About
Everything you need to know about the project
What's Included
Kanji Decks
Learn kanji with readings, meanings, stroke counts, and more. Each card includes:
- The kanji character
- On'yomi and kun'yomi readings
- English meanings
- Stroke count
- Frequency rank (how common it is)
| Level | Kanji | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N5 | 103 | Beginner level |
| N4 | 181 | Basic level |
| N3 | 579 | Intermediate |
| N2 | 160 | Upper-intermediate |
| N1 | 1,207 | Advanced |
Vocabulary Decks
Learn words with example sentences. Each card includes:
- The word (kanji or kana)
- Readings
- English meanings
- Example sentences (when available)
- JLPT level tag
| Level | Words | With Examples |
|---|---|---|
| N5 | ~7,700 | ~1,600 |
| N4 | ~15,100 | ~2,900 |
| N3 | ~68,500 | ~10,300 |
| N2 | ~13,000 | ~2,150 |
| N1 | ~65,100 | ~7,700 |
| Kana-only | ~40,700 | Words without kanji |
| Non-JLPT | ~5,100 | Words outside JLPT scope |
Tiered Decks (Advanced)
Want to focus on the most common words first? Use tiered decks!
Each JLPT level is split into 4 frequency tiers:
- Tier 1: Top 25% most common (start here!)
- Tier 2: 25-50% frequency
- Tier 3: 50-75% frequency
- Tier 4: Bottom 25% least common
This helps you learn the most useful words first within each level.
How Cards Are Organized
Kanji Levels
Based on the old JLPT system mapped to new levels:
- Old Level 4 → N5 (easiest)
- Old Level 3 → N4
- Old Level 2 → N3 or N2 (split by grade)
- Old Level 1 → N1 (hardest)
Vocabulary Levels
Words are assigned to the highest JLPT level of any kanji they contain:
- Example: A word with N5 + N1 kanji → N1 deck
- This prevents you from seeing kanji you haven't studied yet
- Kana-only words go in a separate "kana_only" deck
How Releases Work
New decks are automatically built and released monthly:
- Check for updates: The system checks for new dictionary data from JMdict
- Generate decks: Creates kanji and vocabulary decks for all JLPT levels
- Create archives: Packages everything into easy-to-download files
- Publish: Uploads to GitHub Releases with version numbers
Version numbers match the dictionary version (e.g., 3.6.2+20260209125202), so you know exactly which dictionary data your cards come from.
Release schedule: First of every month (or whenever dictionary data updates).
Other Languages
Want decks in your language? The generator supports many languages!
Available languages (check the jmdict-simplified releases):
- Russian (
jmdict-rus) - German (
jmdict-deu) - French (
jmdict-fra) - Spanish (
jmdict-spa) - Portuguese (
jmdict-por) - Italian (
jmdict-ita) - Dutch (
jmdict-dut) - And more!
See the Contribute page for instructions on generating decks in other languages.
Troubleshooting
Import shows weird characters?
→ Make sure "Allow HTML in fields" is checked when importing
Missing example sentences?
→ Only ~17% of words have examples. Common words are more likely to have them.
Files are too big?
→ Download only the specific level you need, or use tiered decks to start with common words only.
Can't find a specific kanji?
→ It might be in the "non-JLPT" vocab deck if it doesn't have an official JLPT level assigned.
License & Attribution
These decks are derived from:
- JMdict: Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group (EDRDG)
- Kanjidic2: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v4.0
- Tatoeba Examples: Creative Commons CC-BY 2.0 FR
Acknowledgments
- EDRDG - Dictionary data
- Tatoeba Project - Example sentences
- jmdict-simplified - JSON conversion