Build the first memory
You meet the word through meaning, pronunciation, sound, an image, and a sentence before recall begins. The goal is to give you something meaningful to retrieve—not to surprise you with an unseen quiz.
The learning science
Built to help you remember, not just recognize.
Nihongo Go teaches a word before testing it, asks you to retrieve it from memory, gives you immediate feedback, and brings it back at a useful time.
1Learn→
2Retrieve→
3Check→
4Space
Four connected ideas
Every part has a job.
Pull it back out
Trying to retrieve information strengthens later access more than simply reading it again. That is why recall is part of learning, not merely a score at the end.
Retrieval-practice studyReveal and correct
After you make your judgment, Nihongo Go reveals the reading and meaning. Comparing your answer with immediate feedback helps correct both mistakes and uncertain correct answers.
Feedback studyReturn after some forgetting
Reviews are distributed over time instead of being crammed together. The useful interval grows as a memory becomes more stable.
Spacing researchUnder the hood
Review timing that changes with each word.
Nihongo Go uses FSRS—the Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler. It updates an estimate of each word’s difficulty and memory stability from your answers, then chooses the next review interval.
A missed word returns sooner. A word recalled successfully gets more space. An effortless recall can move farther out.
Read the scheduling researchA deliberate handoff
Why two recalls for a new word?
One correct answer may be luck or a very fresh memory. Nihongo Go asks for two successful recalls, with other prompts in between, before moving a word into scheduled review. Two is our practical starting rule—not a claim that one number is perfect for every learner. Your later review timing continues adapting word by word.
Sources and transparency