10 Best Japanese Learning Apps in 2022 (Japanese Tutor-Reviewed)
There are thousands of apps available, so choosing the right study aid might seem a bit daunting at first. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. In this guide, which was reviewed by a certified Japanese tutor, we’ll go over a few key things to look for when choosing an app to help you study Japanese. We also have a list of our 10 favorite apps to help you get started, with our favorite being Renzo's Japanese app.
Quick List - Top Japanese Learning Apps
Yoshie is a certified and experienced Japanese language tutor, and she also works as an English to Japanese translator from the countryside where you can see Mount Fuji. She's a lover of language learning, photography, and dogs.
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How to Choose a Japanese Learning App – Buying Guide
Choose an App Based on Your Goals
Going on Vacation? Look for an App That Teaches Useful Phrases
It might also be helpful for you to learn to recognize hiragana and katakana. While many signs in Japan are written in the English alphabet, it’ll be extra insurance to learn the Japanese phonetic alphabet—as many place names and station stops out in the boonies are written in kanji and hiragana but not in Roman letters.
Studying for the JLPT? Choose an App That Covers Test-Specific Material
Look for apps that focus on the same kinds of questions and material that you’d find on the test—focusing on reading, grammar, vocabulary, and listening rather than writing, for example. And because the JLPT is set up as a multiple-choice test, the best way to practice is by using an app that mimics that sort of quizzing style.
Just Want to Make Japanese Friends? Pick an App That’ll Help You Find Penpals
Since many of these apps aren’t only for finding Japanese language partners, look for one that has a relatively large Japanese user base.
Make Sure the App Suits Your Level
It might also be helpful to look for an app that can accommodate your needs as they evolve. For example, it may switch from asking you questions in hiragana to kanji as you improve, present problems to you in more difficult language, or offer different sets of activities suited for different levels.
Find an App That Will Help You Practice Your Weak Points
To Practice Vocabulary, Look for Spaced Repetition Flashcard Apps
If you have problems remembering a card, it’ll come up more often. This way you’re not studying things you already know well and are instead focusing on the words or points that are harder for you.
Find an App That Will Teach You Word Combinations to Practice Kanji
If you’ve studied Japanese enough, then you know that when it comes to kanji, just knowing the meaning of a single character is almost useless if you can’t affix it to other characters or hiragana to make different words and constructions. You also need to learn how it's spoken; whether a certain word uses it in its on-yomi or kun-yomi reading.
So, instead of apps that just have you match the character to the meaning, look for apps that force you to place characters within words, figure out how each character changes depending on how it’s combined, and choose between similar characters to find the correct answer.
Search for Apps with Audio Content for Practicing Speaking and Pronunciation
Look for an app with lots of audio content meant for shadowing—repeating and continuing to repeat just a heartbeat after the audio so you’re basically a sound shadow.
I think that in addition to intonation, you want to work on your "pitch accent" when thinking about the Japanese pronunciation. Unlike English, every Japanese character (including particles) has its own pitch and the concept is largely different from what syllables are in English.
Takoboto is a dictionary app, but it illustrates the pitch for every word as well. This way, you can see which mora goes up or down, and you can visually learn how the pitch accent works. By the way, this is a wonderful app for vocabulary building, grammar studies, and confirming pitch accents.
To Practice Reading, Look for Apps That Can Adjust to Your Level
This way, you’ll save yourself the frustration of constantly having to stop reading to look things up in the dictionary, which is a huge demotivator and may turn you off learning a foreign language forever. You’ll also know exactly what you’re supposed to know and not get them confused with the things you needn’t have learned yet.
Make Sure the App Caters to Your Learning Style
Some utilize Japanese videos and articles taken from the internet to help you learn Japanese as it’s spoken in the real world, in different contexts. Some turn their quizzes into a bunch of different games, which is great if you get bored quickly. So whether or not you think you’re good at languages, it should be easy to find an app that appeals to your learning style.
10 Japanese Learning Apps
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Renzo Inc. Japanese | | The Dictionary That Does It All | |
2 | LingoDeer Co, Ltd. Learn Languages | | Well-Rounded Study and Pronunciation Practice | |
3 | Duolingo Language Lessons | | Comprehensive Learning for Beginners and Intermediate Learners | |
4 | Memrise Learn Languages Fast | | Spaced Repetition With Great Quiz Options | |
5 | ThinkMac Software iKanji | | Kanji Practice Great for JLPT Prep | |
6 | John A Ehlke Manabi Reader - Read Japanese | | Learn Through Reading the News | |
7 | Adam Critchley Learning Japanese with Tae Kim | | A Grammar Textbook in App Form | |
8 | HelloTalk Language Learning | | Chat With Native Speakers | |
9 | Ankitects Pty Ltd AnkiMobile Flashcards | | The Original Spaced Repetition App | |
10 | Pocketglow LLC SpeakEasy Japanese | | For Travelers Who Just Need Phrases |
The Dictionary That Does It All
On top of that, you can copy and paste any Japanese text, and the app will provide you with not only a translation but also the furigana for it. This app also allows you to save words and has a powerful spaced repetition review function with detailed statistics on what you’ve learned and studied.
Well-Rounded Study and Pronunciation Practice
While most apps will help you hone your Japanese through learning how to read and listen, this app takes it a bit further by also helping you with pronunciation. Alongside the recordings of native speakers, you can record yourself speaking so that you can compare and adjust.
Comprehensive Learning for Beginners and Intermediate Learners
This app allows you to study Japanese reading and listening from the very beginning and takes you through about the upper intermediate level or roughly N3. In order to make sure you’re learning what you need to be, this app will first test you to place you in the right level.
Spaced Repetition With Great Quiz Options
You can create your own “courses” or choose to study from various courses that are already in the system. There are a number of courses that correspond with textbooks, so if you’re learning with a popular Japanese textbook, this could be the perfect review option for you.
Kanji Practice Great for JLPT Prep
Aside from splitting kanji by JLPT levels, it also allows you to study kanji by Japanese school grade level. This app also works as a kanji dictionary. It does fall a bit short on the teaching side, but as a review tool, this app can definitely help you memorize kanji.
Learn Through Reading the News
This app allows you to learn Japanese by reading. It pulls material from various real sources like NHK, Japanese folk tales, and travel magazines and presents it with furigana, definitions, and even audio tracks! You can also bring in your own materials to add to the app.
Defining words is as easy as clicking on them, and you can make flashcards to study later based on what you pick out from the articles. This app also allows you to see what JLPT level every word is. All in all, it’s a fantastic resource to practice your reading.
With the purchase of tracking, the app will also memorize which kanji and phrases you've already seen and learned. Though this app is better for learners who have experience with the language already, some news sites are also simpler and digestible by readers with less of Japanese background.
A Grammar Textbook in App Form
Although there are some quiz features (which function more like flashcards), and you have the ability to bookmark tricky points for future reference, it’s mostly just a book in app form. That being said, it’s free and more convenient, so even if you already use the website, this app can still be beneficial.
Chat With Native Speakers
As it is a social app, remember that your partners will likely also want to practice their English with you. So don’t expect to only get Japanese practice out of it. You should also keep in mind that these are just average people and not teachers, so you might take a while to find someone you really want to practice with.
The Original Spaced Repetition App
However, at $24.99 for the iPhone version of the app, it isn’t cheap, and there are free apps that fulfill many of the same functions. The one thing that really makes Anki stand out, though, is the sheer number of decks available for you to download and study from.
For Travelers Who Just Need Phrases
Hundreds of phrases are sorted into categories to help you find them when you need them. You can search for specific phrases, star them for later, and even practice them as flashcards.
Each phrase comes with the Japanese and English meanings, a pronunciation guide, as well as native pronunciation to practice with. If the speaking is too fast for you, you can even slow it down to hear better.
Looking For More Ways to Learn Japanese?
Are you looking to find more ways to learn Japanese? There are plenty of tools out there that can help you on your journey. We've prepared other buying guides to help you out!
Top 5 Japanese Learning Apps
No. 1: Renzo Inc.｜Japanese
No. 2: LingoDeer Co, Ltd.｜Learn Languages
No. 3: Duolingo｜Language Lessons
No. 4: Memrise｜Learn Languages Fast
No. 5: ThinkMac Software｜iKanji
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.