# SABU > Learn Japanese from drama subtitles with dual display, dictionary, and flashcards. (iPhone/iPad app by Chris Man.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sabu/id877580492 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Chris Man](https://appshunter.io/developer/877580495) - Category: Education, Utilities - Price: $7.99 - Rating: 4.80/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 184 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2014-05-23 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sabu/id877580492/reviews.md ## What is SABU? Do you want to learn Japanese from Drama and Anime? Do you spend a lot of time on rewinding the video for each sentence? Do you hate to look up dictionary and prepare flash cards? SABU is an unqiue App designed from the ground up for you to learn Japanese from Drama subtitles. It dramatically reduces your time to understand a Japanese Drama from hours to minutes. It is the only tool you would ever need for your coming years of journey to learn Japanese. LISTEN-LEARN SABU is not just a video player. It displays dual-subtitle on the same screen. The primary subtitle would display Japanese and the auxiliary subtitle is for your native language. You would get the gist of the Japanese sentence at once. For the individual words, SABU associate the Japanese subtitle with a built-in dictionary and web search engine. It's just a swipe of finger to get the meaning. No more copy-and-paste to your dictionary application. More than a dictionary, it can even recognise conjugations, Japanese numbers, individual Kanji and Japanese names. With a click of button, you can hear the pronunciation of the word. To help you to listen, all forward and backward are based on sentences with timing information from the subtitle file. You can easily repeat each sentence with just a click of button. VOCABULARY-FLASH CARDS Every word you learnt can be added to SABU's vocabulary database. There is a flash card system to help you memorise the words. And the cards prepared are associated to the drama itself. So, not only you have the meaning on the flash card, you see where the word comes from the drama. You can listening to the part of drama too. All flash cards will appear according to how well you memorise it. ( SuperMemo Algorithm 2 ) You can also easily export the vocabulary database to CSV so you can import in other flash card applications like Anki. SPEAKING-SHADOWING You can record you speaking for each sentence and compare them to that of the video as you would do with a Linguaphone device. TYPING There is a testing test in SABU where you can actually type the Japanese subtitle. STATISTICS Keep track of your progress! The more you spent on learning a language, the faster you improve. SABU would keep track of your efforts in daily and monthly basis. *********************************** FEATURES: • play sound track of video in background • slow play ( 0.8X ) • dual language subtitle on the same screen • AB repeat mode • sentence repeat mode ( once or loop ) • file repeat mode ( loop ) • forward / backward sentence by sentence • remote control to play/forward/backward • editing of subtitle ( adjust and mark timing, sync main and aux subtitle, delete line, copy line from text or mp3 lyric tag, time shift editing ) • swipe to check japanese meaning in english • search subtitle for words • search dictionary for words • seach subtitle files from Internet • copy-and-paste from selected words in subtitle • flash-card system with spaced interval repetition • similar vocab and dictionary lookup during flash card quiz • listen to the word or the original dialogue in quiz, dictionary lookup for other words in the diagloue • export vocab to CSV • typing test • record and play your own voice • statistics for daily and month usage • supported movie ( mp4, mov, mpv, 3gp ) • supported music ( mp3 ) • supported subtitles files ( srt, ssa, lrc ) • Airdrop files from iPhone to iPhone DICTIONARY FEATURES: • Japanese conjugation / inflection recogised • Kanji Dictionary • Japanese name Dictionary • Japanese numbers and counters recognised • IOS built-in dictionary search • Wikipedia search • Web search *********************************** There are tons of features in SABU, please visit our web site www.sabujapanese.com to discover all of them. If you have an enquries or feedback, please feel free to contact us at the following email address. sabu_app@yahoo.com.hk ## Key features - Dual language subtitles - Integrated dictionary and web search - Sentence-based audio repetition - Vocabulary flashcard system - Speaking and typing practice - Progress tracking statistics ## Recent user reviews (6 of 6) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sabu/id877580492/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Screen for ipad needs to be fixed *2019-10-03, version 6.1* Because its so small, its like an app for a phone... the app scren wont be full on ipad. Also, please make the movie screen adjustable, like the line diving the screen and the subtitles. ### 5/5 — Love this app *2018-04-30, version 5.4* I love using this app, it was a bit confusing to use when I first got it but after figuring out how to use it I’ve been using it everyday. I just wish that it fit to my gen 2 iPad screen, but other than that Theres nothing else to nitpick at thank you for astounding app looking forward to future updates ### 5/5 — Great for learning Japanese! *2017-07-09, version 5.3* This is a great learning tool for studying Japanese (especially if you have spent some time studying Japanese grammar first). ### 5/5 — Getting better with each update *2017-04-10, version 5.2* Still my favorite app to learn Japanese from anime and drama. Thanks so much for making it possible to export to Anki. I really appreciate the continuous update, thank you for caring this wonderful app very well. I always recommend this app to my friends! ### 5/5 — Great app that has helped my studying *2017-03-31, version 5.0* Gets better with each version! Now Bluetooth is working very well! I have found this to be a great app which has helped me improve my listening. The latest version allows you export CSV. Excellent work! ### 5/5 — Great app! *2015-07-24, version 3.2* Keep up the good work. Really like how skipping is based on subtitle timing. Makes reviewing a particular sentence so much easier. ## Frequently asked questions about SABU ### How does SABU help with learning Japanese? SABU uses dual subtitles, allowing you to see Japanese and your native language simultaneously. It also features an integrated dictionary for quick word lookups and sentence repetition to improve listening comprehension. ### Can I create my own vocabulary lists with SABU? Yes, you can add words you learn to SABU's vocabulary database. The app includes a flashcard system that uses the SuperMemo Algorithm 2 for effective memorization, and you can export your vocabulary to CSV. ### Does SABU support offline learning? The provided description does not explicitly state whether SABU supports offline learning. However, features like playing sound tracks in the background and sentence repetition suggest it can be used during video playback. ### What devices is SABU available on? SABU is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed for iOS users looking to learn Japanese. ### How often is SABU updated? SABU was last updated on October 27, 2020, with version 6.2. The frequency of future updates is not specified. ### What is the price of SABU? SABU is a paid application priced at $7.99. There are no mentions of free trials or subscription tiers. ### Does SABU have ads? The provided data does not indicate whether SABU contains advertisements. As it is a paid app, it is likely ad-free, but this cannot be confirmed without explicit information. ### What age rating does SABU have? SABU has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in learning Japanese. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 6.2 — 2020-10-27 - minor fix on Setting screen, Web lookup and file sharing ## Apps similar to SABU | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Go/No Go](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gono-go/id1195286120) | — | Free | Education | | [Campus Labs® Event Check-in](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/campus-labs-event-check-in/id1221503400) | 4.8 (1,381) | Free | Education | | [Solar System Simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-system-simulator/id1190193240) | 2.0 (3) | Free | Education | | [DoodleConnect](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodleconnect/id1176073180) | 4.7 (55) | Free | Education | | [Dictionary English/Czech](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionary-englishczech/id1468782740) | — | Free | Education | | [好生学坊中学版](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1478113300) | — | Free | Education | ## More apps by Chris Man - [SABUchan](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sabuchan/id965622344) - [WEBU](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webu/id991018826) All apps by Chris Man: https://appshunter.io/developer/877580495 --- *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 2026-06-10.*