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what is zokugo fr?

mnkd/zokugo — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2017-01-27

GoAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

tl;dr

Zokugo is a Go command-line tool that converts Japanese hiragana text into kanji characters that sound the same or similar.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Converts hiragana to kanji
      Matches phonetic sounds
      Handles dot-separated input
    Tech stack
      Go
      CLI tool
    Use cases
      Generate game names
      Create stylized text
      Explore Japanese wordplay
    Audience
      Game developers
      Content creators
      Language enthusiasts
    Usage
      Single install command
      Run from terminal

Code map

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filefunction / class

what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Generate creative enemy names or item descriptions for a game using kanji wordplay

VIBE 2

Create stylized alternative text for content that stands out visually

VIBE 3

Explore Japanese phonetic-to-kanji conversions for language learning or fun

VIBE 4

Turn a hiragana greeting or phrase into an alternative kanji spelling

what's the stack?

Go

how it stacks up fr

mnkd/zokugo42wim/fabio42wim/go-xmpp
LanguageGoGoGo
Last pushed2017-01-272018-02-042020-01-24
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity1/53/53/5
Audiencegeneralops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · easy time til it works · 5min

Requires Go installed, a single install command gets the zokugo CLI running.

in plain english

Zokugo is a tool that converts Japanese hiragana (the phonetic alphabet) into kanji (the pictographic characters). It takes words written in hiragana and transforms them into kanji that sound the same or similar when read aloud. Here's how it works in practice. When you run the tool and give it hiragana text, it looks up or generates kanji characters that match the phonetic sounds. For example, the hiragana word "よろしく" (yoroshiku, a common greeting) becomes "世露死苦", different characters that still represent the same sounds. The tool can also handle individual characters separated by dots, like "あ.い.し.て.る," transforming each one independently into "亜.慰.死.帝.流." This is useful for anyone working with Japanese text who needs to create playful or alternative written forms. Game developers might use it to generate creative enemy names or item descriptions. Content creators could use it to make stylized text that stands out. Linguists or language enthusiasts interested in Japanese writing systems might find it useful for exploration or educational purposes. The conversions often produce interesting visual or semantic effects, the resulting kanji characters sometimes carry related meanings to the sounds, creating a kind of wordplay. The tool is straightforward to set up if you have Go installed on your computer. You run a single installation command, then use it from your terminal by typing zokugo followed by your hiragana text. The README doesn't provide extensive documentation beyond examples, so users will mainly learn by trying it with different inputs and seeing what output they get.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Show me how to install and run zokugo to convert a hiragana word into kanji.
prompt 2
Take the hiragana phrase 'ありがとう' and show me what zokugo would output, and explain why.
prompt 3
Help me use zokugo to generate stylized kanji names for characters in a game I'm building.
prompt 4
Explain how zokugo picks which kanji characters match a given hiragana sound.

Frequently asked questions

what is zokugo fr?

Zokugo is a Go command-line tool that converts Japanese hiragana text into kanji characters that sound the same or similar.

What language is zokugo written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go.

Is zokugo actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2017-01-27).

How hard is zokugo to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is zokugo for?

Mainly general.

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