# Laifu: Japanese Phrases — Learn phrases, not grammar

> Learn practical Japanese phrases and dialogues for everyday life. (iPhone/iPad app by Ryusei Maeda.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laifu-japanese-phrases/id6769064539 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ryusei Maeda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896627088)
- Category: Education, Travel
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 292 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laifu-japanese-phrases/id6769064539/reviews.md

## What is Laifu?

Japanese you'll actually use, for your daily Laifu (life).

Most apps drill you on grammar rules and word lists. Laifu teaches whole phrases real people say, so you can use them today. Whether you live in Japan, you're planning a trip, you're learning for someone you love, or you just love the language, this is built for you.

WHAT YOU GET

Over 1,000 real-life phrases
Across 14 everyday categories: Food, Shopping, Sightseeing, Hotel, Airport & Transport, Convenience Store, Drinking & Nightlife, Small Talk, Casual Conversations, Dating & Romance, Compliments, Saying No Politely, Basics, and Trouble & Help.

A chat example for every single phrase
Each phrase comes with a short chat-style dialogue, so you see exactly how it lands in a real back-and-forth, not floating on its own.

Hear it, in natural Japanese
Tap any phrase or dialogue line to hear it spoken, with per-character voices and a slow mode for the tricky ones.

Say it out loud and get scored
Practice your pronunciation by speaking each phrase. Laifu listens and scores how close you got, so you build the confidence to actually say it.

Play through real scenes
48 play-through scenarios put you in the moment: order at an izakaya, check into a hotel, grab something at the konbini, take a taxi. The characters talk back, and you handle the whole exchange.

Japanese, romaji, English, your way
Show or hide Japanese, romaji, or English with one tap, so you can read along while you're learning and test yourself once you're ready.

PREMIUM

Start free with hundreds of phrases. Go Premium to unlock everything:

- Every phrase in every category, no locked rows
- Cards mode: Anki-style smart review on your favorites, so what you learn actually sticks
- The full audio library and slow mode
- All 48 scenes, start to finish

Premium comes as a monthly or annual plan, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings.

Real Japanese, for real life. Start free and see how fast it clicks.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://laifu-japanese.vercel.app/terms.html
Privacy Policy: https://laifu-japanese.vercel.app/privacy.html

## Key features

- Over 1,000 real-life phrases
- Chat examples for every phrase
- Natural Japanese audio with slow mode
- Pronunciation scoring
- Interactive scene-based learning
- Customizable display (Japanese, romaji, English)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laifu-japanese-phrases/id6769064539/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Close

*2026-08-06*

I really wanted to love this app. I love the concept, I love the focus on speaking, I love the ability to focus in certain areas. All of that was great. Design seems very strong. A couple things that need to be improved: 1. No correction on what you are saying. I had the same phrase over and over… 75% right. No correction though. Nothing to point out what wasn’t right. 2. After a couple of listens to a phrase the speaker stops working and you can’t hear the phrases. I tried everything, nothing works. Add AirPods and the system can’t hear your pronunciation. Maybe this is all my phone, maybe. 
3. The UI is good but confusing. Not easy (at least for me to navigate). 
Again, I wanted to love this app. It has amazing potential. Just needs some work.

**Developer response:** Thank you for this. It is the most useful review we have had, and you were right on every count.

The speaker dying after a few plays was a caching bug on our end, not your phone. That fix is live now.

The missing correction is the one that stung. A bare 75% teaches you nothing, and you should not have to guess at what was wrong. The next update marks the phrase character by character, so you can see which sounds got dropped or came out wrong.

Then we looked properly at the scoring behind that 75%, and it was worse than we knew. Correct pronunciation was being marked wrong far too often, and a handful of phrases could never score full marks at all, no matter how well you said them. That is not a quick patch, so we are rebuilding how the app listens rather than tuning numbers around it. It is in testing now and it is what we are working hardest on.

AirPods and the mic is still open. We have not cracked that one yet and we are not going to pretend we have.

Navigation, we hear you.

Thanks for taking the time to write all that out. It changed what we are working on.

Laifu team

## Frequently asked questions about Laifu

### What is Laifu's learning methodology?

Laifu focuses on teaching whole phrases and dialogues used by real people, rather than just grammar rules or word lists. This approach aims to make learning practical and immediately applicable to daily life situations.

### How does Laifu help with pronunciation?

Laifu allows you to speak each phrase aloud and provides scoring based on your pronunciation accuracy. You can also hear phrases spoken in natural Japanese with per-character voices and a slow mode for difficult words.

### What kind of content is available in Laifu?

The app offers over 1,000 real-life phrases across 14 everyday categories, including food, shopping, and travel. Each phrase is accompanied by a chat-style dialogue example and interactive scenarios.

### Does Laifu offer offline access?

The provided data does not specify whether Laifu offers offline access. However, many language learning apps offer some offline functionality for downloaded lessons or content.

### What are the premium features in Laifu?

Premium unlocks all phrases and categories, an Anki-style smart review system called Cards mode, the full audio library with slow mode, and all 48 interactive scenes for comprehensive learning.

### How much does Laifu Premium cost?

Premium is available as a monthly plan for $4.99, an annual plan for $39.99 with a 7-day free trial, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. You can cancel anytime through your Apple ID settings.

### What devices support Laifu?

Laifu is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. The age rating for the app is 12+.

### How often is Laifu updated?

The app was last updated on July 21, 2026, with version 1.0.1. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.5 — 2026-08-18

Setup now builds you a phrasebook.

Lai says hi, then asks two quick things: why you are learning, and how much Japanese you already know. From those two answers you get five real phrases. Tap the ones you know. Anything new is saved for you automatically, so you finish setup with something in your cards instead of nothing.

Then you hear a short conversation and get one line to say out loud.

Your saved phrases now sit at the top of the home screen instead of behind a tab. Saving is what makes it stick, so it should not be hidden.

New phrases:
- 14 lines straight out of anime, each with a note on when it actually works. 待って is fine anywhere. 覚悟しろ is perfect before a game and absurd everywhere else.
- Warmer ways to talk to someone you care about.
- How to answer "Your Japanese is good. Where did you learn?" without making it awkward.

### 1.0.4 — 2026-08-12

Pronunciation practice, fixed.

- It hears you from the first syllable. The app was not recording the start of what you said, which is why short phrases scored so badly.
- It scores how you say the phrase, not how we happen to write it. Say みて and 診て counts.
- Numbers work. 一, 二, 十, 百 and 千 could never score full marks before, however well you said them.
- Audio stops going quiet after you use the mic.

If you tried the mic and gave up on it, it is worth another go. Sorry it took this long.

### 1.0.3 — 2026-08-10

This one is mostly about sound.

- Every phrase plays. A caching bug could leave clips silent, and it is fixed.
- Volume is even now. We measured and re-processed all 5,237 clips to one consistent level, so you are not reaching for the volume button between phrases.
- Three phrases that had no audio at all now have it.
- Saving is easier to find. If you have not saved anything yet, the heart tells you what it is for.
- Better handling when a purchase or restore does not go through.

A lot of this came from people writing in. Thank you, and keep it coming.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-08-02

Laifu just got better:

- Spaced repetition, front and center. Save a phrase and we bring it back right before you'd forget it, until it sticks.
- Sign in with Apple or Google. Your streak, saves, and progress now sync across your devices.
- A quick guided tour the first time you open the app.
- A cleaner phrase screen and smoother touches throughout.

Thanks for learning with us.

### 1.0.1 — 2026-07-21

No release notes.

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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 2026-08-24.*