# Sumi: Learn Japanese — Kanji, kana and real reading > Learn Japanese kanji, kana, and reading with structured lessons and a detailed reference. (iPhone/iPad app by Abdullah Bavana.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumi-learn-japanese/id6805452023 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Abdullah Bavana](https://appshunter.io/developer/6805452025) - Category: Education - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 196 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-08-30 - Data updated: 2026-10-19 - Monetization: free ## What is Sumi? Sumi teaches Japanese the way a good textbook does, then gets out of the way. Every character is shown before it is asked about: the strokes in order, the sound, the meaning, and where the shape came from. Then, and only then, the question. No streaks to protect. No leagues. Miss a week and nothing is taken away: the queue waits, and the characters you were shakiest on come back first. かな · KANA, TAUGHT PROPERLY Twenty guided lessons across hiragana and katakana, five characters at a time. Animated stroke order, the sound, then a gentle check. What you learn returns on a spaced schedule. 漢字 · A KANJI LIBRARY YOU CAN ACTUALLY READ 2,384 characters, searchable and filterable by JLPT level, each with animated stroke order, readings and meanings. Every one of them now has a recorded reading you can play. 解字 · KANJI X-RAY Pull a character apart and see why it looks the way it does. 時 is 日 (day, sun) beside 寺, and 寺 is only there for its sound, じ. It lends that same sound to 持 and 侍. Once you can see which half means and which half sounds, you stop memorising and start reading. 文庫 · THE REFERENCE SHELF Kana charts with stroke order for every glyph. Radicals. Particles, phrases and counters. 5,686 words, many shown inside real sentences. Word families. A grammar reference. And a number reader that answers the question the textbooks skip: how do you actually say ¥3,600, or 4:30, or 九月八日? 文机 · THE DESK Build your own collections out of anything in the app, then study them. SOMETHING QUIETER Nine paper-and-ink themes. A seasonal wash that follows the twenty-four Japanese sekki, so the app looks slightly different in autumn than it did in spring. Japanese set in Zen Old Mincho, because the characters are worth typesetting properly. WORKS OFFLINE Lessons, reviews, the whole library and the audio all work with no connection. Progress is saved on your device, and you can start without making an account at all. Add an email only if you want your progress to follow you to another device. A NOTE ON ACCURACY Sumi's kana, kanji and stroke-order data come from open reference sources (KanjiVG and KANJIDIC2). The grammar explanations, reading passages, conversations and idioms have been through a native-speaker review. The generated example sentences have not been yet, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. ## Key features - Animated stroke order for characters - Guided lessons for hiragana and katakana - Searchable kanji library with JLPT levels - Kanji etymology explanations - Comprehensive reference shelf (radicals, particles, phrases) - Offline functionality - Customizable study collections ## Is Sumi safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess Sumi. ## Is Sumi legit? Sumi: Learn Japanese has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Sumi is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Frequently asked questions about Sumi ### How does Sumi teach Japanese characters? Sumi teaches Japanese characters by first showing their strokes in order, sound, and origin. It then presents questions after the user has been exposed to the information, focusing on understanding rather than rote memorization. ### Does Sumi have a learning streak system? No, Sumi does not have streaks to protect or leagues. The app focuses on consistent learning without penalizing users for missing days, with missed characters reappearing first. ### What is the Kanji X-Ray feature in Sumi? The Kanji X-Ray feature in Sumi allows users to deconstruct kanji characters, understanding how their components (like radicals) contribute to meaning and sound. This helps in recognizing patterns and reducing memorization. ### Can I use Sumi offline? Yes, Sumi works completely offline. Lessons, the kanji library, audio, and progress saving are all available without an internet connection. ### What kind of content is available in the Reference Shelf? The Reference Shelf in Sumi includes kana charts with stroke order, radicals, particles, phrases, counters, word families, grammar references, and a number reader for various formats. ### What is the age rating for Sumi? Sumi has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of learners. ### How often is Sumi updated? The latest version of Sumi is 1.0.5, and it was last updated on October 7, 2026. Updates typically focus on refining the learning experience and data accuracy. ### What devices is Sumi available on? Sumi is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, offering a consistent learning experience across Apple's mobile ecosystem. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.0.5 — 2026-10-07 Kana, taught on the chart The hiragana and katakana charts are now where each lesson starts. Write every kana by dragging the red dot along its strokes, and each row you finish is circled in red pen. The kanji map Learn Kanji is now a map of the first 258 kanji, grouped into islands of characters that share a part. See which ones you have met, which sit next door, and why. The sentence workshop Take a real sentence and turn it polite or plain, past or present, positive or negative. Only the part that changes is re-inked, with the rule that changed it written underneath. Furigana that knows what you know In the reading passages, the reading over a kanji now shows only until you have met that kanji. Before you start, see how many of a passage's kanji you already know, and keep the passages you finish on your shelf. The conversation stamp book The ten conversation scenes are now stops on one line. Read the ticket, ride the scene, and listen to every line along the way. Lessons that check as you go Lessons now ask about each card a moment after teaching it, rather than all at the end, and anything you miss comes back once more before you finish. Every question opens with the card and the answers in the middle of your screen. Also new Lesson lists are laid out as stacks of cards, with the set you are on dealt out in front of you. Everything still works with no connection. ### 1.0.4 — 2026-09-28 Widgets Add Sumi to your Home Screen and Lock Screen. See what's due for review and what's coming next, your week at a glance, and a new kanji every four hours, mostly ones you're learning, with how each one is built. Reminders, if you want them A kanji each day, a gentle study reminder that stays quiet on days you've already studied, and a note when your reviews are ready. All optional, all on your phone. Now on iPad Sumi fills the whole screen on iPad, at tablet proportions, in both orientations. Build kanji from their parts The new Kanji Builder: pick a component and see every kanji it helps make, then watch one come together stroke by stroke. Clearer reviews After every review question you now see the word written out with its reading, whether you got it right or not. The review screen also holds still while you answer. Tell us what's wrong Tap the flag on a card, a lesson or a review question to tell us something sounds or looks wrong. We see exactly which card you mean. You can also send feedback from Settings. Also new Add many cards to the Desk in one go, a calmer look for what's recommended and what you've chosen, and the keyboard no longer shifts the page. Screens that sat slightly off centre on iPhone are centred again. Everything still works with no connection. ### 1.0.3 — 2026-09-16 Hear it Nearly every vocabulary word now has a recorded reading, not just the kanji. Tap Listen on a word and hear it said properly. The kana chart has new recordings. Sounds like きゃ are now said as one beat, the way Japanese says them, and two chart sounds that were off have been redone. Listen buttons in word families, reading notes and the kanji breakdown now play the recording instead of your device's voice. More to read and browse Six new graded reading passages. Sixteen new word families. Seven new sets in Easily Confused. Eleven new sound words (onomatopoeia). Eighteen new everyday phrases. Four more keigo verbs and six set phrases. Three more counters. Radicals now link to the kanji that use them. The grammar reference now explains 〆 and the manuscript grid (原稿用紙). Getting around In the Library, a character's popup now steps to the next one. Swipe or use the arrows instead of closing and reopening. Back takes you to where you were on the page, not the top. Reference entries open independently, so you can compare two side by side. The three kana charts switch between each other in place. Library pages remember your filter and search, and the Course opens at your next lesson. Tapping the section you are already in takes you back to its main page. Review Review now gathers everything you have studied into sections you can choose from, instead of starting with kana every time. The card at the end of a review describes that session, not your all-time totals. Fixes ぢ and づ are now written ji and zu, matching what you hear. Answers typed as di or du still count. The kanji breakdown is more careful. It no longer calls compound characters pictures, it says when part of a breakdown is missing from its source, and several component descriptions were corrected. Seven number and time kanji now lead with the reading a beginner meets first. A progress reset now stays reset on every device you use, including ones that were offline at the time. Everything still works with no connection. ### 1.0.2 — 2026-09-08 Sound Nearly every kanji and word in the deck now has a recorded reading. Tap Listen anywhere and hear it instead of guessing at it. Readings Hundreds of characters now lead with the reading a beginner actually meets first. Each one was checked by hand against the words Sumi ships, not generated. Getting around Swipe from the left edge to go back. Screens arrive instead of jumping. The Back button travels with you down a long page. Speed The Kanji Library and Vocabulary in Context open straight away now. They used to build every card before showing you anything. Fixes Resetting your progress clears everything it says it does, including on your other devices. A listening question can no longer offer two answers that sound identical. Three number cards were showing a reading they no longer use. Writing a loanword in romaji is marked correctly now. Everything still works with no connection. ### 1.0.1 — 2026-09-01 Sound Every kanji in the deck now has a recorded reading. Tap Listen anywhere and hear it instead of guessing at it. Readings Hundreds of characters now lead with the reading a beginner actually meets first. Each one was checked by hand against the words Sumi ships. Getting around Swipe from the left edge to go back. Screens arrive instead of jumping. The Back button travels with you down a long page. Speed The Kanji Library and Vocabulary in Context open straight away now. They used to build every card before showing you anything. Fixes Resetting your progress clears everything it says it does, including on your other devices. A listening question can no longer offer two answers that sound identical. Three number cards were showing a reading they no longer use. 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