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Nihongo - Japanese Dictionary

Nihongo - Japanese Dictionary

Kanji, kana, vocab and grammar

1.9K ratings
265 reviews
📚 Education
🔍 Reference
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

Released
July 13, 2014
Updated
October 8, 2026

Features

Developer

Serpenti Sei Japan
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Nihongo - Japanese Dictionary screenshot #9 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
🧾$9.99 - $179.99
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🎪2 available
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❓5 answered
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About

This app is an offline Japanese study tool that functions as a dictionary, translator, and flashcard creator. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their surroundings, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

✓Offline Japanese dictionary
✓Picture-to-text translation (OCR)
✓Automatic flashcard creation
✓Reading assistant with furigana/romaji
✓Spaced repetition flashcards
✓Search in English, Japanese, or romaji
Show original description

What users say about Nihongo

Reviews of Nihongo are mostly positive: the Reference app is rated 4.8/5 from 1.9K App Store ratings. What users like most: excellent dictionary, comprehensive features. Top complaints: occasional bugs and glitches, subscription model could be expensive. Summarized from real user reviews.

Positive things

  • 🚀Excellent dictionary
  • 👍Comprehensive features
  • 🔒Offline compatibility
  • 👍Helpful example sentences
  • 👍Intuitive interface
  • 👍Useful flashcard system
  • 👍Detailed kanji information
  • 👍Accurate OCR and translation
  • 👍Valuable for learning Japanese

Negative things

  • 🐛Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 💰Subscription model could be expensive
  • 🔍Difficult to manage flashcards
See all reviews

What's New in Nihongo

1.35.5

October 8, 2026

Improvements * Improve photo sharing from other apps, including images shared with captions or other attachments. * Improve localized kanji deck names, including shared decks. * Improve translations and update Japanese voice-download instructions for newer iOS versions. Bug Fixes * Fix a crash that could occur when deleting the last photo attached to a word. * Fix review counts including flashcards for words removed from the dictionary. * Fix dictionary titles briefly appearing when opening entries on iPad. * Fix the vertical alignment of the OK and Back flashcard tabs on iOS 26. * Fix status-bar contrast in Photo Lookup and while opening flashcard decks. * Fix the Search icon’s appearance in light and dark mode. * Fix a delay in bolding the selected word when opening a Clipping. * Fix deck Import and Share buttons appearing black instead of blue on iOS 26.

More
13

Subscriptions & In-App Purchases

Nihongo Pro (Monthly)

Flashcards, audio, and more, renewing monthly

$4.991 Month
7 Days trial
Price Updates
October 18, 2026→$4.99
July 15, 2024→$4.99
June 29, 2024→$3.99
How to cancel Nihongo subscription ⁉️

Events

Read more about Nihongo in Liquid Glass
Event EndedMajor Update

Nihongo in Liquid Glass

Plus everything to make the most of iOS 27

Sep 14, 2026 — Oct 15, 2026

Read More

Read more about Unlock the Secrets of Kanji
Event EndedMajor Update

Unlock the Secrets of Kanji

New kanji breakdowns based on true history.

Jun 2, 2024 — Jul 2, 2024

Read More

See All

User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

My experience with Nihongo

This is an absolutely fantastic app. In depth translation into Japanese hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
RRolls1969

Nice but miss the possibility to add to Anki cards

Please include this feature soon, it is sad that we cannot include the vocabulary to Anki decks
EEdorelle

Response from developer

You can do this actually! If you tap on the share button on a deck, there's an Export option which you can use to create a deck that's usable in Anki. There's an explanation of how to do it here: https://nihongo-app.com/faq.html#flashcards And if you have any trouble getting that to work, please reach out to me at support@nihongo-app.com and I'll be happy to help!

Nice but miss the possibility to add to Anki cards

Please include this feature soon, it is sad that we cannot include the vocabulary to Anki decks
EEdorelle

Very helpful

Easy to use. Wide variety of vocabulary. Example sentences help too.
QQQueen's Quay

Finally, pitch accent in pro

I was initially disappointed the pro version didn’t include pitch accent for some time now but I’m glad you finally got it included for no extra fee.
XXi'anren
See 260 more reviews

Developer apps

Nihongo Lessons
Nihongo Lessons

Learn Japanese Vocab & Grammar

📚 Education

(126)

Free
In-App Purchases
See developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

3 issues

Freezing issues when tapping on kanji

Bug

Font size problems

Bug

Inconsistent OCR and translation accuracy

Bug
✨

Requested Features

5 requests

Handwriting input support

Feature

Customizable flashcard settings

Feature

Monolingual dictionary feature

Feature

Improved backup and sync functionality

Feature

Statistics and progress tracking

Feature

FAQ

What does the Nihongo app do?

Nihongo is an offline Japanese study tool that combines a comprehensive dictionary, a picture-to-text translator, and a flashcard system. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their environment, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

What are the key features of Nihongo?

Key features include an offline dictionary with over 200,000 words, a photo lookup tool using OCR to translate text from images, a reading assistant that adds furigana/romaji to pasted text, and an intelligent flashcard system with spaced repetition for vocabulary and kanji.

Is Nihongo free to use?

The app offers a freemium model. While some core dictionary and search functionalities are available for free, advanced features like audio pronunciations, photo lookup, the reading assistant, and enhanced flashcard capabilities require a 'Nihongo Pro' subscription.

What devices is Nihongo compatible with?

The provided description does not explicitly state compatibility with specific operating systems (iOS or Android) or device types. However, it is described as a mobile application, suggesting it is designed for smartphones and tablets.

How can Nihongo help me learn Japanese vocabulary?

Nihongo helps build vocabulary by allowing you to look up words from your surroundings via photos or pasted text. It automatically generates flashcards for these words, which you can then study using an intuitive spaced repetition system designed to help you master new terms effectively.