Kotomora: Japanese Dictionary

Kotomora is a Japanese dictionary built for learners who want more than quick definitions.

Search by typing Japanese, English, romaji, kana, or kanji, draw characters by hand when you don't know the reading, or find a kanji by the parts you can see. Results are grouped into words, kanji, grammar, example sentences, names, and guides, each with a count. Then explore words in context with readings, meanings, examples, pitch accent, conjugations, frequency, JLPT level, related words, related kanji, and written-form notes. Every example sentence has audio, and can be broken down word by word.

Search about 700,000 example sentences by a Japanese word or by English, keep them to your JLPT level, and read them shortest or longest first. Japanese names are in search too, with their readings and the kanji they're written with.

Customize word, kanji, and grammar pages: reorder sections and choose what starts open, and on word and kanji pages, hide the ones you don't use. Hide furigana to practice reading — then tap any sentence to check yourself with a full breakdown.

Kotomora includes a complete grammar reference: 710 grammar points from JLPT N5 to N1, from essentials like は and ている to advanced forms like べく and とはいえ. Each page says what a form means, how to build it, and when to use it, with example sentences you can listen to, and ends with practice to check yourself. Each level is grouped by what its forms let you say, and 48 comparisons put forms that say nearly the same thing side by side — like the particles that go after a place, the ways to say "because," or respectful and humble keigo.

Browse words by JLPT level, part of speech, theme, and more, or start from curated collections like onomatopoeia, four-character idioms, proverbs, and keigo.

Kotomora also includes translation guides that explain how English words and phrases map to natural Japanese. Learn the difference between options like ありがとう, ありがとうございます, and すみません, or how words like "run," "wear," "please," and "but" change depending on context.

Features:

• Japanese-English dictionary search — type Japanese, English, romaji, or kana, draw characters by hand, or find kanji by their parts
• Search results grouped into words, kanji, grammar, example sentences, names, and guides
• Example sentence search — about 700,000 sentences, filtered by JLPT level and sorted by length
• Japanese names — surnames, given names, and places, with readings and the kanji they use
• Complete grammar reference — 710 points and 48 comparisons across JLPT N5–N1, with practice on every page
• Audio on every example sentence and word, with a male or female voice and playback speed control
• Customizable word, kanji, and grammar pages — reorder sections, choose what starts open, and show or hide furigana
• Made for iPad, too — word, kanji, and grammar pages make use of the wider screen, with search results beside the page you're reading
• Ready for iPhone Duo — Kotomora uses both displays and keeps your place when you open or close it
• Browse and filter by JLPT, part of speech, theme, and curated collections
• Related words on every entry — synonyms, easily confused words, word families, and transitive/intransitive pairs
• Usage patterns and expressions that show how words combine in real sentences
• Sentence analyzer that breaks a sentence into words, with each word's reading, meaning, and dictionary form, and links grammar to its grammar page
• Translation guides for nuance and natural usage
• Kanji meanings, readings, components, similar kanji, stroke order, and common words with their JLPT level
• Pitch accent, examples, conjugations, frequency, and JLPT info
• Save entries and add personal notes — your saved words are marked wherever you browse, and you can export all your data

Kotomora is designed for learners who want to understand how Japanese is actually used.