# RoboKana: Japanese Writing — Hiragana, Katakana & Kanji

> Interactive Japanese Kana and Kanji writing and recognition practice app. (iPhone/iPad app by Olena Bachurina.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robokana-japanese-writing/id1322000057 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Olena Bachurina](https://appshunter.io/developer/914369993)
- Category: Education, Entertainment
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 1,951 App Store ratings · 524 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 172 MB
- Languages: Russian, Vietnamese, American English, Indonesian, Latin American Spanish, Italian, Korean, German (Germany), Polish, Brazilian Portuguese and 3 more
- Released: 2017-12-14
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robokana-japanese-writing/id1322000057/reviews.md

## What is RoboKana?

Real hand writing experience for Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji JLPT N5, N4, N3
 
Robokana is a handy tool for those who study Japanese and need to memorize the writing and reading of Kana and Kanjis.
It works like an interactive textbook:
*See the animation of strokes order and hear the pronunciation
*Draw with a finger right on the screen of your device
*Let the robot to check the work
*Repeat!

Kana features:
- Animated hints of stroke order
- Support of Dakuten & Handakuten sets
- Exam mode

Kanji features
- tons of Kanji related content: meanings,  onyomi and kunyomi, kanji radicals, compounding words
- train your muscle memory via hand-writing
- do voice practice by reading aloud
- improve recognition on mix & match tasks

Other nice features:
- Possibility to create custom characters sets
- Customizable calligraphic brush
- Learning statistics


Please note, that only part of the content is available for free, App contains in-app purchases to unlock all content.

## Key features

- Handwriting practice for Kana and Kanji
- Animated stroke order guidance
- Pronunciation audio
- Customizable brush and character sets
- JLPT N5-N3 Kanji content
- Learning statistics

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Everything | $6.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Kanji JLPT N5, N4, N3 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Hiragana & Katakana | $3.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of RoboKana?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Easy to learn
- 👍 Helpful for beginners
- 💡 Great for practicing writing
- 🤖 Cute robot companion
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase

**Cons**

- 🐛 Inconsistent character recognition
- 🤖 Overly strict on stroke order
- 💰 Some content locked behind paywall
- 🔄 Repetitive practice can get boring

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Trouble recognizing certain characters (e.g. 'no', 'fu')
- Inconsistent behavior when writing characters correctly
- Purchase not transferring between devices

**Most requested features**

- Add more kanji levels (N3, N2, N1)
- Allow mixing of hiragana and katakana
- Provide option to disable romaji
- Implement cloud sync for progress
- Add more varied practice modes

## Recent user reviews (10 of 524)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robokana-japanese-writing/id1322000057/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Чудное приложение!

*2026-08-13*

Прекрасное приложение, надеюсь на будущее добавление иероглифов для N2 и N1

### 5/5 — 아주 조아용

*2026-08-03*

일본어를 처음 시작할때 쓰면 아주 도움이 되는 앱입니다.  쓰는것을 위주로 하실거면 이 앱을 완전추천합니다. 장점 : 렉이 거의 없고 활용성 1000점 단점 : 영어로 카키쿠(kakiku)식으로 되어있어요.. 정리하자면 이 앱은 초보자한테는 아주 좋고 장점이 단점보다 많다! 그러니까 한번 써보세요~ 강력추천합니다..!

### 5/5 — Please add N2 kanji

*2026-07-28, version 2.4.4*

This is honestly one of my favorite apps, I use it to anchor all my kanji! Now that I've reached N2, I’m really sad to find out there are no kanji for this level here... Please developers, add them! 😊

### 4/5 — Extremely good. I would love it more if it had these three things:

*2026-07-14*

I am right in the middle of learning hiragana, so I can’t speak for the entire app, but three things I would love to have are:

1. A very basic section of the app that lets me practice the basic building block strokes.

2. It would be nice if the program could show what I need to improve upon to have an acceptable attempt. The reason I would like this is because while the app is quite lenient in accepting my attempts (which I appreciate as someone brand new to Japanese!), the hiragana for [a] and [no] for some reason are extremely picky sometimes. This is why I think the first thing on my list would be helpful to have, too!

3. Another feature that would be extremely helpful is a practice mode that randomly asks me to write all to the kana I have learned so far. So instead of having to go from the pure vowel group, then moving to the ka group, then to the ra group etc., I could practice everything I’ve learned so far, at random.

Thank you!

### 5/5 — Great app for learning how to write Japanese :)

*2026-07-11, version 2.4.4*

Great app when you pay. I’ve been practicing for years lol

### 5/5 — Amazing app

*2026-06-30, version 2.4.4*

It’s an absolutely amazing app. I actually developed a habit to study with it at least once a day.
The only suggestion I have is that it would be cool to be able to see how many days in a row I’ve used the app maybe like a widget or summary in the app itself?

### 5/5 — лучшее приложение!

*2026-06-28*

идеальный интерфейс, очень удобный и приятный процесс обучения

### 4/5 — Оплата

*2026-06-26*

Пожалуйста добавьте другой способ оплаты для Россиян, я вижу приложение удобное для изучения японского и очень хочу купить что бы изучать дальше

### 4/5 — А СТОИТ ЛИ

*2026-06-22*

Классное приложение, не жалко заплатить за него деньги. Только, к большому сожалению, нет возможности— оплата в России не возможна .

### 4/5 — Получше

*2026-06-21*

С этим обновлением наконец не перекошено.. Знак неправильно все же мне больше восклицательный нравилс.. ибо перечеркивание больше похоже на действие клинком , а не кистью .. 

Еще когд инфо о распознвании тест увеличен и перекрывает часть

## Frequently asked questions about RoboKana

### What does the Learn Japanese Kanji and Kana app do?

This app provides an interactive learning experience for mastering Japanese Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. It offers animated stroke order guidance, handwriting practice directly on your device, and pronunciation audio to help you memorize and write characters accurately.

### What are the key features of this Japanese learning app?

Key features include animated stroke order hints, the ability to draw characters with your finger, pronunciation practice, and detailed content for Kanji such as meanings, readings, radicals, and compounding words. Users can also create custom character sets and track their learning statistics.

### Is the Learn Japanese Kanji and Kana app free to use?

The app offers a free version with access to some content. To unlock all features and comprehensive learning materials, including all Kanji content and exam modes, in-app purchases are available.

### What Japanese writing systems does the app cover?

The app covers the fundamental Japanese writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. It specifically includes Kanji content relevant for JLPT levels N5, N4, and N3, providing a structured learning path for beginners and intermediate learners.

### Who is the target audience for this app?

This app is designed for anyone studying the Japanese language, from beginners to those preparing for JLPT exams. It's particularly beneficial for learners who want to improve their ability to read and write Japanese characters through hands-on practice and interactive feedback.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.5 — 2026-08-18

- Added writing analysis: the app now shows you when the stroke count, order, or direction in your writing is off.
- New: build a practice set from a photo. Point the camera at a textbook page or pick an image from your library, and Robokana will find the kanji it knows and turn them into a set.
- Further tuning of handwriting recognition.

### 2.4.4 — 2026-06-28

Improved handwriting recognition for characters using the 卩 "stamp" radical.

Fixed a rare issue where your content could appear locked when opening the app without a connection.

### 2.4.3 — 2026-06-22

Fixed an okurigana display issue on vocabulary cards

### 2.4.2 — 2026-06-19

Improved the layout on iPad for a more consistent experience.
Fine-tuned animation timings to make interactions feel more natural.
Stability and performance improvements.

### 2.4.1 — 2026-06-01

This update fixes a crash that could occur on iOS 18. Thanks for your patience!

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## More apps by Olena Bachurina

- [HanziDragon: Chinese Writing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzidragon-chinese-writing/id6748893576)

All apps by Olena Bachurina: https://appshunter.io/developer/914369993

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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 2026-08-27.*