Kotobase
A Comprehensive Japanese Language Database
Kotobase is a python package that aggregates several openly licensed Japanese Language data sources into one SQLite database and exposes simple programmatic access to it
Quickstart
Install
pip install kotobase
Get The Database File
# Get The Latest Release From GitHub
kotobase db pull
# Download Sources & Build Locally
kotobase db build
Access Data
CLI
# Runs Comprehensive Lookup Across All Sources
kotobase lookup all 日本語
Python
from kotobase import Kotobase
kb = Kotobase()
result = kb("日本語")
Features
| Comprehensive Lookups | One lookup all Query Aggregates Data From All Souces |
| Organized Data | Every Source Is Fully Extracted Into A Normalized SQLite Schema & Exposed As Typed, Serializable DTOs |
| Example Sentences | Search Tatoeba Example Sentences + Their English Translation By Text |
| Wildcard Search | Match Written / Reading Forms With * & % Wildcard Patterns |
| CLI | A Typer + Rich CLI With Readable, Panelled Output & --json For Scripting |
| Self-Contained | A Single SQLite (~400MB) File + Optional Audio Pack (~150MB) With No Server / Network Access Needed At Query Time |
| Easy Database Management | Pull Pre-Built Databases From GitHub Releases Or Build It Locally + Manage The Cache From The CLI |
Help
| Documentation | Full API + CLI Reference |
| Examples | Curated Usage Examples |
| Changelog | Changes Between Versions |
Data Sources & Licenses
Every source is openly licensed
The compiled database is a derived work of the sources below, and each row keeps its source and license where appropariate
See the Third-Party Notices for the
full attribution text
| Source | Provides | License |
JMdict
|
Dictionary Entries → Written + Reading Forms / Senses, Glosses, Part-Of-Speech / Register / Field / Dialect Tags, Priorities | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
JMNedict
|
Proper Names → People / Places / Organisations + Their Types | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
KanjiDic2
|
Kanji Profiles → Readings / Meanings / Stroke Counts / Grades / Frequencies / SKIP / Dictionary References | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
KRADFILE / RADKFILE
|
Kanji To Radical Decomposition For Radical Search | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
JmdictFurigana
|
Per-Form Furigana Segmentation | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
KanjiVG
|
Stroke-Order SVG Paths | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Tatoeba
|
Example Sentences With Japanese To English Translations | CC BY 2.0 FR |
Tanos JLPT
|
JLPT Vocabulary / Kanji / Grammar Study Lists | CC BY 4.0 |
Kanji Alive
|
Word Pronunciation Audio (Optional Download) | CC BY 4.0 |
Contributing
-
All contributions are welcome
-
See
CONTRIBUTINGfor local setup, commands, and PR conventions
1 maintainer
Release files for kotobase 0.4.1
For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.
Source distribution (sdist)
| File | Size | Uploaded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| kotobase-0.4.1.tar.gz | 346.1 kB | Details |
Built distribution (wheel)
| File | Interpreter | ABI | Platform | Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kotobase-0.4.1-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details |
Total release size: 706.2 kB
Release files / kotobase-0.4.1.tar.gz
| Download URL | kotobase-0.4.1.tar.gz |
|---|---|
| Size | 346.1 kB |
| Tags | Source |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
569b2d66083effcbf57fefef12e44c116bbfc83a0dcde0404a006c6a9086be7c
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
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|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.12
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Jul 3, 2026.
Transparency logRelease files / kotobase-0.4.1-py3-none-any.whl
| Download URL | kotobase-0.4.1-py3-none-any.whl |
|---|---|
| Size | 360.1 kB |
| Tags | Python 3 |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
e76f7e45e74d50a2fe13902249ce9ad7ed6b8087da10a063740c2f5cf57c867a
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
dbe5641f899ac998367122a48b71b2e5483c69648835c92e53f83396de9e63fc
|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.12
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Jul 3, 2026.
Transparency log
