Of all the things we’ve seen come out of Japan, one of the most unique is that of kawaii (cute) culture. Various anime and manga have taught us to think of Japan as a mystical place full of magic, beauty, and adventure — but what about the reality? If you’re looking for ideas on how to learn Japanese for free, or if you want tips for comparing educational apps in the iTunes ecosystem, then this site will give you a thorough breakdown of everything there is to know.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Learning Japanese Free
A rival to Duolingo that follows a similar all-round approach through a range of topics. The app was originally made for learning Asian languages and has an edge over Duolingo in sections focused on grammar. Sentences are also read by native speakers, giving a good model for pronunciation. Still, as tastes vary, it is worth trying out both apps to see which you prefer.
Its bespectacled deer character provides the cute atmosphere of LingoDeer.
Developer: LingoDeer
Availability: Android and iOS Google Play link App Store link
Obenkyo
This app teaches hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Users can test their ability through a variety of methods, such as writing or answering multiple choice questions. The app includes kanji lists for different levels of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, aiding preparation for this popular examination. Users can also practice writing hiragana and katakana with a finger on the screen.
Obenkyo offers kanji lists for users studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Developer: Atomusk
Availability: Android only Google Play link
Kanji Recognizer
Kanji can be a major hurdle for many learners of Japanese who grew up outside East Asia. Kanji Recognizer was made to help these people, allowing users to swiftly handwrite characters and obtain their readings, stroke orders, and basic meanings. The screen displays on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in katakana and hiragana, respectively. It also indicates the JLPT level of each kanji.
Kanji Recognizer helps make learning characters easier.
Developer: Nikolay Elenkov
Availability: Android only Google Play link
HiNative
Japanese learners as well as students of other languages can use this app to directly ask questions to native speakers. The set formats for questions—such as asking how to say a word in the target language or whether a phrase sounds natural—make it easy to find answers to learning difficulties. Pay it forward by answering questions about your own language.
HiNative lets language students pose questions to native speakers.
Developer: Lang-8, Inc.
Availability: Android and iOS Google Play link App Store link
Imiwa?
This comprehensive dictionary app is very useful for Japanese learners and has a clean, easy-to-understand layout. It’s simple to find kanji categorized by JLPT level and school grade and to make personal vocabulary lists using the favorite function. Users should note, however, that example sentences are of varying quality.
Use imiwa? to check meanings and make vocabulary lists.
Developer: Pierre-Philippe di Costanzo
Availability: iOS only App Store link
Japanese
Although the name is uninspired, this dictionary app is extremely useful for learners from beginners on up. It provides several examples to show how to use vocabulary correctly along with the readings for each kanji. Users can also check pronunciation by touching the audio icon. The app has a list of verb conjugations and classifies all words by JLPT levels. Users can search in hiragana, katakana, or kanji.
Japanese provides meanings of characters and examples of usage.
Developer: Renzo
Availability: Android and iOS Google Play link App Store link
Learning Japanese
The popular website by Tae Kim in app form provides the grammar principles of the Japanese language. After introducing the three writing systems, it dives into the grammar, moving from elementary essentials to advanced topics. The explanations are clear and simple to follow. Example sentences have full translations and it is also possible to tap on individual words for readings and meanings.
Best app to learn japanese for beginners
- Learn From Day One: LingoDeer
For people who like to make studying fun.
LingoDeer will have you speaking Japanese and raising your fluency level from day one. It follows a fun building-block approach that feels more like a game. Each lesson applies grammar and vocabulary that you learned from the previous one using several methods of testing.
Unlike other apps that have you memorizing Japanese vocabulary and phrases without context, LingoDeer features audio from native Japanese speakers and integrates words, sentences, and culture naturally that you can use in real life. You can even slow down the speaker’s voice to be as accurate as possible in your pronunciation—indispensable to learning the language. Other awesome features include the ability to turn on furigana so you can study kanji, and learn the meaning and context of a particle with a simple tap.
While LingoDeer isn’t entirely free, you can learn all the basics such as hiragana and katakana, more than 1,000 essential Japanese phrases, and enjoy a deep dive into the first modules. Afterward, you can pay a small fee for the premium version, which includes all lessons, including coverage for N5-N3 vocabulary and grammar.
iPhone
Android
Web (Premium subscription)
- The Flashcard Fiend: Anki
One of the best flashcard apps.
Anki allows you to import kanji and vocabulary “decks” from popular textbooks or JLPT lists and then convert them into flashcards. These can range from just a word or kanji to vocabulary placed in sentences to help you understand the context. These can come with audio cues and hilariously cheesy stock photos for extra fun.
When presented with a flashcard, think of the answer and click to have it revealed. You can then self-mark from Again to Easy, with the time in which the card will be repeated listed alongside the options.
Anki comes with a range of useful features.
Along with being able to create your decks, Anki comes with a range of useful features, including an answer timer and the ability to flip the questions and answers. This is particularly good for when you want to switch between reading kanji or vocabulary to being able to write them.
Anki can be used as an app, online, or a desktop version. For creating decks, you might find it quicker to use the desktop version and then sync it with your device. Apologies to iOS users—you have to pay—but you’ll get your money’s worth.
iPhone
Android
- The Sensei: Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese
Straight to the point.
If you’re looking for structure or can’t grasp meaning from context, Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese is the answer to your prayers. This app is packed with logically organized lessons, beautifully clear explanations, and conjugation tables. There are even some exercises for the first chapters on basic grammar.
A vocabulary list with examples, kanji readings, and English definitions are available for every lesson. It allows you to pick up new words while also seeing the grammar work in context. Even without referring to this list, all kanji are clickable, so you never need to refer to a dictionary.
It’s not a game, so it’s not supposed to be particularly fun or help you with memorization, but if you want to understand something, Tae Kim is your sensei.
iPhone (only)
- The Quizmaster: Obenkyo
The app for learning stroke order.
With Obenkyo, you’ll start from the basics of katakana and hiragana and advance through to kanji and vocabulary.
The app quizzes you with multiple-choice and writing tests using your touchscreen. Kanji lists can be displayed according to JLPT levels, making this the ultimate tool for preparing for the exam. You can easily access a list of vocabulary, classified by word type as in a dictionary, with verbs, for example, ichidan/godan, transitive/intransitive, etc.
Perhaps the star feature is the handwriting recognizer. It corrects not only your form but also your stroke order. If it makes a mistake in recognizing your writing, you can quickly tell it so, and your score will be adjusted accordingly. The app has also imported Tae Kim’s guide for grammatical references.
Android (only)
- The Community: Lang-8’s HiNative-Language Learning
Learn Japanese and make friends.
HiNative-Language Learning is a place where native speakers edit entries written by those learning their language. Content can be anything you like and as long or short as you are comfortable.
It’s a community built on reciprocation, so if you’re not stingy, you’ll be sure to receive fantastic feedback and suggestions (and maybe even some friendships). HiNative is developed by the creators of Lang-8, a highly successful language learning website, so if you’re more comfortable with a full keyboard, you might want to try the group’s full browser version as well.
iPhone
Android
- The Dictionaries: imiwa?
Guaranteed to already be on a foreigner’s phone in Japan.
One of the most popular apps among foreigners, Imiwa is an offline dictionary with a variety of methods for finding words. You can search using romaji and Japanese characters, but you can look up kanji by SKIP (System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns), multi-radical, and Chinese radical. Its clear interface allows for the easy creation of lists and favorites and straightforward copy to clipboard/export to email functions.
It will appeal to those who don’t have English as their first language, as definitions and example sentences are listed in multiple languages.
The other fantastic feature is an automatic look-up of any text that you have copied to clipboard. Browsing a website and don’t understand a word? Copy it, open Imiwa, and the results will be instantly displayed.
iPhone (only)
- The Dictionaries: Japanese (by Renzo Inc.)
Easy on the eyes.
Japanese by Renzo Inc. takes first prize for design. It features a beautiful, clear interface, and it understands how a user thinks. On opening, it presents you with a search bar to immediately type in and a handwriting, kanji component, and SKIP search option, all on the same page.
It contains an audio clip for all entries and has the most precise layout for examples with hiragana above the kanji used and each kanji displayed underneath with their meanings. The app also features a built-in study system, but it’s not as good as Anki.
iPhone
Android
- The Kanji King: Kanji Recognizer
Never strain at kanji again.
This little app may be simple, but that’s where its strength lies. We’ve all been there. Staring at some unknown kanji as if we can wring its meaning out of it with our eyes. Kanji Recognizer is made just for those moments, enabling you to swiftly handwrite the kanji and obtain its readings, radicals, strokes, and basic meanings. You can then export to Anki or immediately look it up in your dictionary for compounds and examples of its use.
I’ve found it to be the best app at recognizing handwritten kanji. So I use it whenever my dictionary app cannot interpret my kanji squiggles or when I only want a kanji reading, rather than a detailed explanation of its meaning. Its simple interface and layout also make it very quick to use.
Android (only)
- The Beginner to Winner: DuoLingo
Taste like cheap thousand?
Lessons can begin without any previous knowledge of hiragana or katakana with DuoLingo. And testing past beginner levels are available. All the lessons are grouped into fun categories that range anywhere from food and family to subculture. There’s even an Olympics category in anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 games.
Once you complete a category, a power bar appears beneath it. After a while, the bar will start to recede, prompting you to review that lesson. Along with focusing on vocabulary, DuoLingo emphasizes sentence structure. When it comes time to be quizzed, the app likes to keep things exciting and test you in various ways. Eventually, you’ll find yourself translating English sentences into Japanese or selecting English terms from a word bank to recreate Japanese sentences.
iPhone
Android
- The Government-Approved: WaniKani
It contains 6,000 words the government wants you to know.
WaniKani has over 2,000 kanji and 6,000 words sourced from the official joyo kanji guide established by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Through spaced repetition, you learn to depend on memory recall as you ascend through the various levels. However, it’s recommended that you have a solid grasp of reading both hiragana and katakana before starting. While this isn’t a service designated to teach grammar, there are example sentences for everything you learn that is useful for syntactic exposure or review.
If life happens and you become busy, you can freeze your progress. If enough time has passed that you forget or feel overwhelmed, you can also reset your level, but it’s permanent. Mastering, or “burning,” all of the items can happen within a year, but the average completion rate is two years. WaniKani is free to try for the first three levels. Afterward, there’s a small monthly fee.
Conclusion
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