Built by Learners, For Learners
We're building the Japanese learning platform we wished existed — one that respects your intelligence, your time, and your goals.
Why Kumi Exists
Most Japanese learning tools break language into disconnected pieces. Grammar lives in one place. Vocabulary in another. Kanji somewhere else entirely. Learners are left to stitch everything together on their own.
That fragmentation makes progress harder than it needs to be.
Kumi exists to unify what other tools keep separate.
Grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and dictionary lookup unified into a single system that reflects how Japanese is actually used.
Instead of forcing learners down preset paths, Kumi adapts to what you already know and builds forward from there. The goal is not engagement for its own sake, but steady, meaningful progress.
Building the Tool We Needed
Half Japanese and half American, Yoshimaro grew up without access to his Japanese language or cultural roots. That disconnect led to years of studying Japanese through textbooks, apps, and native material, often feeling that existing tools missed how the language is actually used.
Kumi was built out of that frustration. With a background in computer science, Yoshimaro set out to build a learning system that starts from a learner’s current experience and moves forward with clarity and intention.
Currently studying at an upper-intermediate level, roughly N3 to N2, and still learning alongside everyone else.
Doylan came into Kumi with no background in Japanese. Rather than starting as a learner, he entered the problem from the systems side, approaching Japanese as something to be understood, structured, and built from first principles.
With a focus on turning complex problems into clear, usable systems, Doylan is driven by building tools that genuinely empower the people using them. Kumi reflects that mindset, designed to make a difficult language feel approachable without oversimplifying it.
As Kumi takes shape, Doylan is learning Japanese alongside its development, using that outside-in perspective to continually refine how the system works for beginners and experienced learners alike.
What We Stand For
We believe learning tools should serve learners first, metrics second.
That means no manufactured urgency. No artificial streaks. No gating basic functionality behind layers of plans. Progress should come from understanding, not pressure.
We design Kumi to be calm, intentional, and honest about the learning process. Every interaction should move you forward, not keep you busy.
This is not about disruption or grand promises. It is about building a tool that respects how learning actually works and the people doing the learning.
Join Us on This Journey
Be part of building a better way to learn Japanese.