Skip to content

hikariming/openkoto

Repository files navigation

OpenKoto Desktop 📕

Open Source Language Learning Tool | Free Alternative to Language Reactor & Duolingo

Tauri GitHub stars License

English中文日本語

🌐 Official Website & Documentation: openkoto.com

📢 Note: This project was previously known as TextLingo. We've renamed it to OpenKoto (Open + 言/ことば, meaning "word" in Japanese) to better reflect our vision of open-source reading, translation, and language learning.

What is OpenKoto?

OpenKoto Desktop is an open-source, AI-powered language learning application that transforms any content you're interested in into an immersive learning experience. Beyond language learning, it also serves as a powerful reader and translation tool. Unlike traditional language learning apps, OpenKoto lets you learn from real-world content — song lyrics, news articles, blog posts, or any text that sparks your interest.

Built with Tauri + React + Rust, it runs locally on your machine for fast performance and complete privacy.

🎯 Perfect for: Japanese learners, English learners, polyglots, and anyone who wants to learn languages through content they actually enjoy!

OpenKoto Main Interface

Why OpenKoto?

Feature OpenKoto Traditional Apps
📖 Learn from any content ✅ Import URLs, docs, lyrics ❌ Fixed curriculum
🔒 Privacy-focused ✅ 100% local processing ❌ Cloud-dependent
🆓 Free & open source ✅ Apache 2.0 License ❌ Subscription-based
🌍 100+ languages supported ✅ Learning & transcription ❌ Limited languages
🖥️ Native desktop performance ✅ Tauri + Rust ❌ Web-based lag
🤖 AI-powered explanations ✅ Smart context analysis ❌ Limited feedback

Download

Version Description Link
Desktop Recommended 🖥️ Native performance, local data, Mac/Windows/Linux Download Latest Release
Web Convenient online access, no installation required https://openkoto.app
Source Code 🆓 Fully open source, Apache 2.0 License GitHub Repository

Core Features

  • 🎯 Smart Support - One-click import from URLs, PDF, EPUB, TXT, Word, Markdown with automatic translation and vocabulary extraction
  • 📖 Immersive Reading Mode
    • Professional reader interface for articles and books
    • Real-time language switching
    • Instant word lookup and grammar parsing
  • 🔍 AI Learning Assistant
    • Intelligent word explanations in context
    • Detailed grammar breakdowns (Chinese-Japanese-English)
    • Pronunciation guidance and correction
  • 📝 Interactive AI Q&A - Highlight and ask questions about any text in real-time

Use Cases 🎬

  • 📚 Study with Any Material - Import PDFs, EPUB books, or TXT files for deep reading and analysis
  • 🎵 Learn Japanese through Song Lyrics - Master pronunciation for your favorite J-Pop songs and concerts
  • 📰 Read News in Foreign Languages - The Economist, NHK News, and more with instant translations
  • 🎬 Anime Learning - Understand your favorite Japanese anime with transcription support

Coming Soon

  • 📚 Personalized vocabulary and grammar exercise system
  • 🎥 YouTube video learning support

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v18+)
  • Rust

Development Setup

  1. Clone and download binaries (ffmpeg & yt-dlp for video features):

    git clone https://github.com/hikariming/OpenKoto.git
    cd OpenKoto
    chmod +x script/download_binaries.sh
    ./script/download_binaries.sh
  2. Install dependencies:

    cd textlingo-desktop
    npm install

    Option A: Core Application Only (Faster, no Python plugins)

    npm run tauri dev

    Option B: Full Application with Plugins (Recommended for PDF translation) This script handles Python environment, dependencies, and plugin setup automatically.

    # Make sure you are in the root directory
    chmod +x dev.sh
    ./dev.sh

For more details, see Development Documentation.

Troubleshooting

macOS: "App is damaged and can't be opened"

This is due to macOS Gatekeeper. Run in Terminal:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenKoto\ Desktop.app

Supported Languages

100+ languages supported for learning and transcription, including:

  • 🇯🇵 Japanese (with furigana support and auto grammar analysis)
  • 🇺🇸 English
  • 🇨🇳 Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)
  • 🇰🇷 Korean
  • 🇫🇷 French
  • 🇩🇪 German
  • 🇪🇸 Spanish
  • 🇮🇹 Italian
  • 🇵🇹 Portuguese
  • And many more...

PRs welcome for additional language support!

Tech Stack

  • Frontend: React + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
  • Backend: Tauri + Rust
  • AI: OpenAI-compatible API integration

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please feel free to submit PRs or open issues.

Current Version

v0.1.4 (Development)

Related Projects by the Author

Japanese AI Navigation Station

aitoolsjapan is a Japanese AI navigation website. Here, you can discover a wide range of AI-related tools and resources from Japan. It serves as a convenient hub to quickly find the AI services and applications you need, whether you're exploring cutting-edge AI technologies or looking for practical AI-powered tools.

Dify Usage and Learning Sharing Platform

usedify is a specialized platform dedicated to the usage and learning of Dify. On this site, you can access a wealth of valuable content, including Dify usage tips, hands-on experience sharing, and practical case studies. Whether you're a beginner getting started with Dify or an experienced user aiming to master advanced features, usedify provides the knowledge and insights to help you make the most of the Dify tool.

Foreign Language Learning Site Based on Personalized Texts

openkoto is a platform that enables foreign language learning based on texts that interest you. Instead of traditional language learning materials, it allows you to leverage your personal interests, such as favorite novels, articles, or blogs, as study resources. This unique approach makes language learning more engaging and effective, helping you improve your language proficiency while exploring topics you love.

License

Apache License 2.0 - See LICENSE for details


⭐ Star this repo if OpenKoto helps you learn languages! ⭐

Report Bug · Request Feature · Join Discussion

About

AI based foreign language reading and learning tool that allows you to learn foreign languages using any text content of interest,TextLingo是一款兴趣驱动的AI外语阅读与学习软件

Resources

License

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Packages

 
 
 

Contributors