Learn Japanese Through Immersion
NekoMimi combines immersive video content with scientifically-backed spaced repetition, collectible card mechanics, and an original RPG battle system. Watch, answer, collect, battle — and learn Japanese without ever feeling like you're studying.
Core Features
Every system in NekoMimi feeds back into the same learning loop. Entertainment and education are the same activity.
Immersive Video Feed
A full-screen vertical feed of short video clips featuring native Japanese audio. Learn vocabulary in real-world context. Each clip includes interactive transcripts with furigana, translations, word definitions, and cross-reference context — all independently toggleable and blurrable for your preferred challenge level.
Spaced Repetition (FSRS)
Powered by FSRS v5.1.0, a state-of-the-art open-source memory algorithm targeting 90% retention. Three independent review tracks per word — meaning, listening, and spelling — each with their own mastery progression from New through Mastered.
Kotodama RPG
A full turn-based roguelike RPG where spelling Japanese words powers your attacks and defenses. Eight elemental types, ten status effects, eight relic families, and permadeath runs across nine themed regions. Your collectible cards fuel your spells.
Collectible Cards
Themed card sets with GPU-rendered holographic effects via Metal shaders. Six visual variants from Base to Infinity Rare. Full 3D parallax viewing with interactive spotlight. Cinematic pack-opening experience with tear physics and card reveals.
Gauntlet Challenges
Timed exam-style challenges scoped to specific vocabulary sets. Four difficulty ranks — Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond — with escalating question types, font challenges, and distractor counts. Three lives. Earn premium currency for completions.
Vocabulary Spheres
Curated vocabulary collections organized by theme and topic. Browse in a parallax carousel with per-sphere background music. Activate spheres to control your feed. Choose sizes from 10 to 200 words per sphere. Drag-and-drop priority ordering.
How It Works
Get started in minutes. NekoMimi adapts to your level automatically.
Complete the Onboarding Story
Begin with a fully narrated visual novel spanning 20+ scenes. Meet Mimi, your catgirl guide, at Neko High. The story includes voice-acted dialogue, multiple character expressions, background music, and interactive choice points — all checkpoint-saved so you can resume anytime.
Choose Your Proficiency Level
Select from four tiers — Beginner, Some Basics, Intermediate, or Expert. This single choice auto-configures 12+ settings: playback speed (0.7x–1.0x), furigana style, translation visibility, word spacing, and more. Customize individual settings anytime.
Activate Vocabulary Spheres
Browse curated word collections in a full-screen parallax carousel. Each sphere has its own music and theming. Activate spheres to control which words and clips appear in your feed. Reorder priority with drag-and-drop.
Watch, Answer, and Learn
Scroll through short video clips with native Japanese audio. New words are introduced with detailed teaching cards showing definitions, frequency rank, and context. Then test yourself with three question types: definition (meaning), listening (audio recognition), and spelling (per-mora kana input).
Collect Cards and Battle
Earn coins from clips and questions. Open card packs with a cinematic tear-and-reveal experience. Build your collection across themed sets. Use cards as fuel in Kotodama — spell words to cast elemental spells, defend against enemies, and progress through nine regions.
The Learning Science
NekoMimi isn't just a game with Japanese words. Every system is built on proven language acquisition research.
Immersion-Based Acquisition
Vocabulary is always presented in authentic context — native Japanese dialogue, not isolated flashcards. Users hear native speakers, see natural sentence structures, and encounter words across multiple real-world contexts.
FSRS v5.1.0 Algorithm
The Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler models human memory through forgetting curves. It targets 90% retention by computing optimal review intervals based on individual performance. Each word has independent stability, difficulty, and retrievability metrics.
Multi-Modal Review
Each word is tested across three dimensions independently: meaning recognition (reading comprehension), audio recognition (listening skill), and kana production (writing/spelling). A word can be mastered in meaning but still developing in listening.
Five Mastery Levels
Words progress through New → Learning → Familiar → Confident → Mastered based on accumulated reviews. Mastery can regress if performance weakens — the system adapts to your actual retention, not just repetition count.
Adaptive Difficulty
Spelling questions adjust distractor count based on mastery. Teaching questions allow retry on wrong answers. Review distractors are drawn from previously learned words, creating progressively harder challenges as vocabulary grows.
Multi-Font Reading Training
Eight Japanese fonts ranging from clean sans-serif to flowing brush calligraphy. When enabled, each clip uses a randomly selected font — training users to read Japanese across diverse typographic styles, just like real-world reading.
Kotodama: The Battle System
A full roguelike RPG where Japanese vocabulary is your weapon. Every battle reinforces your learning.
How Combat Works
Enemies have Active Time Battle bars that fill in real-time. When an enemy attacks, you have 20 seconds to spell a Japanese word to block all damage. On your turn, select a spell, choose a fuel card from your collection (star rating determines damage multiplier), and spell the word to cast. Correct spelling = full power. Incorrect = spell fires but you take an HP penalty.
9 Regions
- Route 116 (Sunny Hills)
- Emerald Beach
- Ishizu Sands (Desert)
- Forest of Death
- Snow Region
- Underground Caves
- Jungle
- Hell
- + Boss Encounters
8 Elements
- Fire
- Ice
- Lightning
- Earth
- Wind
- Water
- Holy
- Dark
10 Status Effects
- Slow / Haste / Berserk
- Poison / Silence / Sleep
- Blind
- Protect / Bravery / Faith
8 Relic Families
- Fury — Physical damage
- Purity — Status immunity
- Critical Strike
- Power — Raw damage
- Elementalist
- Healing — Overheal
- Evasion — Dodge
- Thorny — Reflect
Roguelike Permadeath
HP reaches 0 and the run ends. All in-run progress — level, spells, relics — is lost. Only permanent progress persists: SRS reviews completed during combat and cards collected. Start fresh from Region 1 each run. Stats scale exponentially with level — HP starts at 100, caps at 9,999.
Collectible Card System
GPU-rendered holographic cards with a full pack-opening experience.
Six Visual Variants
| Variant | Rarity | Drop Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Common | 75.0% |
| Chroma Rare | Uncommon | 18.8% |
| Sunbeam Rare | Rare | 4.69% |
| Diamond Rare | Super Rare | 1.17% |
| Matrix Rare | Ultra Rare | 0.293% |
| Infinity Rare | Legendary | 0.098% |
Card Sets & Packs
Multiple themed sets — Jewels, Elemental Dreams, Natural Healing, Princess Daydreams, Winter Wonder, Faraway Fantasies, Gothica Lolita, and more. Each set contains 60 cards across star tiers.
Basic Pack (100 Coins): 4× 1★ + 1× 2★
Gold Pack (1 Celestial Mark): 4× 2★ + 1× 3★
Lucky Packs: Extremely rare surprise variants — All-Five-Star (1 in 10,000 basic packs) and All-Holo with 2× upgrade multiplier.
Pack Opening Experience
In-App Economy
Three currencies drive progression. All earnable through gameplay.
🪙 Coins
Soft Currency — Unlimited
Earned from clip feed activity: ~15 per definition question, ~22 per listening question, ~5 per spelling kana, ~1 per second of video watched. Spent on Basic Packs (100 coins each). No earning caps.
💎 Premium Coins
Challenge Currency — Limited
Earned from Gauntlet completions, scaled by difficulty rank. Spent on premium packs and special items. Requires consistent engagement with challenge content to accumulate.
✨ Celestial Marks
Milestone Currency — Limited
Earned from quest line level-ups (1 mark per level claimed). Spent on Gold Packs and unlocking new card sets. Tied to long-term progression milestones across six quest lines.
Quests & Rank Progression
Six quest lines track different aspects of engagement, each with up to 50 levels of escalating targets.
Nine Ranks
Daily Quests & Streaks
Daily Requirement
Complete just 2 correct SRS answers per day — any combination of definition, listening, or spelling questions. Then redeem your daily reward.
7-Day Reward Cycle
Days 1–6 earn a Premium Pack. Every 7th day earns a Super Pack with a guaranteed 4-star final card. Consistent daily engagement is rewarded with increasingly valuable pulls.
Streak Protection
Miss 1–2 days and you're At Risk. Miss 3–6 and it's Last Warning. Miss 7+ and the streak breaks. Streaks over 7 days can be recovered by completing 7 consecutive days.
Free vs. Elite
NekoMimi is free to use with generous limits. The Elite subscription unlocks the full experience.
Free
$0
- 2,000 video clips
- 5 vocabulary spheres
- 300 words available
- 2 card pack sets
- 3 holographic variants
- 2 Kotodama regions
- Basic packs only
- Full SRS system
- Daily quests & streaks
Elite
$9.99/month
7-day free trial
- 24,226 video clips
- 52 vocabulary spheres
- 3,299 words available
- 9 card pack sets
- All 6 holographic variants
- 9 Kotodama regions
- Basic + Premium packs
- Gauntlet mode
- Priority support
A Memorable First Experience
Onboarding isn't a tutorial — it's a visual novel.
Your journey begins with a fully narrated story spanning 20+ scenes. A mysterious accident — a cat in the road, a truck, a blackout — and you wake up at Neko High, where a catgirl guide named Mimi introduces you to every system through play.
By the end, you'll have selected your level, activated your first sphere, watched your first clip, opened your first card pack (with a guaranteed rare pull), and completed a guided Kotodama battle — all within the story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level of Japanese do I need?
None. NekoMimi supports four proficiency tiers from absolute beginner (zero Japanese knowledge, with romaji and slow playback) to near-fluent expert (raw Japanese, randomized fonts, hidden translations). The app auto-configures everything based on your selection.
What kind of video content is included?
Every clip features native Japanese audio with vocabulary presented in authentic dialogue context, not synthetic examples. Over 24,000 clips are available with Elite.
How is this different from Duolingo or Anki?
NekoMimi uses authentic Japanese content instead of synthetic sentences, combines three review modalities (meaning, listening, spelling) per word, and wraps everything in game systems (card collecting and RPG battles) that reinforce learning through play rather than repetition.
What is Kotodama?
Kotodama is our built-in roguelike RPG. You spell Japanese words to cast spells and defend against enemies. Cards from your collection fuel your attacks. It transforms vocabulary review into combat — study and play are the same activity.
Do I need to pay to learn?
No. The free tier includes 2,000 clips, 5 spheres, 300 words, the full SRS system, daily quests, and 2 Kotodama regions. Elite ($9.99/month with 7-day free trial) unlocks the complete content library and additional features.
What languages are supported?
The app teaches Japanese. The UI supports multiple languages through downloadable localization packs with hot-swap capability — switching languages takes effect immediately without restarting.
About Nekomimi Japanese LLC
Nekomimi Japanese LLC is a language education technology company building immersive Japanese learning tools. We believe language acquisition works best when it's inseparable from entertainment — when the boundary between studying and playing disappears entirely.
Our flagship app, NekoMimi, combines immersive video content with the FSRS spaced repetition algorithm, a collectible card game with GPU-rendered holographic effects, and an original turn-based RPG battle system. Every feature — from clip watching to card collecting to dungeon crawling — feeds back into the core learning loop.
We support learners at every level, from absolute beginners seeing their first Japanese characters to near-fluent readers training with calligraphic fonts and hidden translations. With over 24,000 video clips, 3,200+ vocabulary words, and a complete RPG spanning nine regions, NekoMimi offers a depth of content and engagement unmatched in language learning.
Support & Contact
For questions, feedback, bug reports, or support inquiries, contact us at support@nekomimi.co. We aim to respond within 24 hours.