# Scribe Origins — Learn Kanji & Hanzi Characters

> Learn Japanese Kanji and Chinese Hanzi characters through games and spaced repetition. (iPhone/iPad app by Guiix Pty Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribe-origins/id616678052 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Guiix Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/550872102)
- Category: Education, Travel
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 17 App Store ratings · 139 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-03-19
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribe-origins/id616678052/reviews.md

## What is Scribe Origins?

Studying Japanese Kanji or Chinese Hanzi characters?  

Scribe Origins is designed to help students rapidly learn the thousands of kanji/hanzi characters required for reading & writing Asian languages. To make learning as fast as possible, we've developed several games to help practice the characters you are currently learning. Using a unified, inbuilt spaced-repetition system, whichever game you are playing will use the same characters you are currently studying, & remember your progress in them as a single study deck.

Writing always comes FIRST in learning a language, as it allows your brain to specifically link word sounds, word meanings, & their written form together. Whereas learning to speak Japanese or speak Chinese before learning writing means your brain will learn one set of links, then needs to unlearn them & re-learn them, which is why most language students take 3 years to learn a language. To study Japanese & study Chinese efficiently & effectively, the character writing system is foundational.

- Primitive radicals for 4,800 kanji + hanzi characters (e.g. 親 (parent) is made of 見, 立, 木).
- 6 kanji + hanzi language sets: JLPT, JOYO, HSK, TOCFL, Taiwan School System, Hong Kong School System character sets. Covering all major Japanese writing & Chinese writing systems.
- 7 kanji games: Kanji Flashcards, Kanji Multiple Choice, Kanji Scrabble, Kanji Tiles, Kanji Matchup, Kanji Blockfall Keywords, Kanji Blockfall Primitives.
- Unified keywords across all kanji + hanzi character sets, based as closely to the original meaning as possible (and you can download customised lists too!)
- Spaced-Repetition System that.. is simply incredible. When you get down into the deeper levels with thous&s of characters to remember, you'll be amazed at how accurately the right character comes along.
- Similar character, character usage, Japanese dictionary + Chinese dictionary of common words all included per card.
 
Even if you don't think you'll learn writing, being able to read is an IMPERATIVE SKILL to easily understand the language.

The first level of all languages is free. Further levels can either be purchased once-off or subscribed to.

Optional Subscription:
Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. 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, & identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user & 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. 
Terms & conditions: https://scribeorigins.com/disclaimer.html 
Privacy policy: https://scribeorigins.com/privacy.html

## Key features

- Learn Kanji & Hanzi characters
- Spaced-Repetition System
- 7 Kanji Games
- Primitive radicals for 4,800 characters
- 6 language sets (JLPT, HSK, etc.)
- Unified keywords and dictionaries

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All-Access Subscription | $1.49 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add *Everything* | $18.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 139)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribe-origins/id616678052/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Incredible!

*2021-03-07, version 3.2.9*

This app is amazing! I have used it and it’s counter parts to teach myself Japanese. If I was consistent in my learning I would know so much. But this app gives so much for the price and even just the free part of the app can get you a really good understanding of Kanji. It points you in the direction of what to learn and can solidify the basics before moving on. Plus there is a cute anime girl with a different outfit everyday to help the learning process feel less lonely. There was a time when the app had some maintenance issues and I emailed the customer support and within the next day had a response and the issue resolved. Truly recommended this app and have to multiple of my friends who wanted a good way to start learning. This app is great from Kanji and the developer has another app just as good for vocab! It’s incredible!

### 5/5 — The BEST kanji app.

*2020-06-22, version 3.0.2*

I’m learning Japanese on duolingo but I was having trouble remembering the more complex kanji so I looked for an app to help. I’ve tried a few now but THIS IS THE ONE. Things that I love about this app:
*How extremely customisable it is. 
*You can add your own notes such as writing your own little mnemonic stories. (Which I highly recommend doing)
*It teaches you primitives as well as kanji. 
*There are so many varieties of games.
 *You can select kanji from higher JOYO brackets to add to those you are currently learning - very helpful when you are still at beginner level but duolingo is serving you kanji that isn’t taught until secondary school.

### 5/5 — Love this app but...

*2019-07-30, version 3.0.2*

This app is excellent for working through Kanji. My question is. Does the mascot girl have a name?

### 4/5 — Nice but no pinyin translation

*2019-04-25, version 3.0.2*

can you include pinyin translation and possible audio when cards are revealed. I want to learn characters to speak also and not just recognize them.

### 5/5 — Indeed quite useful

*2019-03-29, version 3.0.2*

The only thing that saddens me a little is that the developer doesn’t provide updates and that anime chick(but you can disable her which is a blessing) beside that top AA+ :)

### 5/5 — Великолепно!

*2018-05-15, version 3.0.2*

Прекрасное приложение объясняющее происхождение иероглифов.

### 5/5 — Very good app

*2017-10-21, version 3.0.2*

I have been using the app to improve my kanji knowledge over the last few days and I am impressed with its usability and thoroughness - well worth the money.

Here is one small feedback point for the authors - when playing the game which splits the kanji into components (or 'radicals') you have occasionally given two different components the same name -
E.g. 行 is 'going' but the left side of 行 is also listed in English as 'going' which means it is impossible to know which component you will get when you press 'going' in the game. You could avoid this problem by renaming one of the symbols as 'Go' or 'Moving'

### 5/5 — Great learning tool!!

*2017-06-24, version 3.0.2*

This app has allowed me to learn at lightning speed!! The games are fun and keep me interested and learning easy!!

### 5/5 — Awesome app

*2017-03-30, version 3.0.2*

My only issue is a lack of choice randomization when working through long lists, but it's still one of the best apps I've used.

### 5/5 — Great app! Wish for one feature

*2017-03-30, version 3.0.2*

This is a fantastic app overall. Currently I have it set up to not add any automatically and search for and add them manually as I learn them in remembering the kanji book. The feature request would be an all kanji list you can track progress on or a list that follows the RTK order.

## Frequently asked questions about Scribe Origins

### What does Scribe Origins do?

Scribe Origins helps students learn Japanese Kanji and Chinese Hanzi characters. It uses a combination of engaging games and a sophisticated spaced-repetition system to make learning thousands of characters efficient and effective. The app emphasizes the importance of writing as the foundational skill for language acquisition.

### What are the key features of Scribe Origins?

Key features include learning primitive radicals for over 4,800 characters, support for 6 major language sets (like JLPT and HSK), 7 different kanji games for practice, a unified keyword system, and an advanced spaced-repetition system. It also includes dictionaries for common words and similar characters.

### How much does Scribe Origins cost?

The first level of all languages is free to use. Additional levels can be purchased individually or accessed through a subscription. Payment for subscriptions is handled through your iTunes account and can be managed in your account settings.

### What languages and character sets are supported?

The app supports learning both Japanese Kanji and Chinese Hanzi. It includes 6 language sets: JLPT, JOYO, HSK, TOCFL, Taiwan School System, and Hong Kong School System, covering major Japanese and Chinese writing systems.

### Who is Scribe Origins for?

This app is designed for students who are studying Japanese or Chinese and want to efficiently learn to read and write the characters required for these languages. It is particularly beneficial for those who want to build a strong foundation in writing for faster language acquisition.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.5.1 — 2021-09-21

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 3.4.0 — 2021-04-24

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 3.3.0 — 2021-04-22

Several improvements behind the scenes.

### 3.2.9 — 2021-03-05

Long overdue update. Many minor bug fixes.

### 3.2.1 — 2021-03-02

Long overdue update. Many minor bug fixes.

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## More apps by Guiix Pty Ltd

- [StudyChat Japanese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studychat-japanese/id550873910)
- [StudyChat Cantonese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studychat-cantonese/id554501483)
- [StudyChat English](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studychat-english/id557784904)
- [StudyChat Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studychat-chinese/id558700729)
- [Scribe Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribe-chinese/id639164915)

All apps by Guiix Pty Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/550872102

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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 2026-06-10.*