N2 Content Drop #22

It’s… the end of January.

This week’s content drop features a selection of grammar points that are sure to have you yee’ing and haw’ing! For instance, we’ve got 〜も構わず for when you want to put your hands in the air like you just don’t care, 〜からには for a fancy “now that” which you can use for your already abandoned New Year’s resolutions, and 〜を契機に, which has absolutely nothing to do with cake, despite what you might think. (I know, I was disappointed too.)

For vocabulary, (which is unlock #100, by the way!) we’ve got bashful yet capable words such as 孤独 “solitude”, 誰 “who” (WHO put this kanji all the way up here???), and 勧誘 “solicitation”. Incredible stuff, really.

And for this batch’s reading, check out an attempt at breadmaking (in Japanese), get confused by identical twins, and read about a town cursed by… pineapple pizza.

All of that, and more, awaits you in the ever-mysterious Sands of Mastery…

Happy studies!

N2 Content Drop #21

It’s the first content drop of 2026! Wa-hoo!!!

In all seriousness, just because Neicudi is on vacation, that doesn’t mean we’re allowed to slack off, disco dance, and/or have pancake-themed parties. (But on the other hand, rules are made to be broken…)

Anyway, this week’s content features New Year-appropriate grammar such as ～ては・では for “if” statements, such as “If you don’t stick to your resolutions this year you are actually a failure, for real this time”; ～かと思ったら for “just when” statements such as “Just when I thought I’d finally stick to my New Year’s resolutions I found myself neck-deep in a vat of chocolate”; ～ていては for “if one keeps doing X” statements such as “If I keep getting sucked back into the chocolate fondue world I will eventually have to accept it as my destiny”.

And of course we’ve got immense words such as 恐縮 “being ashamed”, 縮む “to shrink”, and 尽くす “to exhaust”. You’re only imagining that there’s a theme here.

Then, practice recent grammar and vocab in this year’s first reading exercise which features a fancy (and distinguished) missing cat, a volcanic park, and the New Year tradition of “kakizome”.

All of this and more awaits you now in the Sands of Mastery!

Happy studies

The time is here! MaruMori Wrapped 2025 just landed! (Plus bonus N1 artwork teaser)

Happy New Year everyone!

Just like last year, we're starting the year by releasing the new MaruMori Wrapped today!

Check it out here!

In case you are not familiar with what MaruMori Wrapped is: To put it simply, it's your study year in review!

You'll find some cool statistics of what you've learned, mastered, and done on MaruMori in the past year, and get a nice little summary of those stats at the end.

I think it's easier to explain through images, so here are a few samples:

We hope you enjoy seeing your year in review! Be sure to share your summary with us all too! We have a special channel in the MM Discord (invite link on the bottom of your home dashboard!) where you can show off your awesome stats!

A huge heartfelt thank you, and happy new year from all of us at MM!

Looking ahead, things are looking great for 2026! We're working on many exciting big features and tools, as well as launching our mobile app out of early access. N2 content will be complete around August / September this year, after which we'll go full steam ahead with the new N1 island in October!

Speaking of which, the artwork for that region is starting to look fantastic! Here's a small part of the color sketches our artist has shown us:

Lookin’ very dangerous over there eh

We hope that your 2026 is filled with laughter, joy, love and new achievements! Make Maru proud this year by doing your best and achieving those Japanese study goals!

P.s. Our lifetime sale is starting to near it's end. If you were still considering it, now might be the best time to join in on the fun and start working on that 2026 goal!

N2 Content Drop #20

As 2025 comes to a close, We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone in the community for another awesome year. Whether you’re a long time MM-user, or just joining us for the first time, we’re happy you’re here! Helping you all reach your Japanese goals is the reason we wake up (on time, even,... usually) every morning! So, yeah, thank you all very much for using MM, and we hope we can continue to meet and surpass your expectations for what a Japanese learning platform should be.

Speaking of which, our 2026 roadmap has quite some exciting items on it… But I won’t spoil that just yet. Keep your eyes peeled though, more news… very soon.

This week’s content drop includes grammatical wonders such as ～としても for “even if”, ～にすぎない for “nothing more than”, and ～のみならず for a fancy “not only”.

For vocab, get ready to praise with 褒める, give out prizes with 褒美, and… wash your clothes, with 洗剤.

Then, practice recent vocab and grammar in this week’s reading, featuring a road trip in Canada, an end of the year party, and some political issues in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Happy (almost) new-year, and happy studies!

N2 Content Drop #19

T’was the last drop before Christmas, and all through MM, users were reviewing, even Mr. Kansai Ben. Then all of a sudden, from way up above, there came a shout:

“Hey ya’ll! Here’s some more grammar articles, kanji, and vocab!”

Jesse dropped fresh content down from his sleigh, without regard for people’s safety. What a naughty move, … also what rhymes with “safety”?

Anyway! Happy holidays everyone. I’m writing this announcement in advance for Neic to drop while I’m away, but I hope you’re all having a cheerful and productive holiday season! And if not, that’s okay too, I’m not judging.

This week’s batch features a lot of un-caring grammar, such as ～を問わず and ～にかかわりなく. But then you can choose to care again (if you wish), and point out some particulars with ～だけに. Something for everyone!

For vocab, we’ve got words like the kanji version of ダメ (駄目), 消滅 (“extinction”), and 屈辱 (“disgrace”). Sort of a negative bunch, but hey, what can ya do.

And in this week’s reading exercise, take a look at a Japanese school in the West, check in with little Takuya-kun, and get ready to tear up at our annual (since this year) touching Christmas story.

All of this and more, awaits you now… in the Sands of Mastery!

Happy studies!