Move words between Uyen, Anki, and Migaku

Uyen can send your words to Anki as flashcards. It can also read words back from an Anki export. Migaku reads decks from Anki, so Anki is also the way to move words to Migaku.

Open More, then Settings. The buttons are under Anki and Migaku.

What moves

• Export words for Anki sends the words on your Words tab for your Practice language. Words that you ignored stay out.
• Each card has the word, its translation in your Current language, and an example sentence from your practice when Uyen has one.
• Each card gets a tag for its mark: uyen::known, uyen::practice, or uyen::used for a word that you used with no mark.
• Cards go into a deck for the language, for example Uyen::Spanish. Known words go into their own deck under it, for example Uyen::Spanish::Known.
• Import words from Anki reads the word, the translation, the example sentence, and the mark of each card.

Send your words to AnkiDroid (Android)

1. In Settings, select Export words for Anki.
2. In the share sheet, select AnkiDroid. Do not select AnkiDroid card or Instant card. Those open the editor for one new card. On a Samsung phone, tap AnkiDroid first, then select AnkiDroid in the small menu.
3. AnkiDroid shows its import page. If AnkiDroid has a Migaku note type for your language, for example Migaku Spanish, it selects that note type for you. If not, it selects Basic: the word goes on the front and the translation on the back.
4. Tap Import. AnkiDroid shows how many notes it added.

Send your words to Anki on a computer

1. In Settings, select Export words for Anki.
2. Send the file to your computer, for example by email or a cloud drive.
3. In Anki, select File, then Import, and select the file.
4. Anki reads the deck, the tags, and the fields from the file. It selects your Migaku note type when you have one, and Basic when you do not. Then select Import.

On iPhone, save the file to Files, then open it in Anki on a computer.

Export again later

Uyen gives each word an ID that Anki remembers. When you export again, Anki updates the cards that it already has. You do not get two cards for one word.

• The tags change to the new mark.
• A card stays in its deck. When a Practice word becomes Known in Uyen, its card gets the uyen::known tag, but it stays in the main deck.
• To see every Known word, search tag:uyen::known in the Anki browser.

Move your words to Migaku

Migaku copies decks from Anki on a computer. It uses the Migaku Anki add-on for this.

1. Install the Migaku add-on in Anki on your computer. It adds the Migaku note types, for example Migaku Spanish.
2. Send your words to Anki (see above). Anki selects your Migaku note type for you, and Uyen fills the Migaku fields, such as Target Word, Sentence, and Definitions.
3. Keep Anki open. In Migaku, use its Anki import, and select your Uyen deck.

Migaku treats the new cards as new until you review them. Migaku does not have every language that Uyen has, so check that your language is in Migaku first.

Bring words from Anki into Uyen

Choose the right export format

Anki and AnkiDroid offer four export formats. Uyen reads only one of them: Notes in Plain Text (.txt).

• Notes in Plain Text (.txt): use this one. It has every field of each card and its tags, so your marks come back.
• Cards in Plain Text (.txt): do not use this one. It has only the front and back of each card as you see them in a review, with no tags. Your marks do not come back, and styled cards, like Migaku cards, bring extra text.
• Anki Deck Package (.apkg): Uyen cannot read it. You cannot select it in the file picker.
• Anki Collection Package (.colpkg): this is a full Anki backup. Uyen cannot read it.

Export from AnkiDroid

1. On the deck list, tap the ⋮ menu, then Export.
2. Under Export format:, select Notes in Plain Text (.txt).
3. Under Include:, select one deck, for example Uyen or your own deck.
4. Turn on Include tags. Uyen reads the Known and Practice marks from the tags.
5. Also turn on Include note type name. For Migaku cards, Uyen then finds the word and translation on its own.
6. Tap Export, then Save to. Select Downloads, then Save.

Export from Anki on a computer

1. Select File, then Export.
2. Select Notes in Plain Text (.txt) and one deck.
3. Turn on Include tags and Include note type name.
4. Select Export, then send the file to your phone.

Import the file into Uyen

1. In Settings, select Import words from Anki.
2. Select the .txt file.
3. An Anki export does not name its columns, so Uyen can ask which column is which. Each choice shows the first row of that column.
   • Under Spanish word (your Practice language), tap the column with the word or phrase.
   • Under English translation (your Current language), tap the column with the meaning. If there is none, select This file has no translation.
4. Some cards have no Uyen tag, for example cards that you made in Anki. Under Mark these words, select Known or Practice for them. Cards with Anki's leech tag come in as Practice.
5. Select Import. Uyen shows how many words it added.

What Uyen keeps

• A word that already has a mark in Uyen keeps its Uyen mark.
• A word that you ignored stays ignored.
• One import adds up to 2,000 words. For a larger collection, export one deck at a time.

Other word lists

Uyen can also read a word list from a spreadsheet, saved as a tab-separated or comma-separated text file. Uyen asks which column is the word and which is the translation, the same as for an Anki export. Delete the row with the column names before you save, or Uyen reads it as a word.

If something goes wrong

• "No words found in this file." The file is empty, or it is not a text export. Export again as Notes in Plain Text (.txt).
• "This file is too large. Export one deck at a time." Export a smaller deck.
• AnkiDroid is not in the share sheet. Install or update AnkiDroid, then try again.
• You cannot select the file in Uyen. It is an .apkg or .colpkg package. Export again as Notes in Plain Text (.txt).
• Your marks did not come back. The export did not include tags, or it was Cards in Plain Text. Export again with Include tags on.

See also Track your words and Ignored words.