How to Make Anki Cards: Complete Guide for Making Anki Flashcards

If you've spent any time in the language learning community, you've probably heard about Anki. People swear by it for memorizing vocabulary, grammar patterns, and basically anything else you need to remember. The thing is, actually making cards in Anki can feel confusing at first.😵‍💫 There are different card types, deck settings, and a bunch of shortcuts that nobody really explains upfront. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create Anki cards from scratch, plus I'll show you how Migaku takes a similar approach but makes it way easier for language learners specifically.

What is Anki and why people use it

Anki is a free flashcard app that uses spaced repetition to help you memorize stuff efficiently. Instead of reviewing cards randomly, Anki schedules them based on how well you remember each one. Cards you struggle with show up more often, while cards you know well appear less frequently.

The algorithm behind Anki is based on research about how memory works. When you review a card, you rate how difficult it was (Again, Hard, Good, or Easy). Anki uses that rating to calculate when you should see that card next. This system helps you focus your time on what you actually need to practice instead of wasting time on stuff you already know.

Language learners love Anki because you can create custom decks for vocabulary, grammar, listening practice, or whatever else you're working on. Medical students use it for anatomy terms and drug names. Law students memorize case law. Pretty much anyone who needs to retain large amounts of information ends up trying Anki at some point.

Creating your first deck in Anki

Before you can make any cards, you need a deck to put them in. Think of a deck like a folder that organizes related cards together.

Some people prefer one massive deck for everything in a language. Others split things up by textbook chapter, frequency lists, or grammar topic. There's no perfect system, just whatever keeps you actually reviewing your cards.

Making basic Anki flashcards

For language learning, this might be:

Or reversed:

Here's the thing though. You'll probably want both directions, so you can practice recognizing the word AND producing it. Instead of making two separate cards manually, change the card type to "Basic (and reversed card)". This automatically creates two cards from the same input.

Using cloze deletion cards

Cloze deletion is the other card type you'll use constantly. Instead of separating front and back, you write a full sentence and hide specific parts of it.

It'll look like this:

When you review this card, Anki will show: "Me gusta ... libros en español" and you need to recall "leer".

You can create multiple cloze deletions in the same sentence by formatting different parts:

This creates three separate cards from one sentence. Each card hides a different word while showing the rest of the sentence.

Cloze cards work great for:

The main advantage of cloze deletion is that you're testing recall in context instead of isolated word pairs. This usually leads to better retention because you're learning how words actually get used.

Adding images and formatting

Text-only cards work fine, but adding media makes them way more memorable.

To add an image, simply Google and copy the image from the internet. Paste it directly to the Anki add section front or back. For language learning, adding a picture of the object or concept helps create stronger memory associations than just text.

You can format text using the basic keyboard shortcuts, like using a Word document. Bold important words, change colors to highlight grammar patterns, or adjust font size. Don't go crazy with formatting, though. The goal is clarity, not decoration.

Some people use AI tools to generate images for their cards. You could technically use ChatGPT or other AI to create example sentences, too, though you should double-check that the sentences are actually natural and correct.

Organizing with tags

Tags help you filter and organize cards without creating separate decks. When making a card, there's a Tags field at the bottom of the add window.

Add relevant tags separated by spaces:

Later, you can browse your cards and filter by tag. This is useful when you want to review only verbs, or only vocabulary from a specific chapter, or cards you marked as needing extra practice.

Tags are flexible. You can add or remove them anytime by browsing your deck and editing cards. Some people use tags for word type (noun, verb, adjective), difficulty level, or thematic categories (food, travel, business).

Using AI like ChatGPT to make Anki cards

Yeah, you can use ChatGPT or other AI tools to help generate cards, but you need to be careful. AI can create example sentences, suggest translations, or even format cards in a way you can import into Anki.

The problem is that AI sometimes makes mistakes with language. It might use unnatural phrasing, incorrect grammar, or suggest words that native speakers don't actually use. Always verify AI-generated content before adding it to your deck.

A better approach is using AI as a starting point. Ask it to generate 20 example sentences using a specific verb, then review them yourself and pick the best ones. Or ask it to create cloze sentences for a grammar pattern you're studying, then edit them to match your level.

Some people have created prompts that output Anki-formatted text you can import directly. You'd give ChatGPT a list of words, and it returns them in a format like:

word; translation; example sentence

Then you import that into Anki. Saves time compared to typing everything manually, but again, check the quality first.

Automating Anki processes with add-ons: Image occlusion and others

Anki supports add-ons that extend its functionality. These are community-created plugins that can automate repetitive tasks or add new features.

Popular add-ons for card creation include:

To install add-ons, go to Tools > Add-ons > Get Add-ons, then enter the add-on code. Restart Anki, and the add-on will be active.

Add-ons can seriously speed up your workflow once you're making lots of cards. But start with the basics first before adding a bunch of plugins. Too many add-ons can make Anki feel overwhelming.

Syncing across devices

Anki lets you sync your decks across multiple devices using AnkiWeb.

After that, Anki automatically syncs when you open and close the app. You can review cards on your computer at home, then continue on your phone during your commute. Progress syncs between devices so you never review the same card twice.

The mobile apps have some limitations compared to desktop. Creating cards on mobile is more tedious because of the smaller screen and touch keyboard. Most people create cards on desktop and just use mobile for reviews.

Is making your own Anki cards worth it

For language learning specifically, making your own cards has some advantages and some drawbacks.

The advantages: You remember better when you create the cards yourself. The act of deciding what to put on the front and back, finding example sentences, and adding context forces you to engage with the material. You also control exactly what goes in your deck, so you can focus on vocabulary and grammar that's relevant to your goals.

The drawbacks: It takes time. A lot of time. If you're trying to learn 2000 common words, creating individual cards for each one is a serious time investment. You could spend that time actually reading or listening to your target language instead.

Premade decks can save you hours of work. There are thousands of shared decks on AnkiWeb covering common vocabulary, grammar, and even content from specific textbooks or courses. The quality varies wildly though. Some decks are excellent, others have errors or weird formatting.

A middle ground approach works well:

Common mistakes to avoid for language learners

How Migaku compares to Anki for language learning

Anki is powerful but it's a general-purpose memorization tool. You can use it for anything from medical terminology to music theory. That flexibility comes with complexity.

Migaku was built specifically for language learners. Instead of manually creating thousands of flashcards, Migaku generates cards automatically from content you're actually consuming. You're watching a show or reading an article, you click on a word you don't know, and Migaku creates a card with the sentence, translation, audio, and a screenshot all in one click.

The cards sync across your devices just like Anki, but you don't spend hours formatting them or hunting for example sentences. The focus is on learning from immersion rather than making flashcards.

The spaced repetition system works similarly to Anki under the hood. Cards come back at increasing intervals based on how well you remember them. But the whole process feels less like studying flashcards and more like just consuming content you enjoy.

If you're serious about language learning through immersion, Migaku handles all the card creation stuff automatically so you can focus on actually using the language. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to see how it compares to making Anki cards manually.

FAQs

The best way to generate flashcards?

Don't start manually putting in hundreds of words to Anki yet. Create the first 20 words, and then try out other learners' advice on how to use Anki decks. Then, you will have a general idea of what works best for you. If Anki is too much trouble for you, you can always opt for a design like Migaku, in which you can export words directly from the media you're consuming, especially if you love dramas, movies, and TV shows!

Streamline the process, and save your energy!