Ben-Kyo

Complete Japanese Study App: Record or import Japanese conversations, extract JLPT vocabulary, translate it, and review with smart spaced repetition. 100% on-device.

ben-kyo turns the Japanese you actually hear in daily life into vocabulary you remember.

Record a conversation — a lesson, a chat with a friend, something overheard on the train — or import an audio file you already have. ben-kyo transcribes it on your device, no account or internet connection required.

STUDY AT YOUR LEVEL Choose a JLPT level from N5 to N1, and ben-kyo scans the transcript for vocabulary at exactly that level, using a built-in Japanese dictionary. Each word it finds gets translated and added to your personal word list, tagged with the sentence it came from — so you always remember where you first heard it.

REVIEW THE SMART WAY Every word you save gets its own flashcard, scheduled with the same spaced-repetition algorithm (SM-2) that Anki is built on. Grade yourself Again, Hard, Good, or Easy after each card, and ben-kyo adjusts when you'll see it next — so you spend your time on the words you actually struggle with, not the ones you already know.

PRACTICE WITH YOUR OWN WORDS Generate a short practice conversation built entirely from words in your own list, at the difficulty level you choose. It's a quick, low-pressure way to see your vocabulary used in context before you try it out in real life.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN ben-kyo runs entirely on-device using Apple's Speech, Translation, and on-device language frameworks. There's no sign-up, no account, no server, and your recordings and word list never leave your phone.

Whether you're studying for the JLPT or just trying to hold onto the Japanese you pick up day to day, ben-kyo turns real conversations into a vocabulary list — and a study habit — that actually sticks.