Type in the answer and see if you're correct. It's very easy to get started:
Go to "Word List & Settings" and select your word list, set your settings, select desired font(s);
Go to "Word Selection" and select at least 5 words;
Go to "Learn" to start learning!
Reading V.S. Meaning
You can choose whether you want to learn the reading of the word in Japanese or the meaning of the word in English or BOTH (it defaults to both).
You will see a label displayed to indicate if you are meant to type the meaning or the reading.
ENG – indicates English meaning (when doing both)
日本語 – indicates Japanese reading (when doing both)
意味だけ • Meanings ONLY – indicates meaning in English ONLY
読みだけ • Readings ONLY – indicates reading in Japanese ONLY
While you can only type in English letters for the English meanings, you can type in either romaji or kana for the readings!
At this time, there a glitch with using kana to answer. The test will check your answer before you're actually done typing – but don't worry. Keep going! If you are correct, it will eventually let you move on. If it doesn't let you move on, try typing in romaji.
Supplement, Not Replacement
This app isn't meant to replace your other learning methods – it's to act as a supplement or a compliment to them!
Some words inside of the list(s) may be considered rude or are non-standard words. Make sure to do some additional research before you use them!
Use with other resources for a full learning experience.
Updates
1.1.2 – all I did was add the ability to hold down shift to select multiple words. It was probably the number 1 feature I realized I wanted.
Credit to this CodePen by Daniel Hoppener and ChatGPT for helping me! (Or in the case of ChatGPT, doing it for me and giving me a thoroughly explanation – it was definitely above my current skill level).
1.1.1 – full lists loaded, uploaded this to website, bug fixes, general improvements.
Bug Fixed: readings of words validating on length, not answer
Bug Fixed: full list for Yomiwa takes 6+ minutes to load – now it loads in a matter of seconds (Genki probably would have had the same problem, but I fixed it before the list was done.)
Bug Fixed: filter system broken
かな validation is still an issue. I have concluded that it is currently a lack of skill & knowledge. I will fix it in time.
1.0.0 – initial app uploaded with test files to GitHub.
App Version: 1.1.1
Word List & Settings
Learning Focus
Select what you would like to focus on.
Randomization
Randomize the words and the corresponding answers (if applicable).
Does not jumble the words and the answers to come up at different times. The answers always correspond with the selected word.
Choose a Font
Display words in the font of your choice.
If more than 1 font is selected, the font will randomly change with each word selected.
Word Selection
Please select at least 5 words to start learning.
Words Selected: 0
Learn
Type the answer into the textbox below.
Look at the label to know if you need to type the Japanese reading (kana or romaji) or English meaning. If the word is already in kana, answer it with the same kana, otherwise use romaji.
If you don't know the answer, hover to reveal it underneath the answer box.
There are currently a few glitches when using かな (kana) that are currently in the process of being fixed: 1.) when typing in kana, answers validate before you're done typing and come out wrong – keep typing anyway; 2.) sometimes the word stops validating altogether in kana when doing the readings. In this case, just switch over to romaji to keep moving forward.
I may have eventually landed on this concept myself, but Hoo Logic's RealKana was like a shortcut to understanding one of the most effective ways for me to learn. It has stuck with me for years.
It wasn't just the typing that made RealKana so effective for me – it was the instant feedback. If I got the word right, it moved on. If I got it wrong, it would stay and would not move until I answered correctly. I made sure to include such a feature in my own app.
Thank you, Hoo Logic, for your incredible RealKana. Even over a decade since I used your site, I can still read kana (hiragana and katakana) with ease. I hope that my own app can serve a similar purpose to all who use it.
Flatfile: csvjson – converting CSV into JSON (a format containing a collection of data – in this case, the actual word list)
ChatGPT – used on the Genki word list to quickly add the word type(s) (it had mistakes, but it made it faster to correct them), format word types into an array faster than I could, fix a syntax error I couldn't figure out on my own
ChatGPT – answered my questions and made corrections, particularly on holding down shift to select multiple words and using a DIV instead of a LABEL tag (due to a glitch in Firefox)
Word Sources
Various manga
Various novels
Various other books
My phone
Social Media sites set in Japanese
My friends
Clip Studio Paint Help Documents (Japanese) – [View Guide]