Immersion made easy · private · in development
Read any screen in the language you are learning
Learn from native content: videos, anime, games, manga, the news and ordinary web text. Point at any word to see what it means, save the sentence, and review it with spaced repetition (SRS). Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Russian today.
- $10, once
- No subscription, ever
- Lifetime, with all future updates
No account needed: your words and text stay on your device, and you can export them any time. Want them on every device? An optional account to sync is coming.
- Video subtitles
- Comics and manga
- Games
- Web pages
- Images and PDFs
Try it
Point at a word
This is what the extension does on a video, a page of ordinary text, an image or a game: every word of native content becomes something you can point at. Here is a small version with a few words filled in.
、！
Point at a word in the anime subtitle. This demo has its words filled in by hand; the extension looks up every word in a full dictionary, on your device.
Translation
≈ Let’s go to the beach together tomorrow!
The extension can translate the whole line with your browser’s built-in translator, on your device. Usually good, not always perfect.
Everything in one tool
A lot of app for $10
Reading, looking up, remembering and reviewing, in one tool that runs on your device.
Learn from native content
Watch what you actually enjoy: YouTube, anime, dramas, games, manga, the news. Video subtitles (even burned into the picture), ordinary web text, images and PDFs all work, and Yona puts a square over every word.
Built-in spaced repetition (SRS)
Every word you save becomes a card that comes back just before you would forget it. Rate it Again, Hard, Good or Easy and see the next interval before you press.
A dictionary that understands word forms
Conjugated verbs, plurals, case endings and irregular forms lead back to the dictionary word, with the reading, the meaning and a note on what the ending does.
Sentence mining in one tap
Save the word together with the sentence you found it in. No copying, no switching tabs, so your immersion keeps flowing.
Practice, stats and Anki export
Quizzes from your own words, your streak and retention, and one-click export to Anki or CSV if you already live in Anki.
Translation built in
Whole sentences translated by your browser’s own translator, which is usually good, though not always perfect with names, slang and wordplay. Nothing from Yona is uploaded. Switch it on for a whole subtitle, or point at one block of text.
Five languages now, more coming
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Russian today. Arabic, French, German, Italian and Portuguese are on the way, and every one is included in the same price.
Works offline, stays private
The dictionary and the reader run on your device. No account, no tracking, and your words are yours.
Three steps
How it works
- 01Step 1
Immerse
Press Alt+Shift+Y over a video, a game or a page in the browser extension, or use the desktop app over any program.
- 02Step 2
Point and mine
Point at a word to see its reading and meaning, and save it with the sentence it came from.
- 03Step 3
Review with SRS
Spaced repetition brings each word back at the right time. Practice and stats show how it is going.
Get Yona
In your browser, or over your whole screen
Chrome and Edge extensionIn development
Reads the tab you are on: subtitles, comics and pictures, with squares over the original text and a hover card. It has its own lists, review, practice and stats. Shortcuts: Alt+Shift+Y to read, Alt+Shift+T for translation.
Ask for early accessWindows desktop appIn development
A see-through window over your screen reads games, video players, PDFs and any other program, and draws the words over the original text. It has the same lists, review and stats.
Ask for early access
The extension and desktop app are not in any store yet. Email us and we will tell you when they are. Mac and Android are planned after. Your words stay on your device, and you can export them to Anki or CSV at any time.
One price, every language
Languages
A language is a dictionary pack you download once and keep, so adding one does not mean a new app.
Planned, at no extra cost
- FrançaisFrench
- DeutschGerman
- ItalianoItalian
- PortuguêsPortuguese
- العربيةArabic
Pricing
$10. Once. For life.
$10one time
No subscription, ever. Pay once, use it for good.
Get YonaTry it free first
Everything works, on every platform, until Yona has read 500 words of on-screen text for you. Then it is the one-time $10, and you never pay again.
- Lifetime license, and every future update is included
- Every language, now and as they are added
- Learning more than one? Look up words in several languages at once, free (coming soon)
- The extension and the desktop app on one purchase
- Unlimited reading of on-screen text
- No ads, no account, no tracking
- Lists, review and stats are never limited, and you can always export your words
Yona is in development and nothing is for sale yet. This is the launch price, and it is the plan: one payment, no subscription. A license key you enter once will work on every device.
Privacy
Private by design
Your lists, review history and settings stay on your device. There is no account and no tracking. Reading text from pictures and video, and translating it, happens on your device. To move your words, export a backup and import it on another device, or send them to Anki or a CSV file. An optional account that syncs your words across devices is coming; it will stay optional, and Yona will keep working without it. Read the privacy page for the details.
What is Yona?
Yona is a reading tool for language learners. It reads the text on your screen (video subtitles, comics, games, web pages), lets you hover over any word for its meaning, and saves the words for spaced-repetition review.
Is Yona good for immersion and sentence mining?
That is what it is built for. You watch or read native content, point at a word you do not know, and save it together with its sentence. The saved words become spaced-repetition (SRS) cards, and you can export them to Anki.
Do I need an account?
No. Yona works without one: your words stay on your device, and you can move them with a backup file or export them to Anki or CSV. An optional account to sync your words across devices is coming; it will stay optional.
Can I learn more than one language?
Yes. Every language is included in the one price and you can switch any time. Looking up words in several languages at once, for a page or a video that mixes them, is coming soon and will be free too.
Which languages does it support?
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Russian have dictionaries. Arabic, French, German, Italian and Portuguese are planned.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. Dictionary lookup, reading text from pictures and review all run on your device. There are no accounts and no tracking. Translation, if you turn it on, uses your browser’s own built-in translator (Chrome and Edge 138 or newer), so it runs on your device too.
How much does it cost?
$10, one time. No subscription, ever, and it is yours for life with all future updates. It is free to try until Yona has read 500 words of on-screen text for you. Yona is in development and nothing is for sale yet.
Will I have to pay again for updates or new languages?
No. The one-time price includes every future update and every language we add, on every platform.
Is there a web app?
This website is a demo and information. Lists, spaced review, practice and stats are in the extension and the desktop app, so your words stay on your device and never need an account.
Is the browser extension available?
Not on the Chrome Web Store yet. It works in Chrome and Edge when loaded unpacked, and a store release is planned.
What about Mac, Android and iOS?
The Windows desktop app and the Chrome and Edge extension come first. Android is next, then Mac and iOS. There are no dates yet.
Can I get my words out?
Yes. Export to Anki or CSV, or take a full backup, at any time.