# The Hentaigana App — user reviews

> 6 indexed App Store user reviews of The Hentaigana App by University of California, Los Angeles, rated 4.20/5 from 11 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hentaigana-app/id1055832912/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hentaigana-app/id1055832912.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 8 · 4★ 0 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 1

## Most critical reviews (6 lowest-rated)

### 2/5 — Functionality

*2020-06-30, version 1.0.19*

Does the app still work?

### 3/5 — Only one of its kind but could use some work

*2016-01-30, version 1.0.3*

This app was so hyped up in certain circles when it came out that I think a lot of people imagined more. It clearly involved a lot of work, so I think it will remain foundational for the field, which will hopefully continue to release apps and other 21st century learning assistants. 

That aside, though, as a flashcard app, it's kind of... disappointing? The card flipping and sliding method is frankly annoying and finicky. It's cool to use touch screen functions, I guess, but it means it's never visually clear how to operate the flashcards outside of the tutorial. I'd rather have something like the usual flashcard app interface where it's just tapping to flip and then tapping how right I was. 

I'm also unclear on how this app works in terms of showing the cards? Is it SRS or just following what we say when we swipe to the left (or is it to the right? Are the cards I've finished Tinder guys I like or Tinder guys I don't?) There's no data on how "learned" a character is unlike most Japanese flashcard apps and I'm not quite sure what is being "reset" when you reset the app in the settings. 

It also doesn't allow customization of card sets to the degree I would like, like certain jibo rather than the full set for one syllable. 

I think there were serious efforts to make the app look good that are great but some parts were misfires. The opening screen needed a graphic designer and the background "papers" are pretty but a little distracting.

### 5/5 — Fantastic tool for students of Classical Japanese

*2015-12-18, version 1.0.3*

This app essentially serves as a set of "smart" flash cards for cursive hentaigana characters, the various kanji characters used as kana, or phonetic characters. In a way this teaches a very obscure skill, since many students read classical texts in printed versions. But reading hentaigana is essential for anyone who wants to read original sources. The app is also beautiful, with the characters appearing on decorative paper grounds of the type that the original texts would have been written upon. Many thanks to all the creators of this wonderful tool!

### 5/5 — Brilliant

*2015-12-17, version 1.0.3*

Fantastic app designed by scholars for reading the cursive Japanese letters as seen on beautiful Japanese artworks. Simple, well-designed, and fun. After a few hours of this I feel I can already recognise half the alphabet.

### 5/5 — Great app! Useful and stylish too

*2015-12-02, version 1.0.3*

Highly recommend

### 5/5 — Review

*2015-11-17, version 1.0*

So excited the English version is finally here!

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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 2026-06-01.*