JapaneseMod - Learn Japanese while you play Minecraft

Beta!

Point at a block. Hear its Japanese name in Masa's own voice.

A collab mod by Masa (Comprehensible Input Japanese) & Ubonga

JapaneseMod is a free Minecraft mod (Java Edition, Fabric) that turns the world you're already playing into a Japanese lesson. Hold an item or look at a block and press a key: the word appears with furigana and pitch accent, pronounced in Masa's own voice, recorded by a native Japanese speaker, and one more key brings a grammar tip or an example sentence - right there, mid-game. And when you want to practice talking, an optional AI companion is there for conversation.

Download JapaneseMod Meet the creators

~ torn from our notebook, taped up here for you ~

these three are the whole point ↓
the mod

Your world is the textbook.

Everything below is a real, shipped feature — not a roadmap.

⛏️

Point, press, learn the word

Hover over an item or look at a block and press a key: the Japanese word appears with furigana and pitch accent, spoken in Masa's own voice, recorded by a native Japanese speaker. Grounded in your actual game - not flashcards.

📖

Grammar that sticks

One key for the grammar tip behind what you're looking at, another for an example sentence. The pattern shows up the moment it matters, mid-game.

🗣️

A companion when you want to talk

Optional push-to-talk: practice speaking out loud with an AI companion, with English support when you need it. There when you want conversation practice, quiet when you don't.

real cards,
real recordings ↓
the deck

Keep the words after you log off.

One $5 purchase gets both JapaneseMod decks for Anki. Useful Words is the curated core - the words you meet and say first. Minecraft Words is the complete set: every block, item and creature the mod can teach. Every card pairs its Minecraft art with a pitch-accent diagram and the word spoken in Masa's own voice - the same recording you hear in the mod. These are three real cards from the decks. Press play.

Useful Words · 452 words · the curated core, drill these first Minecraft Words · 1,092 words · the complete set, rare stuff included

Diamond item icon from the deck
Diamond
ダイヤモンド
ダイヤモ▼ンド
pitch accent: 中高型 (④)
Iron ingot item icon from the deck
Iron Ingot
鉄インゴット
てついんごっと
てついんご▼っと
pitch accent: 中高型 (⑤)

鉄インゴットで剣を作る。 - "Make a sword from an iron ingot."

Grass block icon from the deck
Grass Block
草ブロック
くさぶろっく
くさぶろ▼っく
pitch accent: 中高型 (④)

草ブロックの上に花が咲いている。 - "Flowers bloom on grass blocks."

1.Meet the word mid-game. You pressed a key on a block; the card for that word is already waiting in the deck.
2.Anki brings it back in time. Spaced repetition resurfaces each card right before you'd forget it.
3.Hear it every review. The word plays in Masa's own voice, with recorded example sentences on many cards.
an actual card, front and back - the deck's own template
free preview - 10 cards, yours to keep ↓
Download the free preview deck

10 real cards from the Useful Words deck - Fishing Rod, Tropical Fish, Tadpole, Honeybee, Kelp, Sugar Cane, Cocoa Beans, Firework Rocket, Fern, Grilled Salmon. Every card has word audio in Masa's voice, sentence audio, a pitch-accent diagram and item art. Opens in Anki (.apkg, 233 KB).

one-time $5 for both decks - goes to Masa's Ko-fi ↓
Get both decks · $5 See how the mod teaches

Both decks, one $5: Useful Words (452 words) + Minecraft Words (1,092 words) · Minecraft item art · pitch-accent diagrams · Masa's word recordings. Checkout happens on Masa's Ko-fi.

really is
this easy! ↓
install

Install in 3 steps

Needs Minecraft Java Edition with Fabric — no separate Japanese setup required.

Minecraft: Java Edition Mod loader: Fabric Minecraft 26.3

1

Install Fabric

Grab the Fabric installer from fabricmc.net and run it against your Minecraft install once.

2

Download JapaneseMod

Use the download button for the latest .jar, then drop it into your mods folder.

3

Launch and learn

Start Minecraft with the Fabric profile, join a world, and look at a block or hold an item. Press a key: see its Japanese name with furigana and pitch accent, hear it pronounced in Masa's own voice, and open a grammar tip or example sentence when you want more.

Fabric installer logoFabric installer Fabric API logoFabric API ModMenu logoModMenuRecommended

⬇ Download v0.1.17

commands

Two commands, two places

Type these in Minecraft chat while you are in a world. They open screens on your own game; they do not send a message to the server.

/jp

Opens the companion menu for voice and microphone settings.

/jpmic

Starts the local microphone check: confirm, record a short sample, and play it back on your device. The sample is not sent to the companion.

know your
buttons! ↓
controls

Every key, at a glance

All nine keybinds, straight from the mod — and every one of them can be rebound in Options → Controls. Keys marked unbound ship empty, so assign your own.

`
Talk to the companionhold
V
Japanese grammar tip for target
N
Native sentence for target
H
Read held/hovered item
Y
Repeat last study prompt
K
Say the held item
R
Say what I'm looking at
–
Play a sentence using this wordunbound — pick any key
–
Cycle automatic narrationunbound — pick any key
made by

Two creators, one obsession

A Japanese-immersion YouTuber and an animation YouTuber who both got tired of flashcard apps.

Masa
this is Masa!
Masa
Comprehensible Input Japanese

"No study, just watch." Masa teaches Japanese through comprehensible input — mistakes welcome, perfectionism not required.

Ubonga
and this is Ubonga!
Ubonga
Animation & dev

Ubonga builds the mod itself — the companion's brain, the voice pipeline, and everything that makes it feel alive in-game.

4ever
learning!
support

Support the mod

JapaneseMod is free. If it's helping you learn, buying us a coffee keeps development going.

Buy Masa a coffee

JapaneseMod is free. If it's helping you learn, a coffee goes straight back into recording lessons, running the Discord, and building the mod.

☕ Support on Ko-fi

One-off or monthly — whatever works for you.

faq

Questions people actually ask

Can you learn Japanese with Minecraft?

Yes. JapaneseMod turns the world you're already exploring into study material: point at a block or hold an item and press a key to see its Japanese name with furigana and pitch accent, hear it pronounced in Masa's own voice, recorded by a native Japanese speaker, and open a grammar tip or an example sentence. An optional AI companion is there when you want to practice talking - ordinary play becomes Japanese immersion.

Is JapaneseMod free?

Yes, JapaneseMod is completely free. Support from players on Ko-fi goes toward development and keeps the project going.

What Minecraft version do I need?

JapaneseMod runs on Minecraft Java Edition 26.3 with the Fabric mod loader.

Do I need a microphone?

Only for the optional voice companion. The core study tools - reading blocks and items, hearing their Japanese names pronounced in Masa's own voice, with pitch accent, grammar tips and example sentences - all work with key presses, no microphone needed. Push-to-talk with the companion uses your mic.

Does it work with other mods?

JapaneseMod is a Fabric mod and is built to run alongside other Fabric mods in a normal modded Minecraft setup.

Who made JapaneseMod?

JapaneseMod is made by Masa, a Japanese-immersion YouTuber behind Comprehensible Input Japanese, and Ubonga, an animation YouTuber and developer who builds the mod itself.

Does it work on multiplayer servers?

Yes. JapaneseMod is purely client-side: install it in your own game and it works in singleplayer and on any multiplayer server. Server owners install nothing.

What Japanese level do I need?

It's made for beginners. Every kanji gets furigana. Sentence and grammar cards show English translations; the companion's spoken replies are Japanese with furigana reading aid. The spoken voice is always slow Japanese, and you can ask what something means in English at any time.

Is JapaneseMod safe to install?

JapaneseMod is a standard Fabric mod: download the .jar with the button above and drop it into your mods folder. It doesn't change your Minecraft installation - delete the jar to uninstall.

Does it cost money?

No. The mod is free. If it's helping you, optional Ko-fi support goes toward development.

Windows/Mac/Linux?

Yes - JapaneseMod runs anywhere Minecraft Java Edition runs: Windows, Mac, and Linux, with the Fabric mod loader.

How is this different from Duolingo or a textbook?

JapaneseMod teaches Japanese through comprehensible input inside a game you're already playing, not flashcards or drills — you hear and speak real Japanese tied to what's actually happening around you in Minecraft.