About the vocabulary
The library contains 5,000 Japanese words and expressions, organized into 100 sets of up to 50. A starting path selects 150 useful introductory cards. Each card has a Japanese written form, a kana reading, an English study meaning, a word type, and a bilingual example. Usage labels identify known formal, informal, slang, or other register restrictions where the source supplies them; selected editorial labels cover clear gaps.
Reading support
Kanji readings belong to words, so we store the selected word’s kana explicitly. A kana line is a reading aid; it is not pitch-accent notation. Original starter examples include authored kana readings. Sourced sentences without a verified full reading show the Japanese text and English translation without an invented transcription.
Search accepts kanji, hiragana, katakana, romanized kana, and English. Full-width and half-width kana match. Search is more forgiving than exercises: typed exercise answers preserve long vowels, small kana, and grammatical endings. Romanization is a discovery aid, not a substitute for listening.
Topics and study groups
Topics help you choose a useful context. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced are suggested study groups, not assessed levels, an official JLPT syllabus, or a definitive frequency ranking. The starting path is deliberately small; expand it with words you encounter in reading and conversation.
Dictionary and sentence sources
150 cards use original introductory material. The remaining entries adapt JMdict, the Japanese dictionary maintained by the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group. We retain the selected entry and sense, permitted spelling and reading, grammatical labels, and source references. Dictionary adaptations follow the EDRDG license terms.
Sourced examples are linked to the selected dictionary meaning through JMdict’s example data and attributed to Tatoeba contributors. Each example’s source links and license are available on the card and in the data export. The English translation may use a natural equivalent instead of the exact English dictionary gloss.
Review and limitations
Automated checks validate coverage, unique IDs, readings, examples, source links, and highlighted text ranges. Source-linked senses and editorial sampling reduce mismatches, but the full library has not received an independent Japanese teacher’s review. Some examples use vocabulary or grammar beyond beginner lessons. If a card feels too difficult, return to the starting path.
Practice and progress
Practice works in both directions, through the full selected set. Familiarity, position, and preferences stay in this browser. The library loads as a separately cacheable file, with 20 entries displayed per browse page. “Familiar” is your own judgment, not a proficiency score.
Download the study data · Read the data notices · Return to practice →