Cotobara Blog
Guides for learning Japanese vocabulary
Spaced repetition, JLPT strategy, kana, grammar foundations, and honest comparisons with the other tools you are probably already using.
Anki Alternatives for Japanese: Tools That Skip the Setup
Cotobara, WaniKani, Bunpro, renshuu, jpdb, Migaku, Torii and Kitsun compared as Anki replacements, plus the cases where Anki is still the right answer.
Japanese Vocabulary for Family, Home, and Daily Life
Japanese vocabulary for family members, rooms and household items — including the own-family vs. someone-else's-family distinction beginners miss.
Essential JLPT N3 Vocabulary: 50 Words to Reach Intermediate
Essential JLPT N3 vocabulary by theme — abstract nouns, verbs and adjectives with readings and meanings — for the jump from N4 to real intermediate Japanese.
Japanese Onomatopoeia: Giongo and Gitaigo Explained
Japanese onomatopoeia explained — giongo (sound words) and gitaigo (mimetic words) that native speakers use constantly and textbooks barely touch.
Common Japanese Adjectives: 50 i- and na-Adjectives to Know
50 common Japanese adjectives, both i-adjectives and na-adjectives, with readings and meanings — the descriptive words behind almost every sentence.
Flashcards vs Sentence-Based Vocabulary: Which Works Better?
Flashcards or sentence-based vocabulary learning for Japanese — where flat flashcards fall short and why context-first study wins for retention.
Japanese Vocabulary for Travel: Words You Will Actually Use
Japanese vocabulary for travel — airport, trains, hotels and shopping words — organized by where you will need them, not alphabetically.
Beginner Japanese Vocabulary: Question Words and Time
Beginner Japanese vocabulary that word-frequency lists undercount — question words, time expressions, and frequency adverbs you need from week one.
How to Memorize Japanese Vocabulary Without Forgetting It
How to actually memorize Japanese vocabulary — context, spaced repetition, active recall and audio — and why flat word lists don't work on their own.
Common Japanese Vocabulary for Everyday Conversation
Common Japanese vocabulary for talking about feelings, opinions and small talk — words the frequency lists and phrasebooks both tend to skip.
Why Vocabulary Should Come Before Grammar in Japanese
Vocabulary or grammar first? The case for learning Japanese words before rules, and how to fold grammar in without stalling out.
Everything Cotobara Does: A Complete Feature Tour
A tour of Cotobara: the SRS engine, lessons, word breakdowns, the arcade, analytics, levels and badges, audio, JLPT progress, and WaniKani import.
Learn Hiragana and Katakana Free with Cotobara
Cotobara's free 32-lesson hiragana and katakana course: taught on the kana chart itself, with audio, three question directions, word building, and a speed round.
Cotobara vs Renshuu: Which Vocabulary Tool Fits You?
Renshuu is a broad all-in-one Japanese platform; Cotobara is a finished 8,700-word vocabulary course with nothing to configure. How to choose.
Why WaniKani and Cotobara Work Well Together
WaniKani teaches you to read kanji; Cotobara turns that into a living vocabulary you can use. Why the two together beat either one on its own.
The 50 Most Common Japanese Words for Beginners
The most common Japanese words and why frequency order pays off faster than any themed list, plus how far the first 1,000 words actually get you.
How to Use Cotobara with WaniKani (Step-by-Step Setup)
Connect WaniKani to Cotobara in a minute: what gets imported, the four overlap filters, and how to stop reviewing words you have already burned.
How Long Does It Take to Pass JLPT N3?
How long JLPT N3 takes from zero and from N4, what the level actually demands in vocabulary and grammar, and a study plan that fits your exam date.
Set Up Cotobara for Your Level: The Study Settings
Configure Cotobara so it stops teaching words you know: starting level and half-levels, the rare-word filter, daily new-word limit, furigana, audio.
Cotobara vs Bunpro: Grammar vs Vocabulary, and Why Both
Bunpro is spaced repetition for Japanese grammar; Cotobara is a finished 8,700-word vocabulary course. Where they differ, and how they fit together.
Track Your JLPT Progress: Cotobara's Dashboard Explained
Cotobara's dashboard answers one question: am I ready for the exam? Per-level mastery, weekly accuracy, your review schedule, and problem words.
The Best Order to Learn Japanese Vocabulary
Frequency order, JLPT order, or themed lists? Which order to learn Japanese vocabulary in, and why the first 1,000 words matter more than the next 3,000.
Browse 8,000+ Japanese Words: Cotobara's Vocabulary Catalog
Browse and search 8,000+ Japanese words by JLPT level, with readings, meanings, example sentences, bookmarks and personal notes.
Cotobara vs Duolingo: Which Actually Builds Vocabulary?
Duolingo's practice loop is recognition, and Japanese is where recognition-only breaks down. Why format beats course size, and what Cotobara does instead.
The Best Apps for Learning Japanese in 2026
Cotobara, Anki, WaniKani, Bunpro, renshuu, Duolingo and more, ranked by which job they do best, with a comparison table and the combinations that actually work.
Essential JLPT N5 Vocabulary: 80 Words Every Beginner Needs
The most essential JLPT N5 vocabulary, grouped by theme with kanji, readings and meanings, plus how to actually make the words stick.
Furigana, Audio, and Hover-to-Translate Sentences
Furigana you can switch off, audio on every word and sentence, hover-to-translate, and kana typing with no IME: reading support in Cotobara.
How Many Words Do You Need for Each JLPT Level?
A realistic look at the vocabulary and kanji counts behind JLPT N5 to N1: where the numbers come from, why they are a guide, and how to get there.
Cotobara vs Anki: Which SRS Setup Keeps You Studying?
Anki is flexible and unopinionated; Cotobara is a curated, ready-to-study vocabulary system. An honest comparison of when each one actually wins.
Spaced Repetition for Japanese: A Beginner's Guide
What spaced repetition is, why it suits Japanese vocabulary better than any other subject, which SRS apps to use, and how to review daily without drowning.
What's the Best Anki Deck for Learning Japanese?
Kaishi 1.5k, Core 2k/6k, Tango, RTK and mining setups compared, with a table, setup settings, and the faster option if you would rather skip deck-hunting.
Japanese Word Breakdowns: Why Does This Word Mean That?
Cotobara entries explain the word: kanji components, how the parts combine, a mental model, usage notes, etymology. Why that beats memorizing a gloss.
Is WaniKani Enough to Pass the JLPT?
WaniKani teaches kanji brilliantly but was never a JLPT study plan. Where it helps, where it leaves gaps, and exactly what to add for each level.
How Many Kanji Do You Actually Need to Know?
2,136 jōyō kanji is the number everyone quotes, and the wrong target for most learners. What each range of kanji actually buys you, by JLPT level.
Why You Can Recognize Kanji but Can't Recall the Words
You know the word when you see it, but it never comes when you need it. Why recognition without recall is the most common Japanese plateau, and the fix.
JLPT N5 Grammar List, Grouped by What Each Point Does
The complete JLPT N5 grammar set: particles, verb forms, adjectives, sentence patterns, grouped by what each one actually does, not alphabetically.
How Cotobara's SRS Builds Your Review Schedule
How Cotobara schedules reviews: why every word has two cards, what a wrong answer costs, why answering late still counts, and why a mastered word checks back in.
Cotobara vs WaniKani: Do You Need Both to Learn Japanese?
WaniKani drills kanji readings; Cotobara builds usable JLPT and everyday vocabulary. What each one is for, and whether you should use both together.
How to Study for the JLPT: A Complete Guide
A section-by-section JLPT study plan: vocabulary, grammar, reading, kanji and listening, plus the sectional minimum that catches people out.
How to Learn Japanese with Anime (Without Fooling Yourself)
Anime is real, motivating Japanese input, if you use it right. How to actually learn from anime instead of watching subtitles and absorbing nothing.
Essential JLPT N4 Vocabulary: 50 Intermediate Words to Know
Essential JLPT N4 vocabulary by theme: verbs, nouns and adjectives with kanji, readings and meanings, to bridge beginner to intermediate Japanese.
The Best Way to Learn Kanji Without Burning Out
Radicals, mnemonics, RTK, handwriting, or kanji inside real words: the main approaches compared, and how to pick the one that fits your goal.
Japanese Politeness Levels: Plain, Polite (です/ます), and Keigo
です/ます, plain form, and keigo: how Japanese politeness levels work, which one to learn first, and when using the wrong register sounds wrong.
い-Adjectives vs な-Adjectives: The Difference
Japanese has two adjective classes that conjugate differently. How to tell them apart, the full conjugation grid, and the exceptions that catch everyone.
The 50 Most Common Japanese Verbs, with Readings and Groups
The most common Japanese verbs with readings, meanings and example sentences, grouped by conjugation type so you can use them, not just recognise them.
Japanese Numbers and Counters: A Practical Guide
How to count from 1 to 10,000 in Japanese, why 4 and 7 have two readings, and how counters like 人, 枚, 本 and 個 work, with the ones you really need.
The Japanese て-form: How to Make It and Use It
The て-form connects actions, makes requests, and builds the progressive tense. The formation rules for every verb group, plus its main uses.
How Cotobara Lessons Work and How to Set Your Pace
Inside a Cotobara lesson: batches of five words, guess-first cards with audio and example sentences, checks interleaved through the run, and how to set a daily limit.
Japanese Particles Explained: は, が, を, に, で, and More
は, が, を, に, で, と, の and more: what each Japanese particle does, with clear examples and the distinctions beginners get wrong most often.
How to Learn Japanese by Yourself: A Realistic Plan
A month-by-month self-study plan for learning Japanese without a class: what to study in what order, what to pay for, and the traps that stall you.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Japanese?
How long it really takes to learn Japanese, by goal: travel-functional, conversational, JLPT N3, and fluent, with the study hours behind each.
は vs が: The Difference Explained Simply
は marks the topic, が marks the subject, the most-asked question in Japanese grammar, explained with clear examples you can actually rely on.
Japanese Sentence Structure: Why the Verb Comes Last
Japanese word order for English speakers: SOV, particles instead of position, dropped subjects, and modifiers before nouns, with clear examples.
Japanese Verb Conjugation: The Three Verb Groups
Japanese verbs split into three groups, and once you can tell them apart conjugation becomes predictable. How to identify each group and conjugate it.
Japanese Greetings and Basic Phrases, and When to Use Them
Konnichiwa, arigatou, sumimasen: the Japanese greetings and phrases beginners need, plus the register traps that make textbook Japanese sound wrong.
Hiragana and Katakana: Your First Step in Japanese
Learn hiragana and katakana in about two weeks: what each script is for, the characters that trip everyone up, and why romaji costs you time later.
Is Japanese Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer
Japanese is ranked one of the hardest languages for English speakers. What is genuinely hard, what is surprisingly easy, and how long it really takes.
How to Start Learning Japanese: A Beginner Roadmap
A step-by-step roadmap for absolute beginners: kana first, then core vocabulary, grammar and kanji, in the order that actually keeps you going.