Changelog
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Website Update! Flip Buttons Mode for SRS, Manual SRS Lessons Picking, Lightning mode modifier, improvements and a whole bunch of bugfixes!
Hey everyone!
We've finally had some time to focus on some smaller (but oh so fun) new features, improvements, and bugfixes for the website again!
Let's get into it!
New Features:
SRS - Vocabulary & Kanji - You can now toggle on Flip Buttons Mode during the lesson quiz and reviews! This means you get a button for "Show" on the front side of an SRS card, and two new buttons on the back side for "Correct" and "Wrong".
When this mode is enabled, you have to grade yourself by using the buttons, and the input gets removed, so no typing is involved!
This is mainly handy for when you are on mobile devices, where typing can be much slower and prone to typos, or when you have a huge stack of reviews to go through.
Watch out though! In general, retention rates are higher when you type things out, so use it with care!
For keyboard users, you can use the following hotkeys while the mode is enabled:
SPACE - Show
G - Correct
H - Wrong
These hotkeys can also be changed on the settings page (see screenshot below)!
SRS - Lightning Mode SHIFT modifier key - If you have lightning mode enabled but want to disable it for the current item, you can now hold SHIFT while pressing ENTER. It will then show the backside of the card, even if the answer is correct (normally, it would skip the backside with lightning mode on).
SRS - Mark As Known Hotkey - We've added a new hotkey option for marking items as known during SRS sessions. You can go to the settings page to set up the new hotkey.
Recently Studied / Leeches - Each table now shows how many items you've selected on top of the table.
SRS - Lightning Mode now has separate modes for Vocab/Kanji vs Grammar SRS.
SRS - Typo allowance has been changed to be a bit stricter.
Study Lists - Manage Items - You can now start a new lesson session with items you selected. Meaning you can now pick your own lessons for the day! Super handy when going through any of the parsed native material lists, for example!
Bugfixes:
Recently Studied - Fixed an issue where turning the "Mistakes Only" filter on would skip certain items and filter them from the view.
Stories - Fixed an issue where certain "elements" used in stories would not render properly during SRS.
Grammar Lessons - Exercises - Fixed an issue where the input would not automatically convert from romaji to kana in Firefox browsers.
Dictionary - Fixed an issue where certain (counter) Vocabulary would not show the contained Kanji.
Adventure - Unlocks Page - Fixed an issue where definitions would sometimes wrongly get cut off, leading to weird definitions for items.
Statistics - Your streak now sorts properly before counting, fixing gaps that arose when "fixing" streaks by changing your timezone 👀
Grammar SRS - Fixed an issue with furigana sometimes displaying on fake tokens when it shouldn't, thus giving away the answer.
That's all for now! But in the background we're working on a few exciting things, so keep an eye out for more updates soon! 
New Mobile Apps Update - v1.0.7 - N2 Region, Suggest Changes (for GL, RE), & A bunch of bugfixes!
Hi everyone! A new mobile app update has been submitted to the app stores! As of publishing this changelog, the iOS update has been approved, but the Android version is still awaiting review from Google. Edit: The Android version has also been approved!
As usual, you can get the mobile apps through the following links:
iOS:
https://testflight.apple.com/join/MfpPbqCq
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxlabs.marumori
Please note that currently, in order to access the app, you will need a subscription or a lifetime account, as our mobile app is still in early access until we get it on par with the website!
With that out of the way, let's get to the good stuff!
This update brings the following things:
New Features:
The N2 Region has now been implemented in the mobile app as well! This means both areas of the region can be explored, and the two secret easter eggs (not the actual eggs from the easter egg hunt, haha) can be found in the app as well!
Suggest Changes - The suggest changes modal has been implemented for Grammar Lessons and Reading Exercises, meaning you can now give us feedback straight from the app! This functionality will also get implemented for SRS items in the near future. You can access it through the red button near the navbar:
Bugfixes:
SRS - Grammar - Unscramble - Submitting a created sentence right after removing a token (by tapping on it) would cause it to be marked as incorrect, even if the sentence was correct. This has been fixed!
Conjugation Trainer - Fixed an issue where your answer would be marked as incorrect at times, even when correct. This was due to pressing ENTER/submit before "n" gets converted into "ん". (e.g. with "たべませn". If you entered "nn", it would convert before submitting, so it would not cause a problem).
Home - Widgets are now properly center-aligned again
Study Lits - Study Lists are now properly center-aligned again.
SRS - Lessons - Fixed an issue where trailing spaces could lead to your answer being marked as incorrect.
Grammar Lessons - Example Sentences - Fixed an issue where furigana over numbers would sometimes overlap with the numbers.
SRS - Fixed an issue where you'd sometimes see an empty tooltip pop up.
SRS - Grammar - FITB - Fixed an issue where the text would resize after leaving the app and going back to it.
Home - Timeline - The timeline now always refreshes properly.
That's all for now, but expect more mobile app goodness to come very soon!
The Sands of Mastery (N2) region is LIVE & first N2 content drop!
Exciting news, everyone! The Sands of Mastery (N2) region, in all of its sandy glory, is now live!
Not only does this mark the release of our N2 content, but it also means that our N3 content is officially complete! I think at this point, we’re allowed to say that we cover quite a big chunk of content indeed!
For some perspective, N2 itself will span 38 batches of content, containing 268 tiles, 512 kanji, 1682 vocabulary, and 191 grammar lessons! That’s a lot of tiles. This also means that if you make it all the way from Absolute Beginner through to the end of the Sands of Mastery, you’ll have learned 5772 vocabulary and 1604 total kanji! I know, big numbers.
The Sands of Mastery is also the first region to feature a secret second area, and two hidden easter eggs. (Not to mention the seasonal easter eggs, which have now expanded to the new island!) There may or may not be some new achievements up for grabs if you manage to unearth these sandy secrets…
(Please note that although the region is now fully released, some assets (namely the regional top banner artwork) are yet to be fully completed, so what you see at the moment as banner art is still a WIP. We'll be updating it in the next couple of days, but didn't want you to have to wait any longer for the first content drop of N2!
The new region is also ready in the mobile apps, but won't be accessible until we release a new version. We're still waiting for the final banner art until the apps get submitted to the app stores. More info on that very soon!)
It’s been a long time coming, and we’re excited to release all of our N2 content, including grammar lessons, unlocks, reading exercises, and cultural lessons over the coming months. We hope you find this new, more advanced content just as engaging and awesome as ever!
And speaking of said content…
Along with the region, our first batch of N2 content is now live! Since N2 is infamous for having a lot of similar grammar, we’ve gone with a brand new structure featuring grammar “categories” that we will cycle through, plenty of compare and contrasting, as well as category wrap-up lessons where we compare similar points. Check out the N2 intro tile for more details!
In this, the very first batch of N2 grammar (!!!), learn a new way to form incomplete lists with ～やら～やら, waffle with ～というか～というか, stumble over ～にもかかわらず’s many kana, and learn about an extra special “but” with ～ものの. This batch also features a cultural lesson about お辞儀 (“bowing”) culture in Japan. So if you’ve ever wondered if you’ve been bowing incorrectly this whole time, definitely give this one a read!
This batch’s vocab features words like 偉人 “great person”, 寝坊 “sleeping in late”, and 金銭 “money”. Then, practice your new grammar with this batch’s reading, featuring the over-winter cabbage, Mike’s foray into baking, and a business email. (Yes, it’s time for the debut of the dreaded “business” email.)
I’ll wrap this up, as I’m sure you’re eager to get out there and explore the new region. Okay, ready? Set? Go!
And as always,
Happy studies!
P.s. We've also fixed a few of those pesky bugs and introduced a few smaller (but super handy!) features and improvements. I'll round those up in another announcement soon!
P.p.s. We've also decided to extend our spring sale by one more week, so it will end on the 22nd instead!
Spring sale & easter egg hunt
Hi everyone!
Our spring sale on lifetime memberships is now live! So if you’ve been waiting to grab that full-on, hardcore, lifetime, super-commitment to learning Japanese, now’s the time! The sale will last for 2 weeks, so be sure to grab it on time if you want to get it!
Also, and perhaps more importantly, our annual easter egg hunt is now live too! Head over to any of the available regions and try to catch ‘em all. I’m personally still looking for one in Depths from last year… grrr.
And just in case you missed it, our N3 content in the Jungle of Tenacity is now complete! That means you can journey all the way from absolute beginner, all the way to intermediate, and all on MM! Wahoo!
The release of the N2 region and its content is coming very soon, so keep your eyes peeled like Japanese-learning oranges. I will spoil it a bit though: it’s very sandy, mysterious, and grammatical. Does that make sense?
Happy studies!
Adept (N3) Content Complete! Onwards to Advanced (N2)!
Hello MaruMorians!
It’s been a long time coming, but we’re super excited to (finally) announce the completion of our N3 content, and the Jungle of Tenacity! This means that you can now adventure your way all the way from Absolute Beginner to Adept, all with Maru at your side!
N3 in particular, is a huge region, with over 240 grammar points spanning 176 lessons and hundreds of kanji/vocab for you to complete your foundational knowledge with. We put a lot of time and love into this region, and we hope all of our users get a chance to explore it! If you haven’t had a chance yet, head on over to the Jungle of Tenacity to check out the full region in all of its glory.
This also means that a new island is on the horizon! In the coming weeks, we’ll release the Sands of Mastery region, along with our first N2 content. We’re getting into upper intermediate/advanced Japanese, which means things are getting more intense but also even more fun! You’ll be reading native-level Japanese, learning advanced vocabulary, and diving into grammar patterns that will change your life and make you go, “I didn’t know you could do that! Is that allowed?!”.
We’re also hard at work on N2 mock exams, which we’ll have out in time for the coming JLPT, as well as the much-anticipated kanji confusion minigame (and other minigames!), which will either solve your confusing-kanji woes forever, or make you more confused than you already were! (No but really, it’s going to be a blast!)
I’ll leave it at that for now, but keep your eyes peeled for another exciting spring announcement in the near future… And as always, happy studies!