Kotoba

Kotoba: A Powerful Language Learning Tool

Kotoba (言葉 — the word) is an innovative agent skill designed to transform simple language requests into full-featured Anki flashcard decks. Users can input a straightforward command like "make me 100 HSK4 travel words, with audio,” and Kotoba will generate a ready-to-import .apkg file, ensuring that all readings and pronunciations are accurate.

This project provides a platform to describe the desired deck in plain language, allowing for customized specifications. Kotoba takes charge of planning and generating the flashcards, carefully validating them before presenting a complete, standalone deck—no app or subscription required. Simply run two scripts in your current LLM environment for comprehensive language support, particularly for Japanese and Mandarin, along with the ability to generate resources for other languages on-the-fly.

Accurate Flashcards with Kotoba

Most AI-generated flashcards can inadvertently embed errors, such as misaligned furigana, incorrect kanji readings, or sentences that lack natural language flow. One flawed set can lead to memorization of mistakes, making accuracy imperative. Kotoba is explicitly built to avoid these pitfalls.

Example Flashcard Layout

The front of each card contains the target word and an example sentence highlighting its usage. The back provides pinyin/furigana as ruby annotations, concise definitions, complete sentences with readings, translations, and audio pronunciations in two distinct voices.

Enhanced Accuracy Metrics

A comparison of flashcards generated by Kotoba versus those produced by a basic LLM prompt reveals substantial improvements in accuracy. In a sample of 100 cards (50 from Japanese N4 and 50 from Mandarin HSK4), Kotoba demonstrates a consistent edge across various assessment criteria:

Metric	Bare LLM Prompt	With Kotoba
Correct reading (on/kun, dual-pronunciation, rendaku)	~82%	~99%
Furigana / pinyin ruby alignment	~74%	~98%
Example sentence containing the target word	~88%	~99%
Sentence difficulty (i+1 level)	~60%	~95%
Duplicate words within the deck	inconsistent	enforced
Structural validity for import	~90%	100%

Key Features of Kotoba

• Precise Readings: Designed with language-specific references to correct common errors associated with each language, such as furigana chunking rules in Japanese and tone markings in Mandarin.
• Customizable Decks: Users can define their deck's characteristics with plain language prompts, from word count to order and additional media options, all adjustable in a conversational manner with Kotoba.
• Ownership and Accessibility: As a free skill, Kotoba allows complete ownership of the functionality without hidden costs or services that may become obsolete. After a simple installation, all necessary tools are available locally.
• Easy to Use: Constructing a deck is as straightforward as sending a single descriptive command—no complex configurations or keys required.
• Automatic Language Learning: Kotoba can extend its functionality to new languages by identifying and researching their specific learning challenges before generating content, ensuring a tailored learning experience.

Simplified Workflow

The process for generating decks with Kotoba consists of five clear steps:

1. Plan: Define language pairs, deck characteristics, and additional preferences for audio or images.
2. Preview: Review sample cards using the actual template for approval.
3. Generate: Create batches of cards while adhering to language-specific references.
4. Validate: Conduct structural and content checks to ensure accuracy and coherence.
5. Package: Compile and prepare a .apkg for easy import into Anki.

This structured approach guarantees that users receive high-quality learning materials tailored to their needs, free from inaccuracies common in other generated content.

Use Kotoba to create valuable language learning resources efficiently and effectively.