I spent months writing definitions for Japanese words that don't survive translation.
(komorebi) sunlight filtering through leaves.
(goiryoku) literally "vocabulary power", but online it only ever shows up in the negative: what you post when something is so good the adjectives have all deserted you.
(niowase) posting a photo with one detail left in the frame so people work out you're seeing someone, without ever claiming it.
Textbooks teach Japanese that stops at the classroom door. YABAI is the other half: 308 real slang, internet and fandom words, each on a card built around giant Japanese typography.
Every word has a meaning, a real example, a vibe check (safe to use? friends only? careful?) and a story — and when the origin is uncertain, it says so instead of inventing one.
Built end to end with AI agents in Claude Code. 13 languages, works offline. No streaks, no tests, no XP.
