Katakanpai

👉 View live demo 👉 Source code

Katakanpai is a fun little project I built in about 2 hours during my spare time while attending a Japanese language school in Tokyo for a few months. It’s a drinking game designed to help beginner Japanese learners practice reading katakana by guessing famous brand names written in Japanese characters.

The name is a playful combination of “katakana” and “kanpai” (乾杯), the Japanese word for “cheers!” – a fitting reference to Japanese drinking culture.

(This was just a silly two-hour spare time project, and I am not an alcoholic.)

🧩 Features

• Guess brand names written in katakana
• Beginner-friendly Japanese learning tool
• Perfect for language learners who want to practice in a fun way
• Simple and intuitive interface
• Drinking game format for social gatherings

💡 Technologies used

• TypeScript
• Nuxt

🎯 Insights

During my time at a Japanese language school in Tokyo, I wanted to create something that combined learning with the social aspects of Japanese culture. Katakana is often used for foreign brand names, making it perfect for a guessing game.

This was a spontaneous project that came together in just a couple of hours – proving that sometimes the best learning tools are the ones you create for yourself when you need them most.

While the drinking game format is entertaining, the app works just as well as a regular study tool for anyone learning to read katakana!