kamishibai github ↗

Flashcards for curious language learners.

Knowing words matters, but so does using them to express your thoughts. kamishibai uses specially configured AI to generate cards for Anki, the app that schedules your reviews. Each card includes:

  • a phrase to learn the word in context
  • a manga illustration to picture the situation
  • audio of the whole phrase to practice pronunciation and intonation
  • an explanation to know when to use the word

for people

$ brew install anatoly-chichikov/tap/kamishibai

why phrases, not words

  • Black-and-white kamishibai card illustration: a young woman studies at her desk, a black-and-white cat steps onto her notebook, and she raises her hands in surprise.

    express yourself in the language you’re learning

    A whole phrase shows which words go together and when they fit. Say it aloud to practice expressing a thought in conversation.

  • Black-and-white kamishibai card illustration: a young woman in a hallway holds a key ring and brings a selected key toward a door lock.

    choose the word with the right meaning

    French canard means a duck or a fabricated news story. AI generates a separate card, phrase and explanation for each meaning you choose.

  • Black-and-white kamishibai card illustration: a traveler in a snowy field places a boot into yesterday's footprint.

    see how the language fits together

    Words, articles, prepositions and expressions recur across different phrases. They connect new phrases with ones you already know: the more phrases you learn, the better you understand the language. See a sample deck →

how the AI magic works

ai may be wrong, please verify results

what the result looks like

your finished files

PDF APKG

import into Anki

how to install

It runs on macOS, Linux and Windows.

$ brew install anatoly-chichikov/tap/kamishibai

or

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anatoly-chichikov/kamishibai/main/install.sh | sh

then run:

$ kamishibai

Create a Gemini API key in Google AI Studio → You will need Anki to review the cards.

ways to use kamishibai

  • step by step in the terminal

    kamishibai guides you through adding words, choosing meanings and checking cards.

  • with an AI agent

    Give Claude Code or another AI agent llms.txt for setup, updates and instructions for your version. The agent runs kamishibai; you choose the words and check the cards.

  • with your own card text

    Supply your card text in JSON. AI generates audio and illustrations, and kamishibai builds the deck.

more in the questions and answers →

$ brew install anatoly-chichikov/tap/kamishibai