言霊暮らしKOTODAMA GURASHI
Illustration: after the rain, Haru and Mina stand with their bikes by a river and point at a rainbow

Life in Japan, one word at a time.

A part-time job, the ward office, school, the odd detour. Spend 120 cozy days in Japan and pick up the Japanese you'll really use.

Android · Coming sooniPhone · In preparation

Japanese, with help in 9 native languages

Take a look

What is Kotodama Gurashi?

Japanese, beyond the textbook.

Work, chat, sort out paperwork, and explore town on your days off. Every day you live in the game is Japanese practice.

  1. 01

    Real-life scenes

    The konbini register, the ward office counter, the clinic front desk. Learn the words you need in the moments you'll actually meet in Japan.

  2. 02

    Help in 9 native languages

    Don't know a word? Just press and hold. Its meaning appears right there, in Korean, English, Vietnamese and six more languages.

  3. 03

    120 cozy days

    Decorate your room, live with a cat, watch the seasons turn. Your memories fill an album, one photo at a time.

Try it

Press and hold to understand.

Just like in the game, press and hold the line — or simply tap it.

A website demo.
Mina talking with the staff at a café counter (game illustration)
ミナHold to see the meaning

A day in Japan

From your morning room to a summer festival night.

As the day goes on, the words you know keep adding up.

  1. Morning
    Game screen: a room with a cat and the home menu

    Get ready at home

    Say good morning to the cat, check today's plans and your wallet, and head out.

  2. Noon
    Game screen: choosing what to say next during a konbini shift

    A shift at the konbini

    A customer puts a bento on the counter — what do you say next? Practice register phrases during your shift.

  3. Afternoon
    Game screen: the Japanese school route map (Easy Line)

    Off to Japanese school

    School units are laid out like a train map. Move forward one station at a time.

  4. Evening
    Game screen: the greengrocer telling a pun

    A detour down the shopping street

    Even the greengrocer's puns are more fun once you get them.

  5. Night
    Game screen: holding 「屋台」 during a summer festival chat to see its meaning

    Summer festival with friends

    Press and hold any word you don't know to see what it means, right there.

Actual game screens, in development.

Real practice

Counters and forms — try them once before the real thing.

Take a number, talk at the counter, fill in the form, add your stamp. Practice six procedures you'll need soon after arriving in Japan, on forms modeled on the real ones.

  1. Take a number
  2. Talk at the counter
  3. Fill in forms
  4. Stamp it
Game screen: filling in a 転入届 move-in form
Game screen: your queue number is called at the ward office
  1. 区役所 · 転入届Ward office · Move-in notice
  2. 銀行 · 口座を作るBank · Open an account
  3. 病院 · 受付と診察Clinic · Check-in and exam
  4. 不動産屋 · 部屋を探すReal estate · Find a room
  5. アルバイトの面接Part-time job interview
  6. 携帯ショップ · 契約Phone shop · Sign a contract

These are practice forms made for the game. For real procedures, please follow the guidance at each office.

Japanese school

From N5 to business Japanese.

Units are laid out like a train map. Each station is one step of grammar, reading or listening — start on the line that fits your level.

  1. N5·N4やさしい線
  2. N3ステップ線
  3. N2急行線
  4. N1特急線
  5. BIZビジネス線
Game screen: the Easy Line (N5·N4) route map

やさしい線 · N5·N4

Game screen: the Business Line route map

ビジネス線 · BIZ

These are in-game study levels, not an official JLPT examination.

Game screen: the outing map
Game screen: shops near the station with ★ ranks

Town & seasons

The more you go, the more it feels like your town.

The station front, the shopping street, the seaside. New places keep opening up, and the shops you visit often give you a ★ regular rank.

Regular rank

Game illustration of the same street in spring, summer, autumn and winter, from left to right
  1. Spring
  2. Summer
  3. Autumn
  4. Winter

Cherry blossoms, summer rain, autumn leaves, winter snow. The same street changes with every season.

Gameplay

See it in motion.

Your room, your shift, a walk around town — a day in the game, in a short video.

Illustration: Haru and a friend in yukata walking under summer festival fireworks

Memory album

120 days. A record that's all yours.

Meeting the cat, cherry blossoms, the summer festival. The time you spend together stays in your album, one photo at a time.

Game screen: the memory album
  • First time with the cat
  • Cherry blossom viewing
  • A summer festival night
  • Moon viewing
  • A snowy morning

Figures and postcards you collect go on display in your collection case.

FAQ

Good questions.

Is it free to play?

The everyday Japanese you need for life in Japan, plus the study and review features, are being made to play free and without ads. We'll share the details here at release.

Which languages are supported?

Japanese in the game comes with explanations in 9 languages: Korean, English, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Tagalog, Burmese, Nepali, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).

I'm new to Japanese. Is that OK?

Absolutely. Start on the N5·N4 Easy Line and work your way up through N3, N2 and N1 to business Japanese.

Can I play offline?

The game lives inside the app, so it's built to keep running without a connection. Things like cloud save sync the next time you're online.

Is there an iPhone version?

The iPhone version is in preparation. Android comes first; we'll announce iPhone details here as soon as they're set.

Release

Coming soon to your phone.

Android comes first, and the iPhone version is in preparation.

Android · Coming sooniPhone · In preparation
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