Kotomora is a modern Japanese dictionary built for learners who want more than quick definitions. Search in Japanese, English, romaji, or handwriting; analyze complete sentences; and understand nuance through usage notes, natural examples, pitch accent, conjugations, related words, kanji details, and translation guides. Available free on the web, iOS, and Android.
Hey Product Hunt! 👋 I’m Jeff, the solo developer behind Kotomora.
I’m currently studying Japanese in Tokyo, and I built Kotomora because I kept running into a problem with conventional dictionaries: definitions answered the first question—“What can this word mean?”—but often not the more important ones:
- Which word fits this particular situation?
- How is it actually used?
- How is it different from similar words?
- Why does this sentence mean what it does?
Kotomora is my attempt to bring those answers together in one place.
With Kotomora, you can:
🔎 Search in Japanese, English, romaji, kana, kanji, or by handwriting
🧩 Break down complete sentences into vocabulary and grammar
📖 See distinct meanings with natural examples, pitch accent, conjugations, frequency, and JLPT information
🔗 Explore synonyms, easily confused words, word families, related kanji, and common usage patterns
🗣️ Use translation guides to understand how English ideas map to natural Japanese
🗂️ Browse vocabulary by JLPT level, part of speech, theme, and collections such as onomatopoeia, idioms, proverbs, and keigo
Kotomora is free on the web, iOS, and Android. I built the entire product myself while attending Japanese language school, and this is still only the beginning.
My longer-term goal is to create a complete platform for understanding Japanese: reference tools that answer questions at the moment they arise, combined with learning tools that teach the same information in a coherent sequence.
I’d especially love feedback from Japanese learners, language-tool makers, and anyone interested in dictionaries or search:
What feels immediately useful? What is still confusing? What would make you come back regularly?
Thanks for checking out Kotomora! 🙏
Report
Honestly love that it covers pitch accent and usage notes alongside basic definitions—most dictionaries just give you a translation and call it a day. The handwriting search is a really thoughtful touch too, makes it way more forgiving for learners still getting used to kanji.
Report
Maker
@melisterze Thank you! I’m really glad that stood out to you. That was one of the areas I most wanted to improve over traditional dictionary experiences. Please let me know what you think after you’ve had more time to use it.
Report
Reviews
No reviews yetBe the first to leave a review for Kotomora
Honestly love that it covers pitch accent and usage notes alongside basic definitions—most dictionaries just give you a translation and call it a day. The handwriting search is a really thoughtful touch too, makes it way more forgiving for learners still getting used to kanji.
@melisterze Thank you! I’m really glad that stood out to you. That was one of the areas I most wanted to improve over traditional dictionary experiences. Please let me know what you think after you’ve had more time to use it.