As someone who loves both coding and learning Japanese, I’ve always wished there was an open-source, truly free tool for learning Japanese, kind of like what Monkeytype is in the typing community (fun fact: we actually have 2 Monkeytype devs on board with us now!)
Unfortunately, most language learning apps these days are either paid or closed-source, and the few free ones that are still out there haven’t really been kept up to date. I felt like that left a gap for people who just want a straightforward, open-source, high-quality learning tool that isn’t trying to milk them and/or sell them something.
That being said, I didn’t want to just make another “me too” language app just for the sake of creating one. There needed to be something special about it. That’s when I thought: why not truly hit it home and do something no other language learning app has done by adding tons of color themes, fonts and an extremely fun and customizable experience, as a little tribute to the vibe that inspired me in the first place, Monkeytype.
So, that’s what I’m doing now. We’ve already hit half a thousand stars on GitHub and reached thousands of Japanese learners worldwide, and we’re looking to grow our forever free, open-source platform even more.
Why? Because Japanese learners and weebs deserve a free and genuinely fun learning experience too.
Live demo: https://kanadojo.com/
If you wanna make our day by dropping us a star or even contributing, then you can do so here --> https://github.com/lingdojo/kana-dojo ^^
どもありがとうございます！
Why do so many programmers seem to be learning Japanese? I have been noticing this trend for literally decades at this point.
They watch anime, want to watch it when it releases without subtitles lol
Weebs.
They are filthy weebs.
.
.
.
I know because I am one.
The majority, maybe, but I don’t even like anime or J-pop. It’s all about the culture and the awesome writing system.
I mean… that makes you a weeb. Youre obsessed with Japanese culture. Otaku is the term for nerds who like manga and anime jpop, etc, etc.
I think if they like just the overall culture a lot and aren’t a weeb, Japanophile is appropriate.
I wouldn’t describe me as obsessed, though. Nothing in my house or on my person is Japanese besides a pair of chopsticks I was gifted that I don’t even use. If I didn’t say anything you wouldn’t know that I can read it by looking anywhere but my browsing history that includes the news, Wikipedia and a handful of YouTubers.
I wouldn’t mind being a weeb but it’s only a niche interest as much as I’m into other things like board games and art. You don’t have to be a weeb to see learning Japanese as a personal challenge and a hobby.
Are you a programmer?
Yep.
Many westerners idolize, fetishize, and fantasize about Japanese culture, history, and people.
And while the Japanese deserve hearty praise for their aesthetics, cultural philosophy, poetry, martial disciplines, and contributions and achievements in science and engineering, even the most casual of perusal of their history reveal that, for many centuries, and one could argue currently, they have been a society of masochists ruled by sadists.
Alas, aren’t we all, I suppose.
I learned some Japanese from doing origami, because at the time, the best books I had access to were in Japanese. That may seem disconnected from your question, but I consider it relevant, because I feel that my love for origami and my love of programming stems from the same place in me
origami isn’t just picture books? fold me impressed