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Note and flashcard distinction

In Tsunagi you don't write flashcards directly: you write notes, and flashcards are generated from them automatically. This distinction might look like a small detail, but it directly shapes your day-to-day usage.

The note carries the content; the flashcard is what's generated from it​

A note contains one or more fields depending on the card type you chose (for example "Front" and "Back" in the Basic type, or a single text field in the Cloze type). Once you fill in these fields, Tsunagi generates one or more flashcards from that note based on the card type you selected.

For most types this relationship is one-to-one or one-to-two: in the Basic type, one note produces a single card; in Basic (reversed), one note produces two cards. In the Cloze type it can be one-to-many: however many distinct blank numbers you mark within a note, that many separate cards get generated. Each blank becomes its own card, and while studying it the other blanks stay visible as context rather than showing up as an answer.

A concrete example​

Suppose you write a single note in the Cloze type:

The organelle known as the powerhouse of the cell is the ⟦c1::mitochondrion⟧,
and the organelle where photosynthesis occurs is the ⟦c2::chloroplast⟧.

This single note enters the study queue as two separate flashcards:

  • First card: "The organelle known as the powerhouse of the cell is the [...], and the organelle where photosynthesis occurs is the chloroplast." → answer: mitochondrion.
  • Second card: "The organelle known as the powerhouse of the cell is the mitochondrion, and the organelle where photosynthesis occurs is the [...]." → answer: chloroplast.

Both cards come from the same note, but in the study queue they have two fully independent schedules: you might find one easy and the other hard, and each progresses at its own pace.

Why this distinction works​

It has two concrete benefits:

  • Fix it in one place. Say you notice, in the example above, that you accidentally typed "chlroplast" instead of "chloroplast." You open the note and fix it, changing one word in one place. The second card generated from that note (the one asking about the chloroplast) updates automatically; you don't have to hunt down a separate card and fix it by hand. The more cards a note generates, the bigger this advantage gets.
  • One note can be the source of several cards. This is especially clear with the Cloze type: write one long paragraph, mark five different concepts in it as separate blanks, and that single note turns into five separate flashcards, but since they all share the same source, editing that source once is enough.

Effect on your daily workflow​

In practice, this shifts your mindset a little: instead of thinking "I'm creating a card," you start thinking "I'm writing a note, and the cards show up on their own." While putting a topic into notes, you don't need to think much about card count or format: as long as you pick the right card type, the cards emerge naturally from the note's content.

Each card type's fields and further examples are covered one by one in the Note Type Guides section. How to write your notes, meaning the editor's features, is covered in detail in the Editor section. Now let's look at how you work day-to-day with the cards generated from your notes: the study screen.