# Hourly Kana: Learn Japanese — Kanji, JLPT & Vocabulary

> Bite-sized Japanese vocabulary and character learning app with review tools. (iPhone/iPad app by Radish Retail, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-kana-learn-japanese/id6780309160 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Radish Retail, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894128531)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 324 App Store ratings · 48 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 428 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-02
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-kana-learn-japanese/id6780309160/reviews.md

## What is Hourly Kana?

Build real Japanese vocabulary in small, repeatable moments—one word at a time.

See a fresh Japanese word on your Lock Screen or Home Screen, or choose scheduled notifications on your cadence with quiet hours. When you want to go deeper, open Hourly Kana for kana, meanings, natural example sentences, and native Japanese audio.

START FROM THE FOUNDATIONS

Learn to read hiragana and katakana with listening drills and tap-to-build challenges.

FOLLOW YOUR JLPT LEVEL

Take a quick placement or choose your level, then build vocabulary from JLPT N5 through N1.

REVIEW WHAT MATTERS

Mark words as seen, practice with flashcards and short quizzes, revisit your history, and track your progress. Keep tricky words in a personal deck, import Anki plain-text exports, or build a custom deck from the curriculum.

LEARN YOUR WAY

- Scheduled vocabulary notifications with quiet hours
- Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets with a fresh word
- Kana, meanings, and natural example sentences
- Native Japanese audio
- Hiragana and katakana Foundations course
- JLPT N5–N1 vocabulary, placement, and level selection
- Flashcards, quizzes, history, and progress tracking
- Import Anki plain-text exports and build custom decks
- Private iCloud sync
- Offline access
- No ads

Try Hourly Kana free for 7 days. Paid access is required after the trial.

End User License Agreement:
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Terms of Service:
https://hourlylearning.com/#/terms

Privacy Policy:
https://hourlylearning.com/#/privacy

Questions or suggestions? Email support@radish.software.

## Key features

- Scheduled vocabulary notifications
- Lock-screen and home-screen widgets
- Kana, meanings, and example sentences
- Native Japanese audio
- Foundations course for Katakana & Hiragana
- JLPT N5-N1 vocabulary
- Flashcards and quizzes
- Offline access

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hourly Kana Pro | $34.99 | per year |
| Hourly Kana Pro | $7.99 | per month |
| Hourly Kana Pro | $34.99 | per year |
| Hourly Kana Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Hourly Kana Pro | $69.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hourly Kana Pro - 30 Days | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hourly Kana Pro - 30 Days | $4.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 48)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-kana-learn-japanese/id6780309160/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Fake ratings

*2026-08-23*

App has been out for 1 month, won’t teach you Japanese, costs too much and yet has a ton of 5-star ratings… AI slop at its finest

**Developer response:** Hi,

We want to clarify one important point: our ratings are not fake, and we would never fake ratings. The app may be relatively new, but the response is real, and we’re grateful to already have thousands of learners using and enjoying Hourly Kana.

Hourly Kana is designed to supplement Japanese study by making vocabulary and regular practice easier to fit into everyday life, not to replace an entire Japanese curriculum on its own. We are actively developing our learning curriculum and have gotten a lot of positive feedback and are always updating it. We also understand that the app and its pricing won’t be the right fit for everyone, but we allow our users to try the app first before committing.

We’re always actively developing the app based on learner feedback, so if there are specific areas you felt were lacking, we’d genuinely appreciate hearing them.

Best,
support@radish.software

### 4/5 — Wonderful

*2026-08-21*

The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I don't think that the different types of learners or segments of learners were well considered. For instance I've been speaking Japanese for well over a decade and I love the idea of being able to learn new words. The app is crowded a little bit with some of the beginner stuff, which isn't helpful to me personally. I think all of the functionality is here. It just needs to be either onboarded a little better or through the UX, connected to the experience. For instance I like the idea of creating some decks and having that go into rotation of words I learn using The hourly concept. Also I want it to be really easy to disqualify or hide words that I know very well. I would hope that through the daily practice the spaced repetition memorization concept also influences what words are shown on my screen, for instance, and prompted at me. Perhaps I would like to see a mix of 80% new words but mix in 20% review. Also I forgot to mention I think that having grammar as a separate widget or being complementary to the hour notification.

For context I lived in Japan for three years in my 20s. That was about 14 years ago and I am living in the States now. I consume some Japanese media but it's not a central part of my life so I passively and casually maintain and increase my vocabulary. I think this is a great app for people who who want to maintain their Japanese long-term. Finally on the pricing I would be comfortable. Actually I would prefer buying a lifetime access to the app. It would be neat if there was a Discord or something else for users.

### 5/5 — Mes trajets passent vite

*2026-08-21*

Je l’utilise dans le bus le matin, avec seulement quelques minutes devant moi. Les exercices sont courts, alors je peux revoir les kana sans sortir un cahier. J’aime bien répéter les caractères qui me posent problème pendant le trajet.

### 5/5 — Great

*2026-08-21*

Very easy, and los of updates all the time to fix issues, nice app

### 5/5 — Seriously great app

*2026-08-21*

This is hands-down the very best app I’ve used to support my Japanese learning. The ability to learn a bite-sized piece of vocab, along with the written form AND with additional example sentences that add more practice, vocab, grammar and context,  continually throughout the day, at your own pace and convenience, even in the middle of work, is just brilliant.  I’d describe it as micro-immersion learning that hits on all fronts.  My tutor is blown away at the increase in my vocabulary and my ability to read kanji and hiragana, and frankly, I’m blown away myself. Highly recommend subscribing to this, it is worth every penny.

### 5/5 — Very worth it

*2026-08-20*

I submit reports and the bugs get fixed the next day... i love the hard work and i think the price is so worth it.

### 1/5 — Paid app

*2026-08-18*

They barely let you try the app before you have to pay to use it. They should atleast have a free version with less tools. Very disappointing.

**Developer response:** Thanks for sharing your feedback. We understand that subscriptions aren’t for everyone. We offer a 7-day free trial so you can try all of the app’s features before being charged, along with reminders before the trial ends so there are no surprises.

Unlike a one-time product, the app is continuously maintained and improved with new lessons, features, and updates based on feedback from our learners. Subscriptions help us support that ongoing development and continue making the app better for everyone.

We appreciate you giving the app a try and wish you the best with your learning!

### 5/5 — これは素晴らしいです！🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

*2026-08-17*

This is the best Japanese learning app ever!
Everything about it is perfect and extremely helpful for my Japanese 🇯🇵 
有難う

### 5/5 — It feels good

*2026-08-13*

The first time I feel fluent!

### 5/5 — Absolutely recommended

*2026-08-12*

It's good. I like it. Lots of updates definitely worth it.

## Frequently asked questions about Hourly Kana

### How does Hourly Kana teach Japanese?

Hourly Kana uses a spaced repetition system with bite-sized lessons, delivering new vocabulary via notifications or widgets. It includes meanings, natural sentence examples, native audio, flashcards, and quizzes to reinforce learning.

### What are the learning levels in Hourly Kana?

Hourly Kana offers a 'Foundations' course for mastering Katakana and Hiragana. It also provides vocabulary for JLPT levels N5 through N1, with placement tests to help users find their starting point.

### Does Hourly Kana work offline?

Yes, Hourly Kana is designed for focused learning and works offline, allowing users to study without an internet connection.

### What is the pricing for Hourly Kana?

Hourly Kana is free to use with a 7-day trial. After the trial, all features require a paid subscription, with various monthly, weekly, and annual plans available.

### Does Hourly Kana have ads?

No, Hourly Kana is ad-free, providing an uninterrupted learning experience for users.

### What devices does Hourly Kana support?

Hourly Kana is available on iPhone and Apple Watch, allowing for convenient learning on multiple devices.

### How often is Hourly Kana updated?

The latest version is 1.1, and the app was last updated on July 15, 2026, indicating active development and regular updates.

### What is the age rating for Hourly Kana?

Hourly Kana has an age rating of 9+, making it suitable for younger learners and adults alike.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.1.0 — 2026-08-26

Japanese Foundations now follows a clearer path from kana sounds to reading words and building first sentences. Kana Drill has been redesigned with smoother navigation, consistent lesson styling, and better support for blended sounds. The All Lessons hub is now fully unlocked.

### 3.0.1 — 2026-08-25

Fixed bug with progressing ahead of the widget

### 3.0 — 2026-08-24

Version 3.0 is here! A refreshed look throughout, a new way to save and learn your vocab words, and countless improvements; from curriculum additions and improvements to minor fixes.

### 2.3.4 — 2026-08-18

Improvements to our curriculum plus minor bug fixes.

### 2.3.3 — 2026-08-15

Minor bug fixes.

## More apps by Radish Retail, LLC

- [Lume: AI Skin Scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lume-ai-skin-scanner/id6762428427)
- [Hourly Hanzi: Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-hanzi-learn-chinese/id6777846080)
- [Hourly Hangul: Learn Korean](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-hangul-learn-korean/id6778228989)
- [Lyriclearn](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lyriclearn/id6794576913)

All apps by Radish Retail, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1894128531

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*