oboeru （覚える）

Oboeru is Japanese for "to memorize / learn by heart" — which is exactly what this terminal kanji quiz helps you do. Fast, keyboard-driven, and just addictive enough to keep you coming back.

Built with textual on KANJIDIC2 data.

Features

• Rounds of 10 multiple-choice "kanji → meaning" questions per JLPT level (N5–N1)
• Big half-block kanji art (CJK font is bundled, so it renders everywhere; falls back to plain text only if the font file is missing), with a small reference glyph in the stats bar
• Adaptive selection: unseen and previously missed kanji come back more often (Leitner boxes), mastered kanji fade away
• Sessions are saved: per-kanji progress + session history in a small SQLite file; the menu shows lifetime accuracy and mastered count
• Score with streak bonuses 🔥, animations, and a review list after each round

Install

pip install oboeru
# or run directly without installing:
uvx oboeru

The KANJIDIC2 database (built by k2sqlite) is bundled with the package, so no setup is needed. Pass --db /path/to/kanjidic2.sqlite if you have your own copy.

Run

oboeru
oboeru --help        # all options (--db, --kanji-size, --progress)

Keys: ↑/↓ + enter pick a level, then 1-4 or ↑/↓ + enter to answer, enter next question, q back/quit.

Progress is stored in ~/.oboeru/quiz_progress.sqlite (or next to a custom --db database) unless --progress says otherwise — your streaks survive restarts.

License

MIT