KoboshiQuestions
Frequently asked questions.
Is this a language course?
No. Koboshi is a vocabulary memory app you use beside your other tools.
Is it a Duolingo replacement?
No. Use it beside Duolingo. Duolingo builds the habit, Koboshi keeps the words and brings them back until they stick.
How is it different from Anki?
The cards are made for you, it is multilingual by default, and there is no deck-building setup.
Can I save words from ChatGPT?
Yes. One prompt turns the words in your ChatGPT thread into a CSV, and you upload that file.
Can I use it for several languages at once?
Yes. Look a word up once and see it across every language you know.
Is it good for B1/B2 learners?
Yes. It is built for the intermediate vocabulary wall and the recall speed that speaking needs.
How much does it cost?
Free while in beta, no card required. There will always be a free plan, and we will never start charging you without asking first.
I'm past beginner. Is this for me?
Yes. It is built for exactly this stage.
Does it help speaking or just reading?
Both. Hard mode trains active recall, which speaking runs on.
Why not just study a B2 word list?
Generic lists are full of words you will never use. Your own gaps are the fastest path.
Can the AI hallucinate words that were never in my chat?
It can, in very long chats. The prompt's “only words that actually appear” rule plus the verify pass reduce it a lot; see the steps for long chats.
My chat is months long. Will this work?
Yes. Use halves or the export route.
Does this work with Gemini or Claude chats too?
Yes. The same prompt works in Gemini and Claude.
I can already speak the language. Is this still useful?
Yes. Koboshi is built for exactly your case: depth and precision, not basics.
Will it make me study beginner words?
No. It measures against your own level. Words you know stay out of your reviews.
I understand everything but freeze when I speak. Is that normal?
Very normal. Understanding usually runs ahead of speaking: you recognise far more words than you can produce, and the gap is widest for formal words you rarely had to say. Reviews make the words you know faster to recall and add the precise ones you are missing.
Which languages does it support?
21 languages today, including Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, and Russian, with more added steadily.
Can I learn two languages at the same time?
Yes, with one caution: two similar languages from zero at once, like Spanish and Italian, tend to blur together. One new language plus strengthening the ones you already have works best, and that is the mix Koboshi is built for.
Do I have to use English as my base?
No. You choose your base, learning, and input languages, and you can change them anytime in settings.
I speak several languages but none feel native. Will this help?
Yes. The cross-language view uses your strongest languages to deepen the others, and the reviews keep all of them warm.
How is this different from running several single-language apps?
Those keep each language in its own box. Koboshi connects them.
Is this an Anki replacement?
For many language learners, yes. Try it and feel how much easier, and how stress-free, it is.
Can I import my Anki deck?
Yes, by CSV. Missing fields are filled in for you.
Does it use FSRS like Anki?
Yes. No setup needed.
What is a language knowledge base?
Your personal record of the words you know: each word with its meanings, examples, pronunciation, the same idea in your other languages, and how well you remember it. A dictionary covers a language; a knowledge base covers you.
Should I quit Duolingo for this?
No. Duolingo teaches the course. Koboshi keeps the words you meet everywhere, including there.
Does Koboshi import from Duolingo?
Duolingo has no export, so you save a word as you meet it, in seconds. Lists from ChatGPT, Anki or a spreadsheet import directly.
I finished the course. Now what?
Vocabulary becomes the main wall. See the B1-B2 vocabulary page.