Kumi Insights:
From lookup to little journey
This week at Kumi, we’ve been polishing the root of our entire ecosystem: The Dictionary.
Classic mode is still the default.
It’s the fast, no-drama version.
Type it. Find it. Keep moving.
But we’ve also been building an Experience Mode for when you do not just want the answer — you want the word to make sense. The visuals below are early WIP, but the direction is already exciting.
What matters most to us in both is the same: We’re trying to show a lot of language data without dumping a wall of text on you.
Bite-sized pieces, clear labels, a page that feels like a calm set of folds. Not a textbook explosion.
design-wise, we have one stubborn belief: People do not need less information.
They need information that is organized like a brain.
So we’re building pages that are complete, but broken into small, digestible pieces you can scan, understand, and come back to.
The “dictionary form jump-scare”
You learn one nice, polite verb form. Then you open a manga and suddenly every verb is wearing sweatpants.
Japanese is like that. Same idea. Different outfit.
Japanese Insights:
The ます-form vs 辞書形 (dictionary form) “outfit change”
If you’ve ever felt betrayed by a Japanese textbook, this is usually why. You learn verbs in ます-form first because it’s polite, tidy, and feels safe. Then you start seeing verbs in dictionary form everywhere and you’re like: “Wait… did I learn the wrong language?”
You didn’t, you just discovered that Japanese has registers.
Same meaning. Different vibe.
A simple way to think about it:
ます-form = “I’m being polite / formal.”
Dictionary form = “I’m being casual / neutral.”
(And yes, real life has nuance. But this mental model gets you moving.)
Why it matters in real life:
You will hear dictionary form a lot in everyday conversation.
You will see it a lot in anime, manga, subtitles, and dictionaries.
You still absolutely need ます-form when you’re being polite.
A tiny pair to anchor it
食べます（たべます / tabemasu）
I eat. (polite)
食べる（たべる / taberu）
I eat. (plain / dictionary form)
Example sentences (with translations):
今日はラーメンを食べます。
Kyō wa rāmen o tabemasu.
I’m going to eat ramen today. (polite)
今日ラーメン食べる。
Kyō rāmen taberu.
I’m eating ramen today. (casual)
ラーメン食べる？
Rāmen taberu?
Wanna eat ramen? (casual)
A friend-approved tip:
If you’re not sure which to use, default to ます-form.
It’s the “safe fold.”
Then, as you get comfortable, you can loosen the creases into casual speech.
That’s it for this week.
Where do you notice the biggest gap between the Japanese you study and the Japanese people actually use?
— The Kumi Team