It’s been a few days since I last posted here, but don’t worry, I haven’t abandoned my 30-day writing challenge. If anything, I’ve been more consistent than ever, hitting at least 400 words daily to keep the momentum alive. The writing muscle is real, and I’m feeling it.
But something has been consuming my brain space lately: I started building my own language learning app. As a non-developer, vibe coding my way through what might be the most ambitious experiment I’ve taken on in years.
The Breaking Point
I’m learning Chinese, which, let’s be honest, is like trying to climb Everest in flip-flops. The language is beautiful, complex, and absolutely humbling. But what broke me wasn’t the tones or the characters. It was the tools.
Imagine the following scenario:
- You’re trying to learn a new word. You open your flashcard app to see the character.
- Then you copy it into a translation app because the first one’s translation feels… off.
- So you paste it into another app to validate.
- Then you realize you need to hear the pronunciation, so that’s another app.
- Now you want to save it with the English meaning, the Chinese character, and the Pinyin romanization.
- Out comes Apple Notes. And Apple Numbers for tracking progress.
Read also: I Went All-In With Apple Apps
By the time I’ve documented one word, I’ve clicked through apps at least a dozen times.
My fingers are tired. My brain is scattered. And after 30 days? My notes looked like a digital tornado had swept through them.
I kept thinking: “This should be easier.“
The Realization
Here’s what I’ve learned about language learning apps: They’re fantastic at what they do. Duolingo or Hello Chinese gamifies the experience. Pleco is an incredible dictionary. HelloChinese breaks down grammar beautifully. Each one excels in its lane.
But here’s the problem: my brain doesn’t work in lanes. When I’m learning, I’m not just memorizing vocabulary, I’m connecting ideas, jotting down context, building my own reference system.
I need a place where I can learn and think and organize all in one breath.
What I realized I was searching for something that doesn’t really exist yet: a note-taking app that’s actually built for language learning. Not a language app with a notes feature bolted on. Not a notes app where you happen to paste vocabulary. But something that understands both worlds intimately and brings them together seamlessly.
I told myself: “Fuck it, I am going to build it myself and see what sticks.”
The Leap
I am not a developer. I can barely read a line code without my eyes glazing over. The closest I’ve come to programming is customizing my WordPress theme and immediately breaking something.
But something shifted in me. Maybe it’s the two decades of experience building businesses, understanding user problems, and knowing what good products feel like.
Maybe it’s the frustration of living with a problem daily and being unable to find a solution. Or maybe I wanted to prove to myself that you don’t need a computer science degree to solve your own problems in 2025-2026.
So I started vibe coding. A trend that’s made significant waves the last 2 years. And it’s exactly what it sounds like: building by intuition, using AI tools to bridge the gap between what I want and what I can actually create. Yes, it’s messy, and it’s experimental. But it’s thrilling.
Google AI Studio Became My Ally
Choosing where to build was its own adventure. As someone with zero development experience, walking into this space felt like being dropped into a foreign country where everyone speaks fluent code.
I looked at Replit, impressive, but the interface felt like mission control at NASA. Bolt and Lovable were sleek and powerful, but they moved too fast for me.
I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up, trying to understand what was happening under the hood while also trying to build something.
Then I tried Google AI Studio, and I could resonate with the interface, ease of use and how it’s built. The irony is of course that I am not the biggest fan of Google products and yet they somehow managed to pull me back into their ecosystem.
It’s not the flashiest platform. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. But that’s exactly why it works for me. Google AI Studio feels like a conversation, not a command center. I can describe what I want in plain English, iterate quickly, and actually see what I’m building without drowning in complexity.
For beginners like me, it removes just enough friction to make the impossible feel possible. I can prototype, break things, fix them, and actually learn along the way without feeling like I need a technical co-founder just to get started.
What Happens Next?
I’m committing to something that makes me both excited and nervous: I’m documenting this entire journey publicly. The wins, the face-palm moments, the pivots, the “what was I thinking” decisions, all of it.
By January 2026, I want to have a working prototype. Not perfect. Not polished. But functional enough that it solves my problem. If it solves my problem, I’m betting it’ll solve someone else’s too.
I’m planning to create a dedicated section on this blog to publish the adventure. You’ll see my thought process, my design choices, my technical fumbles. I want this to be raw and real. A case study in building in public with zero shame about being a beginner.
I didn’t start this with the intention to commercialize it. I just wanted a tool that worked for me. But the more I think about it, the more I see the potential for this to become something bigger.
A micro-SaaS that actually reduces friction for language learners who think like I do.
People who want to stay in flow, not jump between apps like they’re playing productivity whack-a-mole
.
The Real Problem I’m Trying to Solve
At its core, this isn’t really about building an app. It’s about solving a fundamental friction point in how we learn.
Language learning is intensely personal. The vocabulary that matters to you is different from what matters to me. The contexts you need to remember are yours alone. Yet most apps treat everyone like they’re on the same journey, following the same path.
- What if learning could be as fluid as thinking?
- What if your notes, your vocabulary, your progress, and your personal insights all lived in one place that actually understood the unique challenge of learning a language?
That’s the vision. Whether I can build it remains to be seen. But I’m going to try.
Final Word
If you’re reading this and you’ve ever had an idea you talked yourself out of because you “weren’t technical enough” or “didn’t have the right skills,” this is your sign. Start anyway. Build messy. Learn publicly. Use whatever tools remove the barriers between your idea and reality.
I don’t know if this app will ever see the light of day beyond my own iPad Pro. I don’t know if anyone else will care about this problem the way I do. But I know that I’m learning more in these few weeks of vibe coding than I have in years of just thinking about building something.