English language blogs about learning Japanese are often filled with good advice but strangely, many don’t have a recommended list of apps to use. That’s especially true for apps that make language study fun or gamify it. You may be surprised how many free or low-cost apps that are interesting or useful for studying Japanese.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Japanese
Best All-Around App for Beginners: Learn Japanese
best-apps-for-learning-japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: An app to study words and phrases, as well as vocabulary and pronunciation tools for beginners.
best apps to learn japanese
Learn Japanese Phrases contains hundreds of popular words and phrases aimed at beginner learners.
The application is grouped into sections like greetings, eating and romance. Users can track their favorite phrases in a personal collection. Each word and phrase is accompanied by audio which can be slowed down manually.
The app also allows you to record yourself speaking and compare your pronunciation with the program’s audio to ensure that your pronunciation sounds like that of a native.
Best of all, you don’t need an internet connection to use the app, so you can access it anywhere, anytime.
Price: Free version; In-app purchases required
Best for Immersive Learners: FluentU
Website || App Store || Google Play
Summary: Authentic Japanese media clips transformed into language learning lessons.
FluentU offers authentic Japanese videos like movie clips and inspirational talks with interactive captions in English and Japanese. You’ll be able to take a quiz after each video to practice what you’ve learned, and you can create personalized flashcards for any new words you come across.
Rather than showing you all the meaning of a word, FluentU’s contextual dictionary will show you the word’s meaning in the video’s context. You can even find other videos that use that word in the same way for additional practice.
Full transcripts with audio and definitions at a hover accompany each video, as well as a word bank of key terms used in the clip.
The program’s quizzes adapt to your learning, showing you words that need more work so you’ll remember them better. You can type or speak your answers for fill-in-the-blank style questions to further hone your language skills.
Price: Free trial and subscription
Best Grammar Reference: Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese
best-apps-for-learning-japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: A comphrensve grammar guide that focuses on teaching specific grammar points and well as some vocabulary.
best apps to learn japanese
Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese is a collection of Tae Kim’s online grammar guide, smoothed into a user-friendly app. It looks and feels a bit like a digital textbook.
Tae Kim believes that traditional textbooks are structured in an illogical way, designed to get learners speaking the language and saying English phrases in Japanese quickly. This might be useful for learning conversational Japanese quickly, but it’s not so great if you want to amass a strong understanding of Japanese grammar.
Instead, this guide takes you through Japanese grammar in a way that makes sense in Japanese. The result is a very good understanding of how Japanese grammar works and why it functions this way.
This is an excellent app for learners at any level who want to learn grammar in a way that makes sense.
Beginners can choose to start by introducing themselves to the Japanese writing system and then move on to essential grammar involving verbs and adjective conjugations. More advanced users can browse topics that cover special expressions, conditionals and more.
Price: Free
Best for Learners with Short Attention Spans: renshuu
best apps for learning japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: Covers Japanese lessons from beginner to advanced, as well as user-friendly games to practice vocabulary.
best apps for learning japanese
Looking for an app with a wide variety of learning games? renshuu is about to be your new best friend.
renshuu is a highly engaging app with in-depth explanations of vocabulary, grammar and kanji, and customizable quizzes to test your progress. Your efforts are rewarded with cute collectible badges and achievements. The app also offers fun learning games to test your skills, such as crosswords and Shiritori.
renshuu’s biggest perk is its diversity. You can adjust the settings on your flashcards, or spice things up with a crossword puzzle. If one of renshuu’s dozens of practical learning lists doesn’t suit you, you can easily make your own.
What’s more, you can submit your own sentences through its themed writing games and receive helpful feedback from a vibrant community.
Price: Free
Best App Structure: LingoDeer
best apps for learning japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: A structured course that covers vocabulary, grammar and dialogues.
best apps for learning japanese
This beginner- to intermediate-level resource teaches the Japanese language and grammar in a step-by-step manner that continuously builds on what you already know.
In LingoDeer, Japanese courses are carefully structured to offer vocabulary lessons, detailed explanations on grammar points and contextual dialogues.
While the core of LingoDeer works by moving through units made up of lessons, the app also has other learning options, like flashcards, stories, phrasebooks and more.
The structured format of LingoDeer will take you from knowing nothing about the language to being able to form your own sentences at an intermediate level.
See our full review of LingoDeer here.
Price: Free; subscription available
Best Flashcard App: Anki
best apps for learning japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: A flashcard app that uses an SRS and allows you to create your own decks.
best apps for learning japanese
While not exclusively for studying Japanese, many Japanese learners swear by Anki as one of the best ways to learn the language.
Anki takes your lists of vocabulary, grammar and even kanji and allows you to sort them into different styles of flashcards decks, from the traditional flip-and-reveal to filling in the blanks with the correct answer.
Using a Spaced Repetition System, Anki keeps track of what you know and what you need to review. It then shows you words you’re at risk of forgetting at optimized intervals, until each vocabulary word is firmly lodged in your long-term memory.
Anki can be a bit intimidating to work with if you’ve never used it before. But don’t worry! There are many amazing community-created decks you can download and use for free.
See our full review of Anki here.
Price: Free
Best App for Speaking: HelloTalk
best-apps-for-learning-japaneseApp Store || Google Play
Summary: A language exchange app that connects you with native Japanese speakers.
best apps to learn japanese
HelloTalk is a language exchange app that allows you to talk with others from around the world. The idea is to find a native Japanese speaker who’s learning English (or your native language) and “exchange” languages—that is, help each other learn your respective target language.
HelloTalk works pretty similarly to social media websites: You set up a profile with a brief summary about yourself. You also choose the language you’re learning and what level you’re currently studying. Then, you’re able to search for native Japanese speakers from around the world!
The platform used to chat is very much like any other texting application. Unlike other texting applications, HelloTalk also allows native speakers to edit your messages ad correct your grammar while you chat about AKB48’s upcoming concert (or whatever you’re into). The chat also has a built-in grammar correction feature, so you can learn as you type!
You can also share profile updates and even voice messages, so native speakers can give you feedback on your grammar, vocab usage or pronunciation.
HelloTalk boasts over 30 million users worldwide, so you’ll be sure to find someone you vibe with!
See our full review of HelloTalk here.
Price: Free
Best App for Busy Learners: DuoLingo
App Store || Google Playlearn japanese language onlineSummary: Quick and immersive Japanese lessons based on pictures and intuitive learning.
To start, Duolingo will give you a short placement test so they can tailor your Japanese lessons to fit exactly what you need.
Duolingo lessons focus on immersion and teach Japanese the same way you learned a language as a child. Similar to Rosetta Stone, it gives you intuitive quizzes to help you remember vocabulary and kanji. The app uses game-like features to encourage you to study and includes fun challenges to keep you going.
The app has short and light lessons that you can use to study Japanese whenever you have a few free minutes throughout the day. If you don’t have a lot of spare time to focus on learning Japanese, the app boasts that you can improve with as little as 5 minutes a day. These are perfect for quick lessons that you can use on your break at work or your commute home.
See our full review of DuoLingo here.
Price: Free
Most Entertaining App: Pocket Colonybest apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: A virtual role-playing game in Japanese that can build vocabulary.
best apps to learn japanese
Pocket Colony is a popular app in Japan where users can create a mini “pockatar” that lives in a virtual world. Much like other similar apps (like LINE PLAY), you and your pockatar can complete quests together, play games, dress up and design a home for yourself.
You can chat on the message boards or travel through different players’ “worlds” to meet and befriend potential language partners. You can also hone your reading skills with the Japanese interface. English support is only available on the iOS version at this time.
Price: Free
Best App for Modern Learners: Ameba
best apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: A Japanese blogging website for native speakers with endless themes.
best apps for learning japanese
Ameba is a popular blogging website in Japan. Like many social networking sites, Ameba is available to take with you on your phone. The app allows you to stay in tune with your favorite bands, fashion icons or video games.
Ameba can be downloaded by users across the globe, but the application itself is in Japanese. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the language!
The biggest benefit to using Ameba is that you’ll be able to maintain a blog in Japanese, and find native speakers who share similar interests. This can be a great way to discover new hobbies, make friends with native speakers and learn internet slang.
What you write about and the amount of writing you do is completely up to you. You can write about anything you find interesting, or even record a diary in Japanese and look back on your improvements later. You can also ask readers to point out any errors in your writing, so you’re always continuing to improve.
Price: Free
Best Vocab Builder: Drops
best apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: A Japanese word game app that builds vocabulary skills.
best apps for learning japanese
We’ve all been guilty at some point of spending way too much time on a phone game. What if you could play a mobile game while learning Japanese? That’s what the idea behind Drops is.
Drops uses a game-style format to teach you Japanese. For five minutes a day, you’re fully immersed in Japanese as you swipe and tap to match images to words. Those five minutes are all you get for 10 hours, so you’re on the clock to make every second count! (With a subscription, time limits are removed.)
If you’re new to building a studying routine or looking for something to supplement an existing one, give this short and sweet app a try.
Price: Free; subscription available
Best Reading App: Easy Japanese News
best apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: A Japanese site that uses real news articles in simple Japanese with furigana for easy reading.
best apps for learning japanese
Keeping up with Japanese current events has never been easier. Easy Japanese News compiles sources from a wide variety of major news outlets, such as NHK, CNN, TBS and Asahi, and puts them into one app.
Each article is interactive, enabling users to look up any word with a simple tap. The app also offers Japanese news podcasts and videos, covering all of your learning bases.
This app is also wonderful for JLPT hopefuls of all levels. Every word is underlined based on JLPT difficulty, which you can add to a personal notebook for later review. Practice tests are also available, covering material from both the listening and reading portions of the exam.
No matter what your Japanese abilities are, you can find interesting articles here that offer an exciting challenge.
Price: Free
Best Premium Audio App: LingQ
best apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: An audio and reading app that allows you to save unknown words for later study.
best apps for learning japanese
LingQ is an app that immerses users in text and audio media in their target language. The app lets you read authentic Japanese content like news articles and stories, as well as listen to podcasts, audiobooks and more.
As you read, you discover “lingQs,” or words that you don’t know yet. Save these lingQs to your flashcard deck and you’ll be able to review them with the app’s SRS program. All audio content comes with a transcript, so you can easily save new vocabulary words from any type of content.
After setting your skill level, you’re free to browse their library of podcasts, stories and more. You can even import your own content to learn from what you love best!
Price: Free; subscription available
Best Tutor Support: italki
best apps for learning japanese
App Store || Google Play
Summary: An app that connects learners to Japanese tutors for one-on-one lessons.
best apps for learning japanese
There’s just no better way to improve your Japanese speaking skills than by talking to a native speaker of Japanese.
With italki, you can find a tutor in any language you want to learn (including Japanese). The best part? There are no huge upfront fees—payments are made per lesson.
From formal teachers to casual tutors, lessons are personalized to you and designed to enable you to work on whatever you want. You can browse instructors based on user reviews and price, discuss what you want from your lessons and find a teacher who’s perfect for you. Most instructors are very passionate and eager to help you learn!
The app also allows you to connect with other language learners or form language exchanges for free, if you’d rather keep things informal.
Price: Depends on the instructor
Best Japanese Android Apps
If you are an Android user, the following Japanese learning apps are all available in the GooglePlay store.
Best Writing App: Kanji Senpai
best apps for learning japanese
Google Play
Summary: An SRS-based kanji app that allows you to practice writing kanji of all levels.
Kanji Senpai uses a spaced repetition system (SRS) which means that once you learn a kanji character, it won’t ever leave your memory. Characters return in later courses to ensure that learned kanji don’t slip away from your mind.
The app incorporates characters that will show up on all levels of the JLPT, and offers several ways to study different characters. Users can practice writing the characters, create and download custom vocabulary lists and review vocabulary through different quizzes.
The app even gives you access to cool statistics so you can set daily goals and keep track of how much and how often you study if that’s something you’re interested in!
Price: Free
Best Kanji App: Japanese Kanji Tree
best apps for learning japanese
Google Play
Summary: A comprehensive kanji app with kanji recognition, reading and writing.
best apps for learning japanese
Japanese Kanji Tree is an app that’s dedicated to building your kanji skills. This app has a unique three-step process for teaching kanji: recognition, reading and writing.
Users can learn by JLPT level or by grade level and, with an upgrade to Pro, you can create your own learning lists. Kanji are broken into their radicals for easy comprehension, with their stroke orders provided in easy-to-follow steps.
With an intuitive interface and the freedom to go at your own pace, users are eased into the process of tackling one of the most intimidating aspects of the Japanese language. You can choose whether you want to learn new material or review what you already know.
Price: Free; pro version available
Best App for Sentence Structures: Obenkyo
best apps for learning japanese
Google Play
Summary: App that covers all parts of Japanese sentence structure, from the kana to particles and grammar.
best apps for learning japanese
For a comprehensive Japanese learning experience, Obenkyo has you covered. From hiragana and katakana to vocabulary and particles, this app’s simple yet organized lessons will guide you through all of the basics of Japanese. It also works along with Tatoeba’s particle test and the Tae Kim guide, an excellent resource for learning the fundamentals of Japanese grammar that appears earlier in this list.
Obenkyo breaks down the Japanese language into all of its separate parts, making it perfect for beginners to get to know the language from its foundation. The app includes a guide to the kanas, kanji, vocabulary, particles, numbers and grammar.
The kana and kanji sections make use of handwriting recognition software, so you can practice writing correctly and legibly.
Price: Free
Best All-in-One App: JA Sensei
best apps for learning japanese
Google Play
Summary: A beginner’s app that covers basic Jap
japanese apps
apanese course apps
If you want to learn Japanese from beginning to end like you’re taking a class, then you should select a Japanese course app.
In most cases, these apps are provided by companies that also offer courses in other languages, and they vary in terms of quality and thoroughness.
Let’s examine some of the best Japanese course apps on the market.
Rocket Japanese
Rocket Japanese
This Japanese course from Rocket Languages is one of the most comprehensive full-course Japanese language apps in this section.
Rocket Japanese might be the best app to learn Japanese if you want to be carefully guided through the learning process, but this app is somewhat more expensive than its competitors.
Pros/cons: Rocket Japanese features impressive dialogue sections that help you prepare for speaking Japanese with native speakers. This app also includes gamification features and leaderboards that inspire you to do your best. Unfortunately the Rocket Japanese community/forum could be more active and they could improve the course a lot by adding video.
Pricing: Rocket Languages offers its language courses in tiers. Tier I Rocket Japanese costs $99.95, Tier II costs $249.90, and Tier III costs $259.90. Rocket Japanese is offered as a one-time purchase instead of as a subscription.
UNIQUE OFFER:
Join The Guild by clicking here, select Japanese and I’ll send you a unique offer for Rocket Japanese exclusive to my readers only.
See this Rocket Japanese review.
UPDATE: If you ‘Join The Guild’ and select Japanese as your language, you’ll receive a unique discount offer only available to readers of this site.
TRY ROCKET JAPANESE
Mondly
Mondly Japanese
Mondly is a unique language app that incorporates augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) components.
While Mondly is one of the most intriguing full-course Japanese apps, some of its features seem unnecessary, and this app focuses mainly on low-level language learning.
Pros/cons: You might find it easier to learn Japanese with an AR teacher in your office or when you’re fully immersed in a VR cafe setting. This type of learning isn’t for everyone, however, and certain aspects of this language app, such as its chatbot, seem more gimmicky than useful.
Pricing: There is a free version of Mondly, and paid subscriptions start at $9.99 per month. You can also purchase an annual Mondly subscription for $47.99.
TRY MONDLY
JapanesePod101
JapanesePod101
This Japanese-specific language learning platform is offered in bite-sized podcasts that are designed to help you with basic language comprehension and boost your Japanese vocabulary.
JapanesePod101 also helps you memorize vocabulary using flashcards.
Pros/cons: JapanesePod101 offers a unique approach to learning Japanese that’s perfect for casual students of this language. This app isn’t as feature-rich as some of its direct competitors, however.
Pricing: JapanesePod101 offers quite a few different subscription tiers that cost between $8 and $47 per month. Price discounts are offered when you purchase three-month, six-month, one-year, or two-year subscriptions. A free version of JapanesePod101 is also available.
See this JapanesePod101 review.
UPDATE: Use code MEZZOGUILD for a 25% discount.
TRY JAPANESEPOD101
Mango Languages
Mango Japanese
The design of the Mango Japanese course is beautiful and it allows you to switch between literal and understood translations. It color codes words and lexical chunks to match the English translation which is great for visual learners.
Pros/cons: A very unique, research-based approach to learning Japanese. In addition to Japanese, along with their monthly subscription, you get access to courses in 700 languages. Unfortunately, it isn’t in-depth enough.
Pricing: $7.99 a month.
TRY MANGO
Busuu
Busuu Japanese
Busuu won German publication DtGV’s Best Language App 2018 award, and some evidence suggests that spending 22 hours using this full-service language app is equivalent to attending a college-level language class for a full semester.
This app provides official certificates when you reach certain mastery levels, and it includes Japanese writing, reading, and speaking sections.
Pros/cons: The Japanese courses that Busuu offers are well-structured and easy to follow. While this app isn’t incredibly rigorous, it uses contemporary teaching tools to provide you with a detailed grasp of the Japanese language. The free version of Busuu, however, is relatively limited in its scope.
Pricing: A free version of Busuu is available, and the paid version of this language app costs $69.99 per year. You can also purchase a two-year subscription that costs $119.99.
See this Busuu review.
TRY BUSUU
Duolingo
Duolingo Japanese
In our view, Duolingo is one of the top Japanese apps on the market if you want to learn this language for free.
While Duolingo offers many of the same features as paid rivals like Busuu and Rosetta Stone, this app’s free version is almost as robust as its optional paid subscription.
Duolingo’s Japanese course is relatively robust, but it isn’t as strong as this app’s Spanish or French courses.
Pros/cons: You can easily get by with the free version of Duolingo. If you want to get rid of ads and store your lessons offline, however, there is a paid version of the Duolingo app. Duolingo offers less Japanese course material than some of its competitors.
Pricing: Duolingo is free, but you have the option of paying $12.99 per month or $79.99 per year for the paid version of this language app. In addition to offering offline lesson downloads, the paid version of Duolingo removes mobile app time restrictions.
See this comparison between Duolingo and Memrise.
TRY DUOLINGO
Lingodeer
Lingodeer Japanese
Lingodeer is a language app that focuses primarily on East Asian languages.
This app offers diverse lessons that are divided by topic, and Lingodeer features comprehensive explanations of the Japanese alphabet, Japanese grammar, and other nitty-gritty details you’ll need to understand if you want to become a Japanese language master.
Pros/cons: While Lingodeer is one of the most in-depth language apps you can use if you want to speak Japanese like a native, this app isn’t as organized or clear as mainstream alternatives like Duolingo. At the same time, Lingodeer is significantly less expensive than its main competitors, and it offers an impressive wealth of knowledge.
Pricing: There used to be a free version of Lingodeer, but this app now costs $11.99 per month. You can access Lingodeer for a full year, however, for only $55.99, and Lingodeer even offers a lifetime membership for $119.99.
TRY LINGODEER
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone Japanese
Long considered the gold standard of language learning apps, Rosetta Stone still has a lot to offer in 2020.
Whether you choose to access Rosetta Stone Japanese on a desktop or mobile device, this app offers an intuitive, polished user interface, and Rosetta Stone’s lessons are clear and comprehensive.
Pros/cons: Rosetta Stone is the most professional app you can choose if you want to gain a full grasp of the Japanese language within three months or less. This full-service language course is relatively expensive, however, and a single course level is offered to all students with no placement test.
Pricing: You can try Rosetta Stone for three months for $35.97, or you can purchase a one-year subscription for $170. A two-year subscription costs $249, and lifetime access costs $299.
Conclusion
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