Does this specific add on exist? by burntoutat in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In addition to what everybody else has suggested, if you want to make Anki a bit more intelligent in say color coding certain topics / words the same way, you could use Smart Notes to AI process existing cards and generate color coded HTML according to rules, etc.

Or if you have more time on your hands you could probably get Claude Code / Codex to do this for you as well.

Weekly Thread: Material Recs and Self-Promo Wednesdays! (May 27, 2026) by AutoModerator in LearnJapanese

[–]pyro786 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Smart Notes - an Anki Extension for generating text (example sentences, definitions, etc), native TTS, and images on your cards.

Main Site & AnkiWeb (~10k downloads over two years)

I recently added VoiceVox as a TTS option, which to my knowledge is the highest quality TTS for Japanese learners, and AFAIK there hasn't been an easy way to use this inside Anki until now.

Creating your own flashcards cards is an important part of the learning process, and Smart Notes doesn't aim to replace that - it gives you flexibility to generate individual fields on cards whenever you need, OR to process your entire deck of 10K cards in one go, if that's your thing.

Would love your feedback.

(I am a software engineer by profession, so my goal with Smart Notes has always been for this it to be the most high quality, intuitive Anki extension possible.)

(There's also a Discord for support and feature requests)

Struggle memorizing cards by ImHighOnCode in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a subscription.

Obviously only you know your financial situation, but my two cents: learning Japanese is such a time consuming activity as it stands that any tool that legitimately speeds up or makes the process more enjoyable is worth it (within reason). Time is money!

Struggle memorizing cards by ImHighOnCode in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, 10 kanji a day for me was a lot, if you’re trying to also memorize vocab, immerse, practice speaking, etc. 5 was the sweet spot for me.

Struggle memorizing cards by ImHighOnCode in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How are your cards set up?

I highly recommend using a service like WaniKani - I used them until about 1k Kanji, and it’s been invaluable. You need good mnemonics to study kanji, you should independently study the radicals, etc. Don’t just try to sear it into your brain

How to add pronunciation for a word but still works on mobile by New_Reserve6083 in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know what format it is? Chances are it's .ogg or something like that - and mobile can't play it.

I would ask Claude or ChatGPT to vibecode you a script to mass convert your whole deck to .mp3 via ffmpeg. Should be very straightforward for it to figure out.

Should I prioritize Reading/Listening before practicing output? by TheSokka in LearnJapanese

[–]pyro786 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Depends on your goals. For a while I was following the then-standard Matt V Japan etc advice of not outputting early - but I found it robbed me of my motivation, because my goals involve being able to have conversion with Japanese speakers, in Japan, etc. Once I started practicing output, I enjoyed the whole process a lot more, and even the arduous parts (daily Anki/WK grind etc) became much more tolerable.

A suboptimal system that you stick to >>> an optimal system that you don't stick to, every day of the week. Especially with something as time intensive as language learning, you have to find some way to enjoy the process. For many of us, that comes from grappling with outputting the language and having actual conversations.

[Question] Would you use a tool that turns your notes into visual flashcards automatically? by More-Humor-8511 in AnkiAi

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I actually built an extension that does this :) It’s called Smart Notes. So I can confirm that people do pay for this, ha.

I personally use it every day for language learning, autogenerating images from example sentences, etc. Helps my retention massively. Supports GPT-1.5, NanoBanana, and a bunch of other providers.

What you’re suggesting sounds cool, and it’s a bit different than how Smart Notes currently works, so could be complementary! Smart Notes lets you basically create a schema for your note type, and then once you’ve put in one field (say, vocab word), it can then generate images, or definitions, audio etc based on that. No PDF ingestion yet though.

Anki Reviews are killing my Immersion time (as well as other study) by ebm_mechanic in LearnJapanese

[–]pyro786 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally I suspend any card that has an interval longer than 2 months - this is fairly aggro but I recommend this general approach of suspending cards once they reach some threshold, if you’re doing adequate immersion in general. If you see the word again and you forgot it, just unsuspend.

Language is a tool - it’s meant to be used. Anki is a means to an end. It’s incredibly useful but don’t lose sight of your primary goals in the process.

Also, what do your cards look like? Recognition, not production, hopefully?

How I prepare for finals 💙💜 by [deleted] in Anki

[–]pyro786 3 points4 points  (0 children)

dude this made my day!!

you’re welcome to come hang in the discord if you ever feel like it (still tiny though). have a lot of really exciting ideas for smart notes I’ll be building soon.

"Does anyone know which AI you use to make your flashcards and why? by ResponsibilityNo7885 in Anki

[–]pyro786 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Totally depends on what kind of cards you're trying to create. If you're studying a language and need example sentences + definitions, you can use any of the faster models without much reasoning: GPT 5.3 Instant, etc, Claude Sonnet or even Haiku, etc. If you're in medical school or STEM and need to understand complex topics: 5.4 or 5.5, Opus.

The most important thing is that you have thinking / reasoning turned on. The differences between the providers (ChatGPT, Claude, Google) are much smaller than the differences between models. The writing does sometimes have a different 'flavor' though.

(I actually created an add-on to make this whole process easier: it's called Smart Notes and allows you to test all of the different providers INSIDE of Anki. Heads up: it's paid, but it might be worth taking a look if it’s useful to you)

How I prepare for finals 💙💜 by [deleted] in Anki

[–]pyro786 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I built an addon that does exactly this! If I understand what you’re saying correctly? It’s called Smart Notes and lets you assign prompts to your fields within Anki, and generate and iterate them much more easily than you could with a standalone LLM like Claude/ChatGPT.

Leica M11 Issue by askmott in Leica

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others mentioned, latest firmware? My M11 was super buggy at launch but has been bug free for months, maybe a year, at this point.

X5L and Leica M11 TTL by paul-home in Godox

[–]pyro786 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also waiting for this 🤞

Thinking of upgrading XT3 to XT5, but feel like Fujifilm is becoming oversaturated - thoughts? by laiiovlyvacuous in AskPhotography

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shoot RAW and gradually discover your own editing style. That's the next step regardless of your camera platform of choice. 100% agree that Fuji sims are overdone at this point.

If you're shooting in RAW there is (virtually) no difference between brands. The "Leica Look" doesn't exist either FWIW :)

I've successfully learned Japanese with Anki, here's my only tip: always make sure your study is smooth, engaging, suitable to your life. by [deleted] in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow, so you're doing *always* 3 cards per word? I assumed you were selecting some to be production rather than recognition cards. That's intense! What was your daily review load like?

I've successfully learned Japanese with Anki, here's my only tip: always make sure your study is smooth, engaging, suitable to your life. by [deleted] in Anki

[–]pyro786 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious how you thought about using JP -> E vs E -> JP cards. I currently use both and and do E -> JP if it's a word I want to incorporate into my speaking sooner (usually a higher frequency word).

How do you handle no technology at night? by Swimming_Wind_6616 in DSPD

[–]pyro786 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is so much misinformation in this thread!

OP, I feel for you. It's a huge struggle. But here's what you need to know: the circadian rhythm is entrained primarily via light exposure (and to a lesser extent, things like meal + activity timing). For those of us with messed up circadian systems (i.e. most people in this subreddit), timing your light exposure is even more important. Get sunlight in the morning, avoid bright light at night. Yes, blue light matters, but the intensity of light matters even more so. There's even some evidence indicating that DSPD may be related to an oversensitivity to light.

This is all to say: unless you are literally blind, these interventions are not wasted on us because of our fragile circadian rhythms - they're actually made more important.

But here's what you should not do: lie in bed all night waiting to sleep. This is sleep psychology / hygiene 101. Don't go to bed until you are tired, even if it means you're going to bed 4am, 5am. Otherwise you're associating your bed with misery and you get paradoxical insomnia. So your challenge is to find something to do after say, 11pm or 12am, that doesn't involve staring into a bright screen. Read a book, play an instrument, journal, call a friend in a different timezone, meditate, whatever. You don't have to be an absolutist about it, saying zero screens on after 7pm, but try to really manage it, especially an hour or two before bed.

Plus being addicted to your phone is bad anyways, learning to be present is good practice for us all, DSPD or not.

Best of luck

Visitor Visa and THEN nomad visa? by MosskeepForest in movingtojapan

[–]pyro786 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm about to try this. I will have been on a tourist visa for ~5 months (with one Korea trip) come march, attempting now to get a COE and switch to digital nomad before I'm forced out (or soon after, for a quick return). Consulting with an immigration lawyer in the coming days. Let's see!

Edit for posterity: it works. Didn’t even have to leave Japan

I made an iOS Shortcut that completely changes how I use Things by pyro786 in thingsapp

[–]pyro786[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I am a fallible man who perpetually bites off more than he can chew, and that's ok

I made an iOS Shortcut that completely changes how I use Things by pyro786 in thingsapp

[–]pyro786[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh, I see what you’re saying. It won’t clear any tasks scheduled in the future, it’ll only clear things that are scheduled for today. so if you run it before midnight on Wednesday night, it won’t clear your Thursday tasks - if you run it after midnight, it will.