Flashcards

My quick and dirty flashcards app for learning Japanese.

(Sorry for the ugly code, most of it was just hacked together in a weekend.)

Usage

• Practice all cards: index.html
• Practice all cards, only English questions: index.html#en
• Focus on the last few cards (e.g. last 15): index.html#15
• Focus on the last few cards (e.g. last 15), only Japanese questions: index.html#jp,15
• Focus on a range of cards (e.g. 10-20): index.html#10-20
• Focus on a selection of cards (e.g. 1st, 2nd and 4th): index.html#1,2,4
• Continue from where you have left last time, using the hash code that the app generated (e.g. #!.3a,9,z2.149/A2,9,3): index.html#!.3a,9,z2.149/A2,9,3
• List all cards: all.html
• List only the focused cards: all.html#!.3a,9,z2.149/A2,9,3
• List only the English part of focused cards: all.html#en!.3a,9,z2.149/A2,9,3
• List only the Japanese part of focused cards: all.html#jp!.3a,9,z2.149/A2,9,3

Click anywhere to reveal the correct answer, the furigana, to rate your answer to the current card, or to jump to the next card. If you rate your answer Bad! or So-so! then the card will be added to the focus group of cards (but in the latter case, the answer will be still counted as good). To remove a card from the focus group, rate your answer Good!. If the answer to a focused card is rated Better!, then it is counted as a good answer, but the card is kept in the focus group. The more cards in the focus group, the higher the chance to get one from them.

You may use the app with my cards online from GitHub using the above links, or download it to your phone, tablet, or any device that can run a modern browser, and then customize the cards or use it offline.

You can start learning on one of your device, and continue on another using the hash codes that are displayed after each card.

Note: even when some cards are selected to be focused on, a card from the whole deck will be shown from time to time.

Note: click on the focus group length in the statistics at the upper right corner to list all the focused cards.

Browser compatibility

The app seems to work with Opera 26+ (not OperaMobile or Mini) or Chrome 26+ on Android or Chrome/Chromium 39+ on desktop. Also usable in Firefox (34.0 on Android or desktop), however, the furigana is displayed ugly.

Editing cards

Obtain the source code

Download it as a ZIP file from https://github.com/attilammagyar/jp-flashcards or use the following command on a typical Linux/Unix system:

$ git clone https://github.com/attilammagyar/jp-flashcards.git

Edit cards.roomaji.js or cards.js

For easier editing, cards can be specified in roomaji which then can be converted according to a simple syntax into kana using a small Python3 program which unfortunately requires a little bit of setup. This is not so complicated on a typical Linux/Unix system, but anyways, if you don't feel like it, you may simply edit cards.js directly.

Editing cards.js

The cards must be specified in the following format:

Flashcards.initialize([
    ["English text #1",     "Japanese translation #1",      "notes #1"],
    ["English text #2",     "Japanese translation #2",      "notes #2"],
    ["meaning",             "{kanji|readings}",             "notes #3"],
    ...
    ["English text #..." ,  "Japanese translation #...",    "notes #..."]
])

To create kanji with furigana, use the following format anywhere inside the Japanese translation or the notes, once or more:

{kanji characters|furigana}

Example cards.js:

Flashcards.initialize([
 [
  "I'm going to the supermarket with my son.",
  "むすことスーパーにいきます。",
  ""
 ],
 [
  "If you study every day, your Japanese will get skilled.",
  "{毎日|まいにち}べんきょうすると{日本語|にほんご}がじょうずになります。",
  "A-dictionary-form とB = if A then B"
 ]
])

Editing cards.roomaji.js

Bootstrap python3 environment

Bootstrap using virtualenv on a typical Linux/Unix system:

$ virtualenv -p python3 py3
$ source py3/bin/activate
$ pip install romkan

Editing cards.roomaji.js and generating cards.js:

$ vim cards.roomaji.js  # Edit the English-Japanese pairs in the JSON
$ ./compile.sh          # Generate cards.js from cards.roomaji.js

Syntax:

The following conversions are applied to the Japanese parts of the cards:

roomaji         --> hiragana            # done by compile.sh
_roomaji_       --> katakana            # done by compile.sh
*roman*         --> roman               # done by compile.sh
{kanji|roomaji} --> kanji + furigana    # done by flashcards.js

Additionally, {roomaji kanji roomaji|roomaji} is also converted if appears inside the notes.

Formatting the English parts of the cards:

_text_          --> emphasized text
{text}          --> small text

The cards must be specified in the following format in cards.roomaji.js:

Flashcards.initialize([
  ["English text #1",    "Japanese in roomaji #1",      "notes #1"],
  ["English text #2",    "Japanese in roomaji #2",      "notes #2"],
  ["meaning",            "{kanji|readings in roomaji}", "notes #3"],
  ...
  ["English text #..." , "Japanese in roomaji #...",    "notes #..."]
])

Example cards.roomaji.js:

Flashcards.initialize([
 [
  "I'm going to the supermarket with my son.",
  "musuko to _suupaa_ ni ikimasu.",
  ""
 ],
 [
  "If you study every day, your Japanese will get skilled.",
  "{毎日|mai nichi} benkyou suru to {日本語|nihongo} ga jouzuni narimasu.",
  "A-dictionary-form とB = if A then B"
 ],
 [
  "I send emails on my computer.",
  "_konpyuutaa_ de *e*_meeru_ wo dashimasu.",
  ""
 ]
])