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About KotobaHoshi ことば星

One word, one picture. Connect Japanese words with images, sounds, and context to help you remember them and put them to use.

Meet KotobaHoshi

What is KotobaHoshi ことば星 ?

KotobaHoshi ことば星 is a website for building your Japanese vocabulary. Find words by JLPT reference level, topic, or situation, explore their readings, meanings, examples, and illustrations, then strengthen your memory through study and review.

We want learning a word to mean more than memorising a translation. By connecting words with pictures, sounds, and situations, you can start where you feel comfortable, whether you are new to Japanese or expanding your vocabulary.

How to use KotobaHoshi

  1. Find words to learn.Search the vocabulary collection or browse by level, topic, and situation. Start with something that interests you.
  2. Explore words in context.Open a word card to see its meanings, readings, and examples. Where illustrations and audio are available, use them to help the word stick.
  3. Save words and build your memory.Add words you want to remember to your vocabulary notebook, then return to the home page to study and review them over time.
Explore the vocabulary →

Data and content

The collection at a glance

These figures cover published, browsable vocabulary content as of the last count. They are not updated in real time.

Words
7,811Japanese word entries available to browse
Words with trilingual meanings
7,811Entries with Chinese, Japanese, and English text for every sense
Trilingual example sets
15,622Japanese sentences with Chinese and English translations
Kanji
2,383Total published kanji entries
Topics / Situations
16 / 20Number of topics / situations containing words
Illustrated words
7,811Words with an illustration available to view
Word audio
7,811Word readings with playable audio
Example audio
15,622Japanese examples with playable audio

Counted on:

The three languages are Chinese, Japanese, and English. A word counts only when every sense has text in all three languages; an example set consists of a Japanese sentence and Chinese and English translations. Audio is counted once per reading or example. These figures describe coverage, not guaranteed accuracy; refer to each word card for its content.

Sources and curation

Our base vocabulary data comes from OpenJLPT. Its upstream sources include JMdict for word forms and readings, KANJIDIC2 for kanji information, and Jonathan Waller’s resources for JLPT reference levels. These levels are study guides, not an official, exhaustive JLPT word list.

KotobaHoshi organises the vocabulary and kanji information, adds Chinese meanings for kanji, and groups words by topic and situation based on their meanings and usage, making it easier to browse with a learning goal in mind.

AI tools help generate or supplement some Chinese meanings, Japanese explanations, examples, and translations, and are also used to create illustrations.

A note on AI-assisted content: Content may be inaccurate or incomplete and is intended as a learning aid. KotobaHoshi will continue to improve it.

Open data plans

We plan to share our curated Japanese vocabulary, kanji meanings, and topic and situation classifications through a separate open-source project, KotobaHoshi Data, for Japanese learners, educators, and developers to consult and use.

The data will be prepared and released in accordance with the original sources’ licence terms. Word-card illustrations, audio assets, the website’s code, and personal learning data are outside the scope of this release.

Topics and situations

Topics describe what a word relates to, such as food, nature, or education. Situations describe when you might use it, such as ordering food, travelling, or talking at school. These two ways to browse let you build vocabulary around your interests and prepare for everyday conversations.

Words are classified by meaning and usage and may belong to more than one topic or situation. These labels help with learning and discovery; they do not replace the definitions or limit a word to a single use.

Illustrations

Word-card illustrations are made with AI image tools to help connect words with concrete images. They usually depict one main meaning or situation and may not cover every sense, so read them alongside the definitions and examples.

Audio

Word pronunciations and example readings use VOICEVOX speech synthesis to connect written Japanese with sound. They support listening and reading practice, though intonation and pauses may differ from natural conversation. Available audio appears on each word card.

Voice credits: VOICEVOX:四国めたん、VOICEVOX:ずんだもん、VOICEVOX:春日部つむぎ。

For detailed sources, voice-library terms, and licensing information, see Sources and licences.

Acknowledgements

We thank the following projects for their inspiration, foundational data, and tools.

词光 Word Atlas ↗
An inspiration for KotobaHoshi’s learning experience and interaction design.
OpenJLPT ↗
The foundation of our Japanese vocabulary data. We also thank its upstream projects and contributors.
VOICEVOX ↗
Speech synthesis technology used for Japanese word and example audio.
OpenAI ↗
Technology and tools used for AI-assisted content and illustration generation.

For data sources, attribution, and licence terms, please read Sources and licences.