# Ringotan — Learn Japanese Kanji > Learn to write Japanese Kanji with interactive practice and spaced repetition. (iPhone/iPad app by Daniel Pflughoeft.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Daniel Pflughoeft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633001066) - Category: Education - Price: Free - Rating: 4.90/5 from 562 App Store ratings · 83 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.2 · 207 MB - Released: 2022-07-17 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064/reviews.md ## What is Ringotan? Learn Kanji by actually writing it! Ringotan is the first app built from the ground up to teach you how to WRITE Japanese Kanji, not just read them. By combining advanced input detection with industry-standard SRS (spaced repetition) algorithms, Ringotan ensures you learn as fully and quickly as possible. ----------------- Ringotan is free for a limited time. We update frequently, so be sure to check back for new features! ## Key features - Learn Kanji by writing - Advanced input detection - Spaced repetition system (SRS) - Focus on writing, not just reading - Frequent updates with new features ## What do users think of Ringotan? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Effective kanji learning system - 👍 Intuitive and easy to use - 🔓 No ads or paywalls - 💡 Customizable settings and integration with other resources - 🎨 Visually pleasing and engaging - 📚 Aligned with popular textbooks and JLPT - 🧠 Helps build muscle memory for writing kanji **Cons** - 🔍 Keyword hints not always clear enough - 🔀 Limited ability to customize word lists - 🔆 Light mode only, no dark mode option - 🔍 Difficulty identifying which kanji is being tested at times **Commonly reported bugs** - Occasional issues with stroke order recognition - Some kanji pronunciations not accurately represented **Most requested features** - Add dark mode option - Allow users to create and save custom kanji lists - Provide more detailed keyword hints before writing - Implement device sync to continue progress across platforms - Add notification system to remind users of upcoming reviews ## Recent user reviews (10 of 83) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Best that I’ve found！ *2026-08-21* I downloaded sooooo many apps looking for a good Kanji teacher. I am glad I found someone on Reddit suggesting this. While it may not help you learn Kanji alone, it possibly could if you’re super dedicated?? I tried it out alone but wasn’t retaining anything even though I liked the interface. From another redditor, I decided to buy the Kodansha book and really commit to a specific method of Kanji learning. Ringotan lets you choose your method at the beginning and then quizzes you in the same order that you’re learning in the book. This has been working for me, and I, really enjoying it. Two suggestions that would make it slightly better…. If they would let you choose which words are at the top of the screen as example uses of the Kanji. Most of the choices they give do not exactly line up with what is given in the Kodansha book. I would like for it to be more particularly aligned. The other thing would be to allow for a shuffle option when you do a custom review. It becomes easy to memorize the order that the kanji will be given, and that context makes it easier to remember. I would like to be challenged on them out of context. Maybe there is a way to do this and I just haven’t figured it out? ### 2/5 — Confusing *2026-06-29* I’m sure this helps a lot of people but is very frustrating. The dots get very confusing and both the pace and repetition styles get frustrating. If you happen to have any learning disability or neurodivergent condition this app can be torturous. Between being too slow in some aspects while too impatient in others, plus the colored dots all over the place this is painful. Don’t buy anything here - just stick to getting a nice pen and notebook, practice a lot in sentences too. ### 5/5 — Great for lazy people!!! *2026-06-03* I have a hard time studying because I don’t like to repeat the same vocab or in this case kanji over and over. Here you can set it to show you different kanjis more often instead of practicing the same 5 for a while. ### 5/5 — Best thing ever *2026-05-23, version 0.24.2* Genuinely good ### 5/5 — Hope At Last *2026-05-11* I have been searching for an app like this for so long. My Japanese reading and speaking proficiency are business level, but when I need to fill out forms I’m helpless without my keyboard. I’ve tried drilling writing textbooks, but without a teacher to tell me where I’ve gone wrong I find myself learning bad habits instead of progressing! The app makes my brain actually have to recall the kanji and each stroke in order, and for the first time in years I feel like I might actually be able to write fluently one day. The only criticism I could have is that sometimes the program is a little too kind (I wrote what should have been a diagonal stroke vertical, but it counted it as correct). But I prefer this over the app being so particular that even correctly written strokes could be counted as wrong , which I’ve encountered in other kanji learning apps. Realistically, I don’t have any expectations that I’ll learn how to write beautifully from this app. At this point I’m just grateful for the chance to lay a foundation down, which can always be made more beautiful later. But we’ll see! ### 5/5 — fun and useful *2026-05-11, version 0.24.2* I’m only 2 lessons in, and it’s already helped me memorize common kanji more than the green owl. ### 5/5 — Wonderful app, only one... complaint *2026-05-09* This is a really great app, simple and straight to the point, not a single ad! The only warning I’ll give is that the home page has the most terrifying cartoon apple I’ve ever seen, and worse (better?) his face will get less and less happy the longer you sit on the home page. In a way this is genius, I’m very motivated to study kanji and stroke order lest I incur His unholy wrath… I shudder with the dark thoughts of what He will do to me if I close the 口 in 四 before adding the ル. But all in all a very good app that I highly recommend! ### 5/5 — GOOD APP!!! *2026-05-05, version 0.24.2* very good app very easy to memorize easy teaching system very cool highly recommend!! ### 5/5 — kanji srs *2026-04-03, version 0.24.2* exactly what i was looking for to review kanji and it’s actually free. really easy to choose exactly where you want to start from, and then it schedules your new kanji and reviews for you. there’s even with an option to change how often you want to practice. looking forward to using this app to learn even more kanji ### 5/5 — Awesome app *2026-03-03, version 0.24.2* This is the only good app for learning kanji and kana that I’ve found thats actually free, with no hidden pay wall. Highly recommend! ## Frequently asked questions about Ringotan ### What does Ringotan do? Ringotan is an educational app designed to teach users how to physically write Japanese Kanji characters. It focuses on the act of writing rather than just recognizing characters, aiming for comprehensive learning. ### How does Ringotan help me learn Kanji? The app utilizes advanced input detection to analyze your writing and an industry-standard Spaced Repetition System (SRS) algorithm. This combination ensures you learn Kanji efficiently and retain the information over time by reviewing characters at optimal intervals. ### Is Ringotan free to use? Ringotan is currently available for free for a limited time. The developers frequently update the app with new features, so it's recommended to check back for any changes to its availability or pricing model. ### What are the main benefits of using Ringotan? The primary benefit is learning to write Kanji, which is often overlooked by other apps. The integration of SRS ensures effective memorization and retention, making the learning process both comprehensive and quick. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 26.0 — 2026-08-25 • Added free drawing mode • Added ability to prompt with kanji definitions • Added custom prompts • Added new lessons: "GCSE", "Kanji Damage", "Kanji Tamago" • Added "Reviews Per Lesson" options "Tiny" and "Massive" • Session now continues if app is suspended and resumed • Updated Minna No Nihongo and Wanikani lessons • Many bugfixes - see Patreon for a full list ### 25.11 — 2026-06-26 • Rewrote entire app with MAUI framework (this was required to continue releasing new versions - please report any bugs under Settings → Advanced!) • Added 'Show Radicals' option • Fixed various layout issues ### 25.10 — 2026-06-23 • Rewrote entire app with MAUI framework (this was required to continue releasing new versions - please report any bugs under Settings → Advanced!) • Added 'Show Radicals' option • Fixed an issue with strokes not registering correctly ### 25.9 — 2026-06-22 • Rewrote entire app with MAUI framework (this was required to continue releasing new versions - please report any bugs under Settings → Advanced!) • Added 'Show Radicals' option ### 25.8 — 2026-06-21 • Rewrote entire app with MAUI framework (this was required to continue releasing new versions - please report any bugs under Settings → Advanced!) • Added 'Show Radicals' option ## Apps similar to Ringotan | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Learn Japanese Kanji: Benkyō](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japanese-kanji-benkyo/id1541592138) | 4.7 (3,417) | Free | Education | | [RoboKana: Japanese Writing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robokana-japanese-writing/id1322000057) | 4.9 (1,951) | Free | Education | | [Kanji Study - Learn Japanese!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanji-study-learn-japanese/id1078107994) | 4.7 (7,076) | Free | Education | | [Japanese : Learn Kanji JLPT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-learn-kanji-jlpt/id1542899846) | 4.3 (287) | Free | Education | | [Kanji Teacher - Learn Japanese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanji-teacher-learn-japanese/id1048445761) | 4.7 (299) | Free | Education | | [Learn Japanese Hiragana Kanji](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japanese-hiragana-kanji/id939234951) | 4.1 (34) | Free | Education | ## Related topics [ringotan](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ringotan) · [earlyel grades kanji practice](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/earlyel-grades-kanji-practice) · [qractive kanji renshuu](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/qractive-kanji-renshuu) · [Kanji learning app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kanji-learning-app) · [ultimate kanji learning app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ultimate-kanji-learning-app) · [kanji learning](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kanji-learning) · [adventure of kanjiro chapter 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/adventure-of-kanjiro-chapter-3) --- *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 2026-08-26.*