# Pastel Daily Kana Quiz (Hiragana & Katakana Test)

> Japanese Kana quiz app for learning Hiragana and Katakana with daily reminders. (iPhone/iPad app by Alan Dowling.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel-daily-kana-quiz-hiragana-and-katakana-test/id1085121399 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Alan Dowling](https://appshunter.io/developer/1085121398)
- Category: Education, Games, Word
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 50 App Store ratings · 102 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 26 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-02-23
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel-daily-kana-quiz-hiragana-and-katakana-test/id1085121399/reviews.md

## What is Pastel Daily Kana Quiz (Hiragana & Katakana Test)?

Use Pastel to Master the Kana!

Pastel is a unique, beautifully colored Kana Quiz App made with the goal of providing a complete and aesthetically pleasing flashcard gaming experience to everyone learning the Japanese Kana.

Include revising Hiragana & Katakana as part of your daily routine by setting a "Daily Practice Reminder" directly within the App.

Pastel can now notify you each day to let you know when it's your time to Practice! :)

Use the new Quick-Select Buttons in settings to personalize your Kana Quiz Set in seconds.

Need to review and test yourself on the Kana before playing?, Use the Kana Charts and Flash Card Buttons in the "Revise the Kana" Section.

Pastel automatically saves your last Quiz Set and game settings allowing you to continue where you left off upon return.

Practice the Japanese Kana Alphabet in Hiragana, Katakana and Romaji Modes.

What's included with the FREE version?
All 46 Hiragana Monograms.
Hiragana Romaji Quiz.
"Revise The Kana" Kana Revision Section

Once you've mastered the Hiragana Monograms buy the "Unlock Pastel" In-App Purchase to Unlock the full App and access the following features:

All 46 Katakana Monograms.
All 25 Hiragana Diacritics.
All 25 Katakana Diacritics.
All 36 Hiragana Digraphs.
All 36 Katakana Digraphs.
5 Extra Quiz Duration Times

## Key features

- Daily Practice Reminders
- Kana Charts and Flashcards
- Hiragana, Katakana, and Romaji Modes
- Automatic Game Setting Saving
- Quick-Select Quiz Personalization
- Unlockable Katakana and Diacritics

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Pastel | $4.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Pastel Daily Kana Quiz (Hiragana & Katakana Test)?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎨 Beautiful, minimalist, and aesthetically pleasing design
- ⚡ Fast-paced gameplay that improves recall speed
- 🎮 Engaging and fun way to practice kana characters
- 🎯 Customizable quiz settings to focus on specific characters
- 📊 Includes comprehensive reference chart for all kana
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase for full version
- 🔊 Audio cues help with sound-character association
- ✅ Effective for reinforcing kana memorization
- 🎪 Gamified approach keeps users motivated
- 📱 Simple and intuitive user interface

**Cons**

- ⏱️ Timer is too short (2-3 seconds) for beginners
- 💸 Katakana locked behind paywall while hiragana is free
- 🔊 Audio quality issues - some characters sound identical
- 📝 No writing practice or stroke order instruction
- 🎯 Not suitable for complete beginners without prior knowledge
- 💾 App settings don't persist between sessions
- 🚫 Limited to quiz-based learning only
- 🔄 No tracking of weakest characters for focused review
- 📱 Not optimized for larger phones (no fullscreen support)
- 🌙 No dark mode option available

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Settings not saved between app sessions
- App crashes when selecting 4+ kana in settings
- In-app purchase fails to process (continuous loading)
- Audio playback inconsistencies with headphones
- Not optimized for iPhone X (black bars at top/bottom)
- Final question times out before user can answer
- Glitch in settings validation for character selection

**Most requested features**

- Adjustable timer duration (customizable per user)
- Audio-only mode for sound recognition practice
- Kanji learning app with similar format
- Ability to combine hiragana and katakana in single quiz
- Writing/stroke order practice mode
- Dark mode theme
- Tracking of most-missed characters for targeted review
- Larger answer selection options (3x3 or 4x4 grid)
- Reverse mode (romaji to kana identification)
- Mixed mode combining both directions
- No-timer mode for self-paced learning
- Achievement/badge system for motivation
- Ability to remove ads with small payment
- Support for diacritics and digraphs in reference section
- Fullscreen support for modern devices

## Recent user reviews (10 of 102)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastel-daily-kana-quiz-hiragana-and-katakana-test/id1085121399/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2025-07-28, version 1.3.2*

I really love this app, i wish there was one just like it for korean language!

### 5/5 — Buenísima

*2024-11-16*

Una aplicación muy simple para practicar en cualquier momento. Muy barata para lo mucho que te ayuda.

### 5/5 — This is the app I learned to read Hiragana and Katakana

*2024-05-02, version 1.3.2*

Please do a similar Kanji app!!

### 5/5 — Mi aplicación favorita para kana

*2024-04-24*

Por favor, esta es mi aplicación favorita para repasar el kana, hagan una para kanji sería muy útil. O varias por ejemplo una para cada JLPT ejemplo Kanjis del N5 otro para N4 etc o una sola para todos los niveles y se dividen en N5-N1 así como en esta que tiene el botón de Hiragana y después Katakana.

### 3/5 — precio

*2023-08-12*

el precio es en pesos mexicanos?

### 5/5 — Well Worth it! Good Learning Supplement

*2023-02-01, version 1.3.2*

Good memorization tool. Try the free which includes the most basic hiragana characters, if you find it useful the $6 to unlock all characters should be well worth it for you.

### 5/5 — Underrated app

*2023-01-09, version 1.3.2*

I know there are a lot of kana apps out there but for quick and easy revision this one takes the cake - great looking app and got me on top of hiragana and katakana in no time, massive life saver when you’re trying to cram in study at every opportunity

### 5/5 — Great app for beginners or refreshers

*2023-01-05, version 1.3.2*

I’ve been using this app on and off for a few years and purchased the extension for more characters. It’s fast paced so you have to keep up with the characters! The only thing that I would recommend is that you can hide the romanji and only show the character so you’re not forced to second guess yourself. 

I also noticed that when I use headphones a lot of the characters SOUND the same. I thought I was crazy getting the characters wrong when I HEARD it but turns out that wasn’t my hearing problem. Hope y’all can fix this!

### 5/5 — Me encanta esta app

*2022-08-27*

Aún que de momento solo uso la parte gratuita, es genial para revisar y practicar hiragana, además que puedes practicar en cualquier momento y en cualquier lugar. 
Sinceramente me ha servido mucho para no olvidarme de hiragana ya que dejé de estudiarlo por 2 años.

### 3/5 — READ THIS::: INCLUDES RECOMMENDATION

*2022-07-12, version 1.3.2*

This app is pretty good for people who already know a bit of hiragana/katakana and for people who want to test there knowledge of Japanese. But I wouldn’t recommend this for people who are beginners and don’t know any Hiragana / Katakana.

## Frequently asked questions about Pastel Daily Kana Quiz (Hiragana & Katakana Test)

### What does Pastel Daily Kana Quiz do?

Pastel Daily Kana Quiz is an app designed to help users master the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana alphabets. It offers a quiz-based learning experience with features like daily practice reminders, revision tools, and personalized quiz settings.

### What are the key features of the app?

Key features include daily practice reminders, a 'Revise the Kana' section with charts and flashcards, practice in Hiragana, Katakana, and Romaji modes, and automatic saving of game settings. The full version unlocks all Katakana characters, diacritics, and digraphs, along with extra quiz durations.

### How much does Pastel Daily Kana Quiz cost?

The app offers a free version that includes all Hiragana monograms, Hiragana Romaji quizzes, and the revision section. To unlock the full app, which includes all Katakana characters and additional learning content, there is an in-app purchase.

### What are the common use cases for this app?

This app is ideal for beginners learning Japanese who need to memorize the Hiragana and Katakana scripts. It's also useful for intermediate learners looking to reinforce their knowledge through daily practice and testing before moving on to Kanji.

### What devices is Pastel Daily Kana Quiz compatible with?

While specific device compatibility is not detailed, the app is designed for mobile use. Users can typically expect it to function on most modern Android smartphones and tablets that support app installations from the Google Play Store.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3.2 — 2017-03-08

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

• Performance and Design Improvements.

### 1.3.1 — 2017-02-07

• Bug Fixes and Improvements.

### 1.3 — 2017-01-19

• New "Daily Reminder Notification" feature added to Settings:
Pastel can now notify you each day to let you know when it's your time to Practice! :)
Include revising Hiragana & Katakana as part of your daily routine by setting a "Daily Practice Reminder" directly within the App.

### 1.2 — 2016-11-03

• iPad Support: Pastel is now a Universal App! :)
• Added a "Revise the Kana" Section: Review the Kana Charts and Test yourself with the Kana Flash Card Buttons.
• "Revise the Kana" is accessible via the Main, Pause and End Game Screens.
• Bug Fixes and Improvements: If a question is still showing when the timer is up the game will wait for the final question to be answered.

### 1.1.2 — 2016-07-07

• Pastel now automatically saves your last used Kana Quiz Set and game settings when leaving the App.
• The Katakana Quiz Set has been added to the “Unlock Pastel” In-App Purchase.

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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 2026-06-11.*