Locale Files

Kanjou expects your locale data to be defined in standard JSON or JavaScript/TypeScript files (.json, .ts, .js, .mts, .mjs).

Directory Structure

You should keep all your locale files in a dedicated directory. This directory is then specified as localesDir in your kanjou.config.ts.

src/
└── locales/
    ├── en.ts
    ├── es.ts
    └── fr.ts

Dictionary Format

Each file should export a flat object where the keys are your translation identifiers, and the values are standard MessageFormat 2 strings.

Flat Structure Only

Locale dictionaries MUST be flat key-value objects. Nested objects (e.g. { "nav": { "home": "Home" } }) are strictly NOT supported and will cause compiler and runtime parser failures. Always use dot-notation for namespacing (e.g. "nav.home": "Home").

export default {
  'greeting': 'Hello, {$name}!',
  'nav.home': 'Home',
  'nav.about': 'About Us',
  'errors.notFound': 'Page not found.',
} as const

File Naming Conventions

The filename (excluding the extension) determines the locale identifier used in your code and Vite virtual module imports.

• en.ts -> Locale en
• es-AR.json -> Locale es-AR

You MUST specify a baseLocale (e.g. en.ts or 'en') in your kanjou.config.ts. Kanjou requires it as the single source of truth for generating strict TypeScript definitions and validating keys across your application.