typedgrammar/typed-japanese: Learn Japanese grammar with TypeScript

If you can write TypeScript, you can understand Japanese!

Typed Japanese is a TypeScript type-level library that enables the expression of complete Japanese sentences through the type system. It creates a domain-specific language (DSL) based on Japanese grammar rules, allowing a subset of grammatically correct natural language to be written and verified using TypeScript’s compiler.

This project also explores an intermediate format for AI in language learning. For example, LLMs could return grammar analysis of Japanese sentences using this format instead of JSON, enabling verification through TypeScript’s type checker to improve correctness.

📖 Want to learn more? Check out our detailed blog post which explains how the TypeScript type system can be used to learn Japanese grammar from the ground up. The article starts with basic programming concepts and gradually builds up to complex Japanese grammatical structures like conditional sentences and interrogative phrases.

// Define the proper noun "ヒンメル"
type ヒンメル = ProperNoun"ヒンメル">;

// Define する verb
type する = IrregularVerb & { dictionary: "する" };

// Create the そうした pattern (past form of そうする)
type そうした = DemonstrativeActionDemonstrative & "そう", する, "た形">;

// Create the conditional phrase "ヒンメルならそうした"
type ヒンメルならそうした = ConditionalPhraseヒンメル, "なら", そうした>;

// Type checking examples
const properExample: ヒンメルならそうした = "ヒンメルならそうした"; // "If it were Himmel, he would do so"
// 如果是辛美尔的话，他也会这么做的

Japanese verbs are categorized into three main classes:

1. Godan Verbs (五段動詞) – Also known as “Group 1” or “u-verbs”

   • Endings: う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, る
   • Examples: 話す (hanasu – to speak), 書く (kaku – to write)

2. Ichidan Verbs (一段動詞) – Also known as “Group 2” or “ru-verbs”

   • Always end with る
   • Examples: 食べる (taberu – to eat), 見る (miru – to see)

3. Irregular Verbs (不規則動詞) – Only two main verbs

   • する (suru – to do)
   • 来る (kuru – to come)

The system supports these conjugation forms:

• 辞書形 (Dictionary form)
• ます形 (Polite form)
• て形 (Te form)
• た形 (Past form)
• ない形 (Negative form)
• 可能形 (Potential form)
• 受身形 (Passive form)
• 使役形 (Causative form)
• 意向形 (Volitional form)
• 命令形 (Imperative form)
• 条件形 (Conditional form)
• 仮定形 (Hypothetical form)

type 買う = GodanVerb & { stem: "買"; ending: "う" };
type 買うて形 = ConjugateVerb買う, "て形">; // 買って
type 買うた形 = ConjugateVerb買う, "た形">; // 買った

type 食べる = IchidanVerb & { stem: "食べ"; ending: "る" };
type 食べるて形 = ConjugateVerb食べる, "て形">; // 食べて
type 食べるた形 = ConjugateVerb食べる, "た形">; // 食べた

Japanese adjectives are categorized into two main classes:

1. I-Adjectives (い形容詞) – End with い

   • Examples: いい (good), 楽しい (fun), 高い (expensive)

2. Na-Adjectives (な形容詞) – Require な when modifying nouns

   • Examples: 綺麗 (pretty), 静か (quiet), 好き (liked)

The system supports these conjugation forms for adjectives:

• 基本形 (Basic form)
• 丁寧形 (Polite form)
• 過去形 (Past form)
• 否定形 (Negative form)

type いい = IAdjective & { stem: "い"; ending: "い"; irregular: true };
type 綺麗 = NaAdjective & { stem: "綺麗" };

The system now supports:

• Adjectives and verbs with particles
• Connecting phrases with Japanese punctuation
• Basic sentence structures
• Conditional expressions with particles like なら
• Demonstrative forms with actions

Example: Connecting simple adjective and imperative verb phrases

// I-adjective "ii" (good) with irregular conjugation
// Then add particle "yo" to basic form of "ii" -> "ii yo"
type いい = IAdjective & { stem: "い"; ending: "い"; irregular: true };
type いいよ = PhraseWithParticleConjugateAdjectiveいい, "基本形">, "よ">;

// Irregular verb "kuru" (to come)
// Then add particle "yo" to imperative form of "kuru" -> "koi yo"
type 来る = IrregularVerb & { dictionary: "来る" };
type 来いよ = PhraseWithParticleConjugateVerb来る, "命令形">, "よ">;

// Connect both phrases -> "ii yo, koi yo"
type いいよ来いよ = ConnectedPhrasesいいよ, 来いよ>;

// Type checking examples
const correctPhrase1: いいよ = "いいよ"; // "It's good!" (114)
const correctPhrase2: 来いよ = "来いよ"; // "Come here!" (514)
const correctFullPhrase: いいよ来いよ = "いいよ、来いよ"; // "It's good, come here!"

Example: More flexible component-based sentence construction

type SentenceParts = [
  AdverbPart"なんで">, // "Why" - question adverb
  IntensifierPart"そんなに">, // "So much" - intensifier
  VerbPart慣れる, "て形">, // "Get used to" in te-form
  ContractedPart"ん">, // Contraction of "の" - colloquial nominalizer
  ParticlePart"だ">, // Copula "is"
  ParticlePart"よ"> // Emphatic sentence-ending particle
];

// Combines all parts into a single string
type JoinedSentence = JoinPhrasePartsValueSentenceParts>;
const joinedSentence: JoinedSentence = "なんでそんなに慣れてんだよ"; // "Why are you so used to it?!"
// 你为什么这么熟练啊？

The system uses TypeScript’s template literal types, conditional types, and mapped types to create a purely type-level representation of Japanese grammatical rules.

Key components:

• Type definitions for grammatical elements
• Rule mapping via conditional types
• String literal manipulation for form generation
• Type inference for grammatical validation

• Educational tool – Learn Japanese grammar through code
• AI-assisted learning – Provide structured formats for language analysis
• Grammar verification – Express and verify Japanese grammar in code
• Integration potential – Basis for typed Japanese language tools

• This is a type-level system only – it doesn’t provide runtime functionality
• The system handles standard forms but doesn’t account for linguistic nuances
• Some rare or archaic language patterns may not be accurately represented

This project is still in very early stages and heavily relies on LLM-generated grammar rules, which may occasionally contain hallucinations or inaccuracies. If you find any issue during actual use, please help by confirming and providing feedback.

If you’re interested in contributing to or experimenting with Typed Japanese:

1. Ensure you have Node.js and pnpm installed
2. Clone the repository
3. Install dependencies: pnpm install
4. Run the tests: pnpm test

The tests validate that the type system functions correctly and all grammatical rules are properly implemented.

We welcome contributions! Feel free to open issues for bugs or feature requests, or submit pull requests with improvements.

For sponsorship opportunities, research collaborations, or commercial inquiries, please reach out to contact@typedgrammar.com.

MIT

Copyright (c) 2025-present, Yifeng Wang

Keep your files stored safely and securely with the SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD. With over 69,505 ratings and an impressive 4.6 out of 5 stars, this product has been purchased over 8K+ times in the past month. At only $129.99, this Amazon’s Choice product is a must-have for secure file storage.

Help keep private content private with the included password protection featuring 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Order now for just $129.99 on Amazon!

Help Power Techcratic’s Future – Scan To Support

If Techcratic’s content and insights have helped you, consider giving back by supporting the platform with crypto. Every contribution makes a difference, whether it’s for high-quality content, server maintenance, or future updates. Techcratic is constantly evolving, and your support helps drive that progress.

As a solo operator who wears all the hats, creating content, managing the tech, and running the site, your support allows me to stay focused on delivering valuable resources. Your support keeps everything running smoothly and enables me to continue creating the content you love. I’m deeply grateful for your support, it truly means the world to me! Thank you!