AI · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to I built an app so I could read the 3 Body-Problem in Chinese
Hey HN! I’m Alex, and one of my favorite ways to learn languages is by reading novels. Currently I’m reading 三体 (3 body problem), but one problem I've always had is it takes ages to look up words, and add them to Anki flashcards so I can remember them. 三体 is especially brutal with so much sci-fi vocab. That’s why I built Readly. I snap a pic of the page I’m reading, it loads the text in-app and lets me lookup words, add to Anki-style flashcards, or ask AI questions about the text, all in a single tap. It's a huge time saver. My specific learning strategy, if anyone wants to replicate it: 1.…
Readly is a language learning app designed for readers tackling foreign language novels. Users photograph pages they're reading, and the app extracts the text, allowing them to look up unfamiliar words, create… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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Read Bean▲310Learn Chinese with real-world content, at your level
2025 · readbean.app · its alternatives →
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Hi HN, I watch A LOT of educational YouTube videos but wasn't forgetting a good chunk of the details because I was only really passively watching. So I made a tool that generates quiz questions/flashcards from YouTube videos, and uses spaced repetition like Anki or Duolingo to keep it in memory. Let me know if you find it cool/useful (or terrible ) or if you want to know a bit about the details!
2024 · platoedu.org · its alternatives →
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Laoshi▲239Learn new words with flashcards to master Chinese faster
2021 · laoshi.io · its alternatives →
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Toku Reader▲111Read & listen to native Japanese and Chinese, tap any word
Jul 2026 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
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I quit my job last year and worked mostly on this full SwiftUI rewrite of my Japanese reading app, Manabi Reader. The rewrite gave me the opportunity to expand to macOS (and without Catalyst so it feels extra native) and redo the data layer to be offline-first via Realm with iCloud sync. The biggest differentiators compared with other language study apps are that it tracks every word/kanji you read so that you can see how much of a given webpage/article you're already familiar with and other features/analytics built on that foundation; it automatically builds a personal corpus…
2023 · reader.manabi.io · its alternatives →
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Hi! Wanted to share the project I really wanted to have. TLDR; this app lets you create your own list of words and you get a Duolingo-like experience (kind of, still needs a lot of features) practicing those words in their context. My English is not the best but not the worst either. But I realized I can't boost it up after a certain level! In my belief, in order to truly learn a language, you need to be exposed to that language often. Vocabulary is the key factor here if you really want to improve in any language. My experience is that when I read a book to improve my English vocabulary, I…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Hi HN, For over two years I've been working on an App to learn languages (currently French, Italian and Spanish), together with my partner, a language teacher. I think it is finally ready to share with this community! The idea is to introduce vocabulary and grammar whilst you read eBooks in your own language. I've found that it is easier to remember vocabulary 'in context' and with regular repetition. Plus you don't have to carve out dedicated time for language learning. Other apps require you to build a habit around various exercises or ‘games’, whereas lots of people already read books.…
2024 · glossarie.app · its alternatives →
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Hey HN, cofounder of Readwise here. We've been working on this cross-platform reader app for about 2 years, excited to finally share it in public beta. Probably the most notable thing that makes Reader unique is that it supports almost any content type you could want to save/read/highlight: * web pages * emails/newsletters * PDFs * ePubs * twitter threads * youtube videos (with transcripts) * RSS feeds With all of your knowledge content in one place, we built powerful reading and highlighting, as well as a bunch of novel triage/organization features, so you can actually…
2022 · readwise.io · its alternatives →
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Hi HN, Just wanted to share a tool i've been working on to help with my own study routine. It’s a browser extension called Lingoku. The idea is simple: we spend hours browsing the web in English every day. This tool replaces some of the english words with Japanese vocabulary based on your japanese level (Similar to Toucan, but with a better user experience). It’s basically an attempt to make the "i+1" method actually passive, you understand the sentence because it's mostly english, but you pick up Japanese words naturally from the context. It uses an LLM in the backend to make sure the…
Dec 2025 · lingoku.ai · its alternatives →
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Wordy▲231Hey HN, I'm Sándor. I built Wordy because I kept pausing Netflix to look up words in a dictionary. So I made a subtitle tool for myself, and it kind of snowballed from there. What it does: You watch short clips from real movies and TV shows, then get quizzed on the vocabulary you just heard. The app tracks every word automatically and adapts to your level. 20+ languages. How it evolved: Started as an iOS app for interactive streaming subtitles. Then I added curated video clips with quizzes. Then vocabulary tracking, spaced repetition, and personalized learning paths. Now it's iOS + Android +…
Feb 2026 · wordy.info · its alternatives →
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2018 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
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Learn any language by reading what you love. Click words to translate, build vocabulary with smart flashcards, and read articles, books, and web pages in 100+ languages. Free to start.
2015 · readlang.com · its alternatives →
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Hey HN, it’s been 8 years since I posted on here about the launch of my Japanese dictionary app Nihongo [0] and I’m finally back with a new app: Nihongo Lessons! Think of Nihongo Lessons as the textbook to Nihongo’s dictionary. It’s an app for learning Japanese, specifically made for learners who are serious about becoming fluent, and want a guided set of content that will help them efficiently acquire vocabulary and grammar. The project came about when Adam Shapiro of Japanese Level Up (Jalup) [1] announced last April that he was shutting Jalup down. As a fan of Adam’s work I was bummed to…
2022 · lessons.nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →
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Read Easy.ai▲113Make text more understandable and easier to read
2023 · readeasy.ai · its alternatives →
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Wordwise▲114Hey HN, While learning Danish, I kept translating the same words over and over. I’d take notes, highlight books, save things in random places… then lose track of it all. I wanted something simple. Translate a word, save it with context, and review it later so it actually sticks. Nothing I found really did that. So I built my own app. It lets you: - Translate and save words instantly - Add notes, tags, example sentences, gender, even emojis - Review everything with flashcards using spaced repetition - Track how many words you’ve really learned - Use it fully offline with on-device ML Kit…
2025 · getwordwise.app · its alternatives →
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Hi HN! I've been working on BookWith, an open-source e-book reader that integrates AI as your reading companion. The problem: Traditional e-readers are passive. When you encounter something unclear, you have to context-switch to search for it. Your highlights and notes remain isolated, and you can't easily connect ideas across different books. My solution: BookWith embeds an AI that maintains full context of what you're reading. It features: - Context-aware AI chat: Ask questions about the current page/chapter and get instant answers - AI podcast generation: Automatically converts book…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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I'm a long time lurker that recently quit my job to work on my own projects, a lot due to the inspiration from Hacker News. Now I have published my first serious project, an app for learning how to write Japanese characters. It's the app I always wanted but couldn't find when I was studying. It tries to be simple to use, you just start the quiz and go with the flow. There's no need to plan and manage your studies, and it uses spaced repetition for better retention. There's a promo page with more details up at http://www.kanjibyhand.com. It's only for Android so far. The free version includes…
2012 · kanjibyhand.com. · its alternatives →
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Memorai 🧠▲90AI memory assistant for Anki – remember everything you read
2020 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
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An Android AR app for improving English literacy
2019 · microsoft.com · its alternatives →
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AI To Cards▲78Turn any text into Anki flashcards in seconds
2023 · aitocards.com · its alternatives →
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Turn anything into a language lesson, instantly
2022 · roshi.ai · its alternatives →
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Wokabulary▲83Flash card language learning app for Mac, iPhone and iPad
2021 · wokabulary.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →