A world to explore with Kotoba
Kotoba helps you start with something you want to say. Explore familiar topics, find your stories, and make the language a little more yours.
iPhone & iPad · 31 languages · Optional Pro
A world of things to talk about
Each island brings related topics together. Pick a place that feels familiar, or one you’ve been meaning to explore.
A language island is a short, personal passage you rehearse so you have familiar ground to return to in conversation. Kotoba’s Islands mode turns that idea into places for stories and practice. Learn about the language-islands technique →
A few places to begin
Meet someone, ask for help, and keep a conversation going.
Playful exploration. Focused practice.
A place to make your own
Open a place on an island to find its stories. Create another, return to a favorite, or try it at a different depth. You choose where to go next.
Stay with the story
Read a story, an article, or text you bring yourself. Tap an unfamiliar word for its meaning and pronunciation, then carry on from the same sentence.
Practice for your world
Try a conversation about a real situation with an AI partner. Choose a topic, write a reply, and get help with grammar and word choice.
31 languages to explore
Find reading ideas, original examples, and practical advice for the language you’re learning.
Find your languageA little orientation
Kotoba is a language learning app for iPhone and iPad. Its Islands mode organizes stories and practice around topics from everyday life. You can also read your own text, translate words in context, practice with an AI conversation partner, and review contextual flashcards.
Islands is a topic-based learning mode inside Kotoba. Explore 12 themed islands in any order, create and revisit stories, and practice reading, listening, writing, or speaking aloud. Kotoba also includes reading, conversation, vocabulary, and review tools.
A language island is a short passage you prepare and rehearse, such as a personal introduction or a description of your work. Kotoba applies that idea in its Islands mode: themed collections of topics where you can create stories, practice, and return at a different depth.
No. Pick a topic that interests you and choose reading, listening, writing, or speaking practice. Progress rings show which activities you have practiced at the chosen depth; they are not a fluency score or a requirement to unlock another island.
Open a story, article, or text in your target language and tap any unfamiliar word for an instant translation. When you save a word, Kotoba keeps the original sentence with it so you can learn meaning and usage together.
Kotoba supports 31 languages, including Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Greek, Turkish, and Ukrainian. You can switch learning languages inside the app.
Yes. Kotoba includes an AI conversation tutor for realistic writing practice. It adapts to your level and gives feedback on grammar and word choice while keeping the conversation natural.
Words you save while reading become contextual flashcards. Kotoba uses spaced repetition to schedule reviews and also includes cloze, recall, and writing practice.
Kotoba is free to download and use. An optional Kotoba Pro subscription removes daily limits and unlocks unlimited translations, stories, AI chat, and text-to-speech.