Nihongo Notes

Nihongo Notes is a beginner-friendly Japanese learning platform with structured lessons, practice, and smart tools.

Comment

⛩️ Nihongo Dojo AI – The Persistent Sensei

Inspiration

Japanese language learning often feels fragmented. Learners switch between flashcard apps, grammar PDFs, videos, and note-taking tools, losing continuity and motivation. As learners ourselves, we wanted a single, cohesive space where studying feels immersive rather than mechanical. Nihongo Dojo AI was inspired by the idea of a digital learning dojo—a focused environment where an intelligent tutor guides the learner consistently, adapts to context, and supports both structured study and active practice.

What it does

Nihongo Dojo AI is a web-based Japanese learning platform that combines a custom-built frontend with AI-powered assistance to support beginner to intermediate learners. The platform provides:

  • Structured learning notes and study guidance
  • Context-aware AI tutoring that adapts tone and explanations
  • Handwriting practice for Japanese scripts with AI-based feedback
  • Voice-based pronunciation and conversation practice
  • Gamified learning elements to reinforce retention and engagement The goal is to move learners from passive memorization to active understanding and practice. ## How we built it The frontend of the website was designed and developed from scratch with a focus on clarity, usability, and performance.
  • Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript with modern component-based design
  • UI/UX: Clean, minimal interface inspired by Japanese aesthetics to reduce cognitive overload
  • State & Interaction: Custom logic for study flow, notes, and practice modes For intelligence and AI features, the platform integrates Google AI Studio:
  • Gemini models are used for tutoring, explanations, and feedback
  • Vision capabilities support handwriting analysis
  • Audio capabilities enable pronunciation guidance and conversational practice This separation allowed the frontend to remain lightweight while leveraging powerful AI features through AI Studio. ## Challenges we ran into One challenge was integrating AI-driven features smoothly into a custom frontend without disrupting user experience. Ensuring fast responses while keeping the interface responsive required careful handling of asynchronous AI calls. Another challenge was simplifying Japanese language explanations so they remain accurate yet accessible for beginners, especially when converting AI responses into structured study notes. ## Accomplishments that we're proud of
  • Building a fully functional frontend independently
  • Successfully integrating AI Studio and Gemini into a custom web interface
  • Creating a learning experience that feels cohesive rather than tool-based
  • Delivering a complete, working educational platform within a hackathon timeline ## What we learned This project strengthened our frontend development skills and deepened our understanding of how to integrate AI services into real-world web applications. We learned the importance of UX in educational tools and how AI can enhance learning without replacing thoughtful design. ## What's next for Nihongo Dojo AI
  • Expanded quizzes and progress tracking
  • More advanced AI-powered feedback and personalization
  • JLPT-aligned learning paths
  • Improved handwriting and speaking evaluation features Nihongo Dojo AI aims to grow into a complete learning companion for Japanese language learners.

Built With

  • audiocontext-api
  • canvas-api
  • css
  • font-awesome
  • gemini-2.5-flash
  • gemini-2.5-flash-image
  • gemini-2.5-flash-native-audio
  • gemini-2.5-flash-tts
  • gemini-3-flash
  • gemini-3-pro
  • geolocation-api
  • google-fonts
  • google-maps-grounding
  • google-search-grounding
  • google/genai
  • html
  • javascript
  • localstorage
  • mediadevices-api
  • react
  • tailwind-css
  • typescript
Share this project:

Updates