The web becomes your textbook
On any page, the extension spots the language, finds the words in your dictionary and marks them up. One click opens the definition; another files the word into your reviews.
Three minutes and it is running
- 01
Install
The extension is added to Chrome from the Web Store. It asks only for the permissions it uses, and nothing from the pages you visit leaves your browser unless you click.
- 02
Connect your account
From this page if you are signed in: one click. Otherwise the extension signs you in itself, with your email, your password and a 6-digit code sent by email.
- 03
Read
Open an article, a forum, a recipe. The words you are learning show up highlighted, in the colour of their level. The rest of the web stays as it is.
What it does
Highlight by level
Sky blue for the first levels through to fuchsia for the most advanced: exactly the colours used on the sites. A word seen in purple in an article is purple on its dictionary page.
A panel, not a popup
The side panel stays open while you read: the words of the page on one side, a real searchable dictionary on the other, and the count of reviews due today.
Add in one click
A word met in an article goes straight into your reviews, or into the queue if you would rather sort later. It waits for you on the site.
Four languages, one extension
Japanese, Chinese, Korean, English. The language of the page is recognised on its own; you only decide which ones may wake the extension up.
Signing in from the extension
You install an extension so you do not have to open a site. So it knows how to sign you in on its own.
- 1Open the panel by clicking the extension icon.
- 2Type the email address of your account: a 6-digit code goes out straight away.
- 3Enter that code and your account password. The panel stays open while you fetch the email.
Frequently asked
Does the extension read the pages I visit?
It analyses the text of the page inside your browser to recognise words. Nothing is sent to our servers until you click a word to ask for its definition or add it to your reviews.
Where do I change highlighting and languages?
In the extension, next to what they change: the "Settings" button at the top of the side panel. Documenting them on the site as well always ended in two versions drifting apart.
Do I need a subscription?
No. The extension works with a free Kotoba account. A subscription opens the same content it opens on the sites.
Does it work outside Chrome?
On Chromium-based browsers — Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera — by installing from the Chrome Web Store. Firefox and Safari need another format, which does not exist yet.