# Trace and Learn: Hiragana — Katakana too, in stroke order

> Katakana too, in stroke order (iPhone/iPad app by Takahiko Kato.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-hiragana/id6814138535 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Takahiko Kato](https://appshunter.io/developer/6814138537)
- Category: Education, Games, Word
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish and 3 more
- Released: 2026-09-24
- Data updated: 2026-10-14

## What is Trace and Learn?

Trace the 46 hiragana and the 46 katakana (basic sounds) in the correct stroke order, one stroke at a time.

TRACE
The stroke that is lit up is the one to write. Follow it from the start of the stroke to the end. The strokes come one at a time, in the correct stroke order.

WRITE IT
Listen to the letter, then write it without looking. If you are not sure, tap “Show me” to see the model letter and trace over it for practice. At the end, the letters written without looking are counted up with a flower circle. No score is shown, and the app does not grade letter shapes or how neat the writing is.

FRIENDS
When you finish your first letter of the day, a new friend joins you (one a day). Sakigaki writes the stroke first to show you how, Hakari weighs the letters you traced today, Karappo finds letters you haven’t written yet, Sekisho gives you a stamp when you finish a row, Pokayoke guards the settings, Yamedoki lets you know when it’s time to stop, and Namamono cheers you on. Each friend speaks in their own voice. In the friends’ room, choose a favorite friend to cheer when you finish a letter.

READING VOICE
Letters are read aloud in the voice of Zundamon (VOICEVOX:ずんだもん). You can switch to “This device’s voice”, the device’s own speech synthesis, instead.

PLEASE NOTE
The app screen is in English, but the reading voice is Japanese.

FOR PARENTS
・ No ads and no in-app purchases
・ The app does not connect to the internet, and collects no names or other information
・ Practice records are kept on this device only
・ Stroke order follows the way it is taught in Japanese elementary school handwriting classes (pencil writing)
・ Settings open only after a question for grown-ups, and you can set a daily play time (just a reminder, or ending for the day)

CREDITS
・ Voices: VOICEVOX:ずんだもん, VOICEVOX:中部つるぎ, VOICEVOX:九州そら, VOICEVOX:中国うさぎ, VOICEVOX:四国めたん, VOICEVOX:東北きりたん, VOICEVOX:東北イタコ
・ Stroke-order guide points: adapted from KanjiVG (c) Ulrich Apel (CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · http://kanjivg.tagaini.net). The adapted stroke data is published under the same license (https://nazotte.github.io/stroke-data/).

## Is Trace and Learn safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Trace and Learn.

## Is Trace and Learn legit?

Trace and Learn: Hiragana appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Trace and Learn is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.3 — 2026-10-08

・ The app now shows a short greeting when it starts

### 1.2.2 — 2026-10-04

・ Added "Rate this app" in parent settings (opens the App Store rating prompt)

### 1.2.1 — 2026-10-01

・ The letters on the stamps in the Stamp book now grow with the device’s text size setting
・ The screen reader no longer reads the decorative friend pictures on the home screen

### 1.2.0 — 2026-09-28

・ New: friends! When you finish your first letter of the day, a new friend joins you (one a day). The seven friends each speak in their own voice
・ Sakigaki writes the stroke first to show you how
・ Hakari shows how many letters you traced today with balls on its scale
・ Karappo finds letters you haven’t written yet
・ Finish every letter in a row and Sekisho gives you a stamp
・ Pokayoke guards Settings with a question for grown-ups (you can turn this off)
・ Yamedoki lets you know when it’s time to stop (set a play time in Settings)

### 1.1.0 — 2026-09-26

・ The stroke guide points (start, middle, and end) now sit on the lines of the model letter
・ In "Write it" with hiragana and katakana mixed, the voice now says whether to write the letter in hiragana or in katakana
・ "Record": the flower mark now appears on days when the number of letters finished in "Trace" reaches the goal, and a crown marks days when a whole round of "Write it" was written without the model ("Writing: perfect")
・ Updated credits in "About this app"

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## More apps by Takahiko Kato

- [Trace and Learn: Kanji Grade 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-kanji-grade-2/id6814138729)
- [Trace and Learn: Kanji Grade 1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-kanji-grade-1/id6814138746)
- [Trace and Learn: Kanji Grade 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-kanji-grade-3/id6814139038)
- [Trace and Learn: Kanji Grade 4](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-kanji-grade-4/id6814139047)
- [Trace and Learn: Kanji Grade 5](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-learn-kanji-grade-5/id6814139059)

All apps by Takahiko Kato: https://appshunter.io/developer/6814138537

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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 2026-10-14.*