# Satori Reader — Read Japanese at your level.

> Japanese reading and listening comprehension app with adaptive learning. (iPhone/iPad app by Brak Software, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satori-reader/id1382950847 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Brak Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/304088759)
- Category: Education, Travel
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 215 App Store ratings · 173 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 79 MB
- Released: 2018-09-09
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satori-reader/id1382950847/reviews.md

## What is Satori Reader?

Ready to take your Japanese reading and listening comprehension to the next level? Welcome to Satori Reader.

COMPELLING STORIES
Read from a growing library of engrossing stories written by native speakers for intermediate students, across genres such as fantasy, slice-of-life, thrillers, documentaries, news, and more.

AUDIO
Tap any sentence to hear it read aloud by native voice actors (no robots!).

ADAPTIVE KANJI USAGE
Crack the chicken-and-egg problem of reading kanji with our unique presentation engine, which adjusts the Japanese text to accommodate your actual knowledge. This allows you to challenge yourself for the kanji you should know without being overwhelmed by what you don't.

SMART DEFINITIONS
Tap any word for a definition. This is more than just an automated lookup. Satori Reader shows the actual sense of each word as it's being used in the sentence. For example, the particle の has many uses: it can indicate possession; it can turn the preceding verb or phrase into a noun; it can stand in for another word; and more. We show you exactly what is happening in every instance of every word.

FRIENDLY ANNOTATIONS
Gray underlines indicate longer annotations that break down tricky expressions, provide cultural background, or help you to read between the lines. Our editors work hard to anticipate what might be confusing and proactively help you to make sense of things. Good-bye, confusion. Hello, clarity!

SPACED REPETITION SYSTEM (SRS)
The built-in spaced repetition review system helps you to build your vocabulary. Create review cards instantly as you read. Each card you create takes along a snapshot of the sentence in which you encountered the word, further helping to cement it in your memory. You can even play back the audio of that sentence while reviewing the word!

HUMAN FEEDBACK
Still confused about something? Just ask in the discussion section below each episode. Our team of friendly human beings is ready to help.

Satori Reader is built by a team that cares. Our goal is to bring satori (enlightenment) into your Japanese reading life. Set up a free account today, and let's get started.

SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS

▪ OPTIONS: Download the app for free and enjoy unlimited access to the first two episodes of each series (new series released regularly), plus complete access to special series such as Closeup: Obon Society.

Subscribed for unlimited access to the entire Satori Reader library of more than 1200 episodes (new episodes released each week), including crystal-clear audio, helpful annotations, and real human feedback. Try your first month FREE (limit one per customer; cannot be used in combination with other introductory offers; offers subject to change).

▪ EXTRAS: Your subscription to Satori Reader comes with complimentary web access, as well as access to Satori Reader on all your smartphones and tablets.

▪ PRIVACY POLICY: https://www.satorireader.com/privacy

▪ TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.satorireader.com/terms

ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS
▪ Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase (following any trial period).
▪ Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
▪ Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal.
▪ Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.
▪ Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.
▪ Cancel your subscription at any time. If you cancel, you will retain full access to Satori Reader for the period you paid for and you will not be billed again.

If you have any questions, write to support@satorireader.com for speedy assistance. Thank you for your business!

## Key features

- Compelling stories by native speakers
- Audio narration by voice actors
- Adaptive kanji presentation
- Smart word definitions
- Friendly annotations
- Spaced repetition vocabulary review
- Human feedback and support

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Satori Reader Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Satori Reader Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| Satori Reader Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| Satori Reader Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Satori Reader Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| Satori Reader Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Satori Reader Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| Satori Reader Monthly | $8.99 | per month |


## What do users think of Satori Reader?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Excellent for improving reading and listening skills
- 👍 Detailed grammar and vocabulary explanations
- 🎨 Customizable display settings for kanji/furigana
- 💡 Integrated spaced repetition flashcard system
- 🎧 High-quality voice acting and audio
- 📚 Wide range of interesting stories and content
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful customer support

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or sync issues
- 🕰️ Lack of speed control for audio playback
- 💰 Subscription-based model can be expensive
- 🔍 Limited search/navigation functionality

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Login issues and account creation problems
- Syncing and loading delays on some devices

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to loop audio playback
- Kanji lookup/learning tools integration
- More advanced/diverse content selection

## Recent user reviews (10 of 173)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satori-reader/id1382950847/reviews.md

### 1/5 — I hate it

*2026-07-18*

That App is trash I can’t Even log in I tried it Like 10 times and it doesn’t work!

**Developer response:** Hello, Lara. Sorry to hear you had trouble signing in! We would love to help you with this issue. Please drop us a line at support@satorireader.com and we'll help you right away.

### 5/5 — Extremely Useful and Fun

*2026-07-11*

This app is very useful. When I first started out I was skeptical. I didn’t know many words and so I thought I wouldn’t use this. After I got through most of N5 I wanted to practice more. 

I downloaded it again and read stories like “The Bartender”. I also used their review feature. I found myself learning the vocabulary so much easier and being able to listen helped a lot with pronunciation. 

I am in a more confident position and can see more progress. I would recommend coming back to the app if you initially turned it away after you learn more words and grammar for N5. It’s a fantastic tool that’s so unique.

### 4/5 — Great Support

*2026-05-25*

There is all the support you need in the Satori Reader app to improve your reading in terms of speed and comprehension. I am deliberately reading below my level to increase reading speed … the Satori Reader app helps me to do that with ease.

### 5/5 — The best app!

*2026-04-25, version 1.5.5*

This is the number one most helpful resource that I’ve used for learning and the team is so responsive in the comments of the stories too! I think I’ll be moving on to native content now but I started from basically 0, highly recommend

### 5/5 — Great app

*2026-04-22*

Best app to engage in content with in-depth explanation

### 5/5 — Amazing, amazing gift to Japanese learners!

*2026-03-29, version 1.5.5*

I want to come back and take the time to write a longer review. But for now all i can say is i am floored by the effort, care, and support put in by the team at Satori reader. For me, this has been perhaps THE most helpful tool in acquiring the japanese language. 

The stories scale in difficulty absolutely perfectly, but perhaps even more importantly, they are ENGAGING. This is not typical graded content. 

Moreover, the voice acting is phenomenal and the team responds to any questions.

I would highly recommend ANY learner of the japanese language to give Satori a try, and consider paying for the full version, from the bottom of my heart.

### 5/5 — The quality of the content is worth the subscription fee.

*2026-03-22, version 1.5.5*

Every chapter of the story has audio, dictionary, translation, and extended grammar notes, so I usually end up going back through the same chapter several times. Once for reading then again for listening. I'm familiar with N4 grammar but haven't mastered it, so the easier level stories are perfect for me.

### 5/5 — Guilt-free Addiction

*2026-03-14, version 1.5.5*

The Satori team has transformed learning to read Japanese from painful drudgery into an enticing challenge. Satori Reader inspires me and brings me daily delight.

### 5/5 — The most useful app for learning Japanese

*2026-03-02*

In context vocab and grammar explanations are so amazing. Also, the explanations convey difficult and subtle nuance so clearly. Brilliant.

### 5/5 — Increase Font Size Option

*2026-02-23*

The app is amazing, just needs an option to increase the font size on IOS. Thanks!

## Frequently asked questions about Satori Reader

### What does Satori Reader do?

Satori Reader is designed to improve your Japanese reading and listening comprehension. It offers a library of stories written by native speakers, complete with audio narration, adaptive kanji display, and detailed definitions. The app aims to make learning Japanese more engaging and effective.

### What are the key features of Satori Reader?

Key features include a growing library of compelling stories across various genres, audio narration by native voice actors, adaptive kanji usage that adjusts to your knowledge level, smart definitions that explain word usage in context, friendly annotations for tricky expressions, and a spaced repetition system for vocabulary building.

### How much does Satori Reader cost?

The app can be downloaded for free, offering access to the first two episodes of each series and special series like Closeup: Obon Society. For unlimited access to the entire library, a subscription is required. A free trial of the first month is often available for new customers.

### What kind of content is available on Satori Reader?

Satori Reader features a diverse range of content written by native Japanese speakers, including stories in genres like fantasy, slice-of-life, thrillers, documentaries, and news. New series are released regularly, and the library contains over 1200 episodes.

### How does Satori Reader help with vocabulary?

The app incorporates a built-in spaced repetition system (SRS) that helps you build vocabulary effectively. You can create review cards instantly as you encounter new words, each card including a snapshot of the sentence where you found the word and its audio playback, aiding memory retention.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.6.1 — 2026-08-10

Thanks to your support and feedback, this version contains many improvements:

- The reading experience can now automatically scroll with audio.
- You can now delete flashcards directly from the reading experience.
- You can now add custom notes to flashcards.
- Ellipsized words in flashcards are now un-ellipsized upon revealing answer.
- You can now set read status via quick-links at the bottom of each episode.
- Added support for kanji imports from Skritter, Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course, and MaruMori, bringing total third-party integrations to seven.
- Misc other UI improvements.

Thank you for your support of Satori Reader!

### 1.5.5 — 2023-12-04

- Added quick-links at the top of the Series Detail page to jump directly to your furthest read and most recently read episodes.
- Miscellaneous bug fixes.

### 1.5.3 — 2023-06-05

1.5.3
Added support for new discussion system. Cutover happening shortly!

1.5.0
Continuous audio playback.
Play through an entire series, even with the device locked and the screen off! Simply tap the "Play All From Here" button at the top of any episode.

1.4.0
SRS improvements.
Cards are now categorized into three stacks: Queued, Active, and Learned, providing better organization and helping to prevent new-card overwhelm.

1.3.2
Dark mode.
Lazy loading for episode images (improves sync performance).

### 1.5.1 — 2022-07-15

1.5.0
Continuous audio playback.
Play through an entire series, even with the device locked and the screen off! Simply tap the "Play All From Here" button at the top of any episode.

1.4.0
SRS improvements.
Cards are now categorized into three stacks: Queued, Active, and Learned, providing better organization and helping to prevent new-card overwhelm.

1.3.2
Dark mode.
Lazy loading for episode images (improves sync performance).

### 1.4.0 — 2021-07-26

1.4.0 Improved the review system to categorize cards into three stacks: Queued, Active, and Learned. This allows you to focus on the cards you have already started to review and not be overwhelmed by new cards. Newly created cards now wait in the Queued stack until there is room in the Active stack, based on limits that you configure.

1.3.2 Dark mode! Also, lazy loading for episode images. This dramatically improves first-run performance as well as day-to-day startup time.

1.3.0 - 1.3.1 Improved review system to show underlines for notes and allow notes on the word-under-review to be seen. Misc bug fixes.

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## More apps by Brak Software, Inc.

- [Human Japanese Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese-lite/id304088756)
- [Human Japanese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese/id304090210)
- [Human Japanese HD \| Learn Japanese with your personal sensei-in-a-box™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese-hd-learn-japanese-with-your-personal-sensei-in-a-box/id419031017)
- [Human Japanese Lite HD \| Learn Japanese with your personal sensei-in-a-box™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese-lite-hd-learn-japanese-with-your-personal-sensei-in-a-box/id419056221)
- [Human Japanese Intermediate HD \| Learn Japanese with your personal sensei-in-a-box™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese-intermediate-hd-learn-japanese-with-your-personal-sensei-in-a-box/id596960402)
- [Human Japanese Intermediate Lite HD \| Learn Japanese with your personal sensei-in-a-box™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/human-japanese-intermediate-lite-hd-learn-japanese-with-your-personal-sensei-in-a-box/id601886221)

All apps by Brak Software, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/304088759

## Related topics

[satori reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/satori-reader) · [satori](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/satori) · [japanese graded readers](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/japanese-graded-readers) · [japanese books](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/japanese-books) · [japanese reading practice](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/japanese-reading-practice)

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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 2026-08-29.*
