# Shinobi: Read & Learn Japanese — Japanese Story Reader

> Immersive Japanese learning app using illustrated stories and interactive tools. (iPhone/iPad app by Jeremy Pitault.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinobi-read-and-learn-japanese/id6479197432 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jeremy Pitault](https://appshunter.io/developer/1735120953)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 824 App Store ratings · 706 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 104 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2024-05-21
- Data updated: 2026-09-08
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinobi-read-and-learn-japanese/id6479197432/reviews.md

## What is Shinobi?

Learn Japanese through illustrated stories, native audio, shadowing, quizzes, and interactive reading tools.

Shinobi Japanese helps you build reading, kanji, vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking skills through content that feels immersive, practical, and actually enjoyable. Instead of memorizing isolated words and grammar points, you learn Japanese in context through stories, audio, news reading, and smart review tools.

At the core of Shinobi Japanese are illustrated stories designed to make Japanese reading more accessible and more engaging. Each story unfolds page by page with Japanese text, visuals, and English support, helping you understand the language naturally while staying motivated. Whether you are a beginner or already building toward higher-level reading, Shinobi helps you turn reading into steady progress.

Inside every story:

• Tap any word for translations, readings, explanations, and examples
• Full-page translation for quick comprehension
• Furigana toggle to adjust the challenge level
• Grammar explanations built directly into the reading experience

Shinobi Japanese is not just about reading. It also helps you improve listening and speaking through audio and shadowing practice.

Train your listening and speaking:

• Native Japanese audio for every story
• Slow audio mode for easier comprehension
• Shadowing practice to improve pronunciation, rhythm, and speaking confidence

Kanji and vocabulary are learned in context, not in isolation. This makes them easier to understand, recognize, and remember over time.

Build kanji and vocabulary in context:

• Learn kanji through meaningful sentences
• Save useful words as you read
• Review them later with SRS flashcards
• Reinforce understanding with quizzes

Shinobi also helps you keep learning beyond story mode.

More ways to learn:

• Read Japanese news
• Download stories for offline reading
• Track progress with XP, streaks, badges, and rewards

Shinobi Japanese brings together illustrated stories, native audio, shadowing, grammar support, kanji tools, quizzes, news reading, offline access, and smart vocabulary review in one place. Instead of splitting reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary across different apps, Shinobi gives you one immersive learning experience that helps Japanese stick.

If you want a more effective and engaging way to learn Japanese, Shinobi Japanese helps you build real reading fluency through content you will actually want to come back to every day.

Download Shinobi Japanese and start reading your way to fluency.

By using this application, you agree to Apple's Standard EULA:
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Illustrated Japanese stories
- One-click word translation and explanations
- Full-page translation view
- Furigana toggle
- Japanese audio with slow speed option
- Kanji learning in context
- SRS flashcards for vocabulary review

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Subscription | $45.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $33.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $119.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $57.99 | per year |
| Monthly Premium | $17.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $8.49 | per 7 days |
| Welcome Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Welcome Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $9.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Access | $249.99 | one-time |
| Streak Restore | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $149.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $179.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $209.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Shinobi?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Immersive and engaging stories
- 👍 Easy to use with convenient features
- 🎓 Helpful for learning and improving Japanese
- 🎨 Interesting and enjoyable content
- 💡 Useful for reading practice and vocabulary building

**Cons**

- 💰 Subscription model with limited free access
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific stories or content
- 🔠 Small text size on mobile devices

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes or freezing
- Inconsistencies in translations and definitions

**Most requested features**

- Ability to adjust text size
- Option to read stories without illustrations
- More advanced quizzing and comprehension testing
- Expanded story library and content variety

## Recent user reviews (10 of 706)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shinobi-read-and-learn-japanese/id6479197432/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Excellent supplement to learning

*2026-08-30, version 1.4.5*

I got this app to support my attempt to learn Japanese. It is exactly what I was looking for: beginner-level stories that I can try to read without help, but support is readily available. There are little quizzes at the end of each book to help make sure you are comprehending what you read. 

I only have the free version, which allows me to unlock two books a day. But can re-read unlocked books as often as needed. 

The only thing I don’t like about it is that I wish there was a way to unlock flash cards at the free level, haha. I’d happily watch ads or require x amount of reading. Or maybe convert xp into points to spend on them… but that would just be an extra bonus.

### 3/5 — app

*2026-08-25, version 1.4.4*

good

### 5/5 — That’s the flow that makes a difference

*2026-08-18, version 1.4.4*

I have tried many languages learning apps, I will stick with this one.

### 5/5 — Shinobi FC from Laos 🇱🇦

*2026-08-18, version 1.4.4*

I love this application. This app makes me feel better about myself because I can understand Japanese language more accurately than before.

### 5/5 — Très bonne application

*2026-08-10*

Bonjours, l’application est super, mais je serais intéressé de connaître le nombre d’histoire disponible…

### 1/5 — Cringing from AI images

*2026-08-06, version 1.4.3*

Hire someone to illustrate stories or take images from stock websites. AI art looks really bad.

### 5/5 — Great App for Learning Japanese

*2026-08-03*

I really enjoy using Shinboi! The app has short and interesting stories that make learning fun. I also like that I can translate new words easily while reading, which helps me understand the stories better. After each story, there is a small quiz to check if I understood what I read. It’s a great way to improve reading, vocabulary, and comprehension. Thank you for creating such a helpful learning app!

### 5/5 — 👍

*2026-08-02, version 1.4.3*

Only a few stories in but I like it so far. Definitely helping me to start reading and developing vocab. Would love if the flash card vocab was free

### 5/5 — 5 stars

*2026-08-01, version 1.4.3*

I really love this app

### 5/5 — This is my Favorite Japanese App

*2026-08-01, version 1.4.3*

I never thought I would start to read Japanese. I thought it would take me years to even attempt. Shinobi has made me so much more confident in my abilities and is the app that keeps me going with my attempts to learn Japanese. I appreciate the free version so much. どもうありがとうございます for supporting me through this journey!!!

## Frequently asked questions about Shinobi

### What is Shinobi: Read & Learn Japanese?

Shinobi is a language learning application designed to help users master Japanese through immersive, illustrated stories. It combines reading, listening, and interactive tools to teach vocabulary, kanji, and grammar in context, making the learning process engaging and practical.

### What are the key features for learning Japanese?

Key features include reading illustrated stories with one-click translations, full-page translation views, a furigana toggle for kanji readings, Japanese audio with adjustable speed for listening practice, and SRS flashcards for vocabulary review. Kanji are integrated naturally into stories for contextual learning.

### How does the app help with vocabulary and kanji?

Users can tap any word for instant translations, explanations, and example sentences. Kanji are presented within stories, and furigana can be toggled on or off. Vocabulary can be bookmarked and reviewed later using a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) flashcard feature to reinforce memory.

### Is there audio content available?

Yes, the app provides Japanese audio for every story, allowing users to practice pronunciation and improve listening comprehension. A slow audio option is also available, enabling learners to follow along at their own pace.

### What is the cost of Shinobi: Read & Learn Japanese?

The application is free to download and use, offering a free tier of content. It also features in-app purchases, suggesting that premium content or advanced features may be available for purchase.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4.5 — 2026-08-27

• New "My Ranks" screen — follow your badge progression and climb the ranks as you learn.
• Daily News: a fresh Japanese story every day, with double XP during the first 24 hours.
• Show pronunciation your way — choose romaji or furigana.
• Streaks got better: milestone rewards, flashcard sessions that build your streak, and a live streak on your lock screen and home-screen widget.
• Pronunciation practice now scores your whole phrase and stops on its own when you finish — plus flashcard, exercise translation and stability fixes.

### 1.4.4 — 2026-08-13

New onboarding experience

- New step "Can you read hiragana / katakana?" with a mini kana quiz to tailor your journey to your reading level.
- If you can't read kana yet, romaji is revealed right in place to help you.
- After signing up, a guided tutorial takes you straight into your first story.
- The intro word rain now mixes kanji, katakana and hiragana.

Streaks

- New commitment screen: after lighting your first flame, choose your streak goal.
- Smoother flame ignition animation, with a guided swipe gesture.
- iOS: complete redesign of the streak Live Activity on the lock screen, with the ninja mascot in the Dynamic Island.
- iOS: countdown Live Activity when your streak is about to be lost.

Exercises

- New exercises generated for every story: multiple choice, true/false and pronunciation.
- Choose between furigana and romaji for pronunciation display, including word by word.

Daily News

- A new Japanese news story published automatically every day.
- Double XP on the daily news for 24 hours.
- The news illustration now also appears on the reading page.

Profile and progression

- New "My Ranks" screen: visualize your progression through all rank badges.
- Display fixes on the rank card (clipped kanji, larger labels).

Credits

- New credit stock progress ring in the header, with a visible recharge mode.
- Fix: the credit is now properly spent when launching your first story.

Offline mode

- Fix: images of downloaded stories show up again in airplane mode (reader and story page).

Performance and comfort

- Faster word loading thanks to a local cache (less data used).
- Story audio served via CDN: faster and more reliable playback.
- Navigation: the system back gesture (iOS swipe, Android back button) can no longer interrupt a lesson by accident.
- Fixed story share links that didn't open the right screen.
- Android: display fixes for italic titles and clipped handwritten labels.

### 1.4.3 — 2026-07-14

• New kanji breakdown in the word dictionary — see how each kanji builds a word, now translated into your language.
• Stories you unlock with credits now stay unlocked for good.
• Stronger protection for your progress across account changes and devices.
• Today's quests now refresh the moment you open the app.
• Fixed a crash affecting flashcard decks, plus more stability improvements.

### 1.4.2 — 2026-06-27

• Flashcard decks for every story — review the exact words and sentences from each story right in the Dojo, with audio and offline support.
• Brand-new level-up and rank-up screens with fresh animations and league badges.
• Redesigned quest reward screen with a smoother, more satisfying celebration.
• New "Clear Local Cache" button in Settings to fix display issues in one tap.
• Streaks are now more reliable across time zones.
• Many fixes: missing story images, offline crash, and more.

### 1.4.1 — 2026-06-05

What’s new in 1.4.1

This update improves the Dojo, flashcards, and progress saving.

• Smarter flashcard reviews to help you remember words over time.
• New session settings: choose the number of cards, review direction, or mixed mode.
• Missed cards now come back during the session until you master them.
• New activity calendar to track your daily reviews.
• New Dojo overview showing new, due, upcoming, and future cards.
• Start a flashcard session directly from your bookmarks.
• Creating an account now gives you +500 XP with a new reward animation.
• Clearer reminders to save your progress.
• Improved reading tutorial and furigana display.
• More reliable streak restore and many stability improvements.

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## More apps by Jeremy Pitault

- [Coco : Read & Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coco-read-and-learn-chinese/id6761327726)

All apps by Jeremy Pitault: https://appshunter.io/developer/1735120953

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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 2026-09-08.*