It’s hard to find an app that can help you learn kanji that is simple and isn’t a video game with so many bells and whistles that the original intent of the learning app gets lost.
I get overwhelmed easily with all the learning streaks and I would prefer to keep my gaming life and study life separate. I have tried so many apps in my time learning Japanese and the best app for kanji I’ve found is the “Kanji!” app for iOS. Read below for the reasons why this app is so great!
Links to the App will be listed below! They are not affiliate links as they lead to the US Apple App Store.
Reasons It’s Good
It’s Cheap!
We all know the current state of the Apple App Store so of course the app is a paid app. There are five levels Level 1-5 (N5-N1) and they are each paid. However, there is a one time $10.99 (USD) payment for all 5 levels of the app and it’s definitely worth it. You get more bang for your buck than if you were to buy multiple kanji textbooks. I do not recommend paying for each level individually as it is more expensive (unless you would like to show extra support to the creator!).
There are so many kanji on this app and each kanji has so many example vocabulary words. Levels 2-5 are broken down into different groups as well. Since it is listed in JLPT levels, doing Levels 1-3 for kanji I think is more than useful for Japanese media or if you’re traveling to Japan. If can only afford the first three levels I think that is good enough. My goal is to become fully fluent for translation, so I think paying $11 for an app of this magnitude is definitely worth it!
Implements SRS Learning!
Another reason I love this app is like Anki, it uses SRS learning for you to remember the kanji. The kanji color themselves in as you learn them red for new words, yellow for words you need to work on and green to mark your remembrance. I will always recommend a flashcard set for reinforcement of the kanji and the vocab words. I have an Anki card deck that I’m working on that I’ll share once it is complete, but it uses vocab from this app!
Has Writing Practice!
This app also shows the correct way to write all of the kanji! The app marks the correct stroke order of each kanji and allows you to practice writing it on your phone/tablet. We all know of how writing something down multiple times that you want to study is a great way to memorize the information.
I know remembering stroke order is something that is daunting and not something you’re used to. Sometimes to get better at something we have to be uncomfortable in order to move forward and learning stroke order is a small way you can test your boundaries! Writing Kanji in the correct order is also important for you and others being able to read what you are writing. There are so many Kanji that look alike or have such small strokes that they are barely visible when you are writing small so it just helps everyone all around! Although, if you want to turn off the writing part of the kanji learning you can do that as well.
Can be Used as an Anki Supplement!
This app has many word examples for the kanji using the onyomi and kunyomi multiple times so that you can see how the kanji can be used in many different ways. The way I use this app with Anki is I find one or two words in the app that use each of the onyomi and kunyomi of the kanji listed. This way I can know somewhat subconsciously how words I’ve never seen before can be read. It also lists which lesson in the app you’ll find the word used. Simple right! The less stress for me the better.
It may seem daunting to see so many words use the onyomi and kunyomi but once you’ve gotten used to seeing them your brain can kind of assume how a word’s going to be read.
Use the Review Section to Your Advantage!
This app shares progress along along your Apple devices so if you want to switch devices you can do that. It also keeps all of the memory for how well you did on each kanji. Since it keeps this information, with the review option it also uses the SRS for helping you remember the words. If the app thinks you have word down, it won’t show it as often as others. That way you can test your knowledge and if you get a question wrong or right it will then recolor the kanji you missed or got right. You can even customize which Kanji it shows you during the review!
Final Thoughts
Overall, this app is simple, cheap, and so easy to use that you’ll be learning so many kanji in so little time. I still need to look for an android option that is as good as this one.
If this app review helped you let me know in the comments or on my Twitter!
QR Code for Kanji! US Apple Store App and Icon:
