# uchisen - Learn Japanese — Memorize Japanese in a Fun Way

> Visual Japanese learning app with mnemonics, SRS, and community features. (iPhone/iPad app by Franklin Fanelli.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uchisen-learn-japanese/id1516535505 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Franklin Fanelli](https://appshunter.io/developer/1495259800)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.89/5 from 46 App Store ratings · 11 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 120 MB
- Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish
- Released: 2020-06-05
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uchisen-learn-japanese/id1516535505/reviews.md

## What is uchisen?

Learn Japanese Visually using hand-drawn pictures and interesting stories to make Japanese really stick. Tear down the kanji wall in the most fun way imaginable!

Replace as much dull memorization as possible with exciting pictures and funny stories with uchisen. Once you make a connection to a Japanese character in your brain, we'll create a flashcard of it for you so you can cement it in your brain over time, saving countless hours of drilling.

Using our Spaced Repetition System (SRS) you can efficiently memorize more than 2000 kanji and 6000 vocabulary words. We'll keep track of what flashcards you see and when, so you never get bombarded with too many reviews at once.

Join the discussion in uchisen Community! Ask questions, post topics, or give advice about whatever Japanese-related topics you like! Discuss anime, video games, travel, etc. with other Japanese learners just like you!

Right now there are currently over 300 mnemonic pictures drawn. This is roughly equivalent to the amount taught during your first year in a college Japanese course. Memorize this in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost! 


Want to superpower your learning? Try out uchisenPRO with a free 7-day trial!

uchisenPRO features:
- access to grade 2 through grade 9. Learn in the same order that Japanese school children learn in and master it just like they do!

- Dominate 6000 vocab words using our Spaced Repetition System

- Support uchisen development. Right now we're just 2 people (a Japanese teacher and learner) working on this as a passion-project, but with your help we're hoping to get more developers and artists on board soon to really boost production!

Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in and learn with us!

## Key features

- Visual mnemonics for kanji
- Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
- Memorize 2000+ kanji
- Memorize 6000+ vocabulary
- uchisen Community forum
- Grade 2-9 curriculum access (PRO)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| uchisenPRO monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| uchisenPRO yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| uchisenPRO lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 11)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uchisen-learn-japanese/id1516535505/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Cash grab

*2025-10-16, version 1.2.7*

I give 1 star until fixed.

Subscribed to lifetime pro sub but still asked me to subscribe to pro. What a waste of money

### 5/5 — Best

*2021-10-28, version 1.2*

I rlly like this one I literally just started 10 mins ago lol I like it

### 2/5 — how to read?

*2021-08-03, version 1.2*

add a tutorial using the application to make it easier to use

### 5/5 — Another quick request

*2021-02-04, version 1.1.6*

I am not sure if there is already a way to set this, but I have not seen it. During kanji review, I know exactly how to draw most of them, but I have no idea the pronunciation. Is it possible to add a setting to the review where it says the kana of the kanji at the top. For example, when you open review, instead of “left,” it says “ひだり” at the top and you write “左”.  I know that I can open up each kanji page and read them individually, but I was wondering if there could possibly be a kana option too, to help with pronunciation. If there already is a mode like that, I am sorry, I am not very good at using the app, but if not, I would love to see that option implemented to make learning pronunciation easier. Thank you very much!  I love the app!

### 5/5 — Really good for beginners

*2021-01-16*

Uchisen is good for beginners who want to expand their vocabulary. The app is very user friendly and helped me learn how to properly write the kanji I already knew and never knew.

### 5/5 — Bueno y completo

*2020-11-23*

Sería más fácil para mi si estuviera en español, pero aún así está muy muy bien 👍🏼

### 5/5 — Nice app

*2020-11-22*

Nice project, it is still in development so there are kanji with explanations stating “coming soon” but hopefully it’ll get finished soon.

**Developer response:** We’re working very hard to get all kanji stories and images made as quickly as possible so thank you for your patience😊

### 1/5 — Bad App

*2020-11-16, version 1.1.2*

Always force close. Thanks

### 4/5 — Fun app for learning!

*2020-11-10, version 1.1.2*

This is a great way to learn, and so creative.  
I wish you had tracing exercises for hiragana and katakana as well, as I never learned to write them properly.  Just my own way.

One thing though - although the app says I have an account logged in, I can’t view it, and it doesn’t keep track of my best times for hiragana or katakana drills.  Can you fix that? Maybe put in a profile section that collects all your stats?  

Oh one more thing - why is there no option to review and trace primes and such?  Just to add them to known?  How can we know them without practice?  I get that they are simple, but some review would be nice!  ☺️

This app will be helpful to me as it catches up with where Im at in my lessons where some of the kanji is ridiculously complex for such a small space.  I had to buy a pencil with smaller lead and write bigger!  Knowing how to effectively write the strokes will help.

Thank you for making this app!!

EDIT:

I just realized there is a problem with drilling hiragana!  It doesn’t recognize the difference between zu and zu and ji and ji, it will only recognize one of both of those while rejecting the other!  Which makes it impossible not to skip!  Please look onto this! Or tell me how to type it in properly!

### 5/5 — Crashing

*2020-11-07, version 1.1.2*

When I tap the review button I always go back to the home screen

## Frequently asked questions about uchisen

### How does uchisen help me learn Japanese?

uchisen uses hand-drawn pictures and stories to create memorable connections for Japanese characters. It then employs a Spaced Repetition System to help you efficiently memorize kanji and vocabulary over time.

### What is uchisenPRO?

uchisenPRO is a premium subscription that unlocks access to the grade 2 through grade 9 Japanese curriculum, allowing you to learn in the same order as Japanese school children. It also supports the development of uchisen.

### How much does uchisenPRO cost?

uchisenPRO offers a monthly subscription for $3.99 with a 7-day free trial, and a yearly subscription for $39.99. These plans provide access to additional learning content and features.

### Can I use uchisen offline?

The provided data does not specify offline functionality. However, the app's core features like SRS and community interaction typically require an internet connection.

### What devices does uchisen support?

uchisen is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices, as indicated by the platform compatibility information.

### How often is uchisen updated?

The latest version of uchisen was released on February 9, 2022. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, this indicates ongoing development and maintenance.

### What is the age rating for uchisen?

uchisen has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including younger learners and adults.

### Does uchisen have ads?

No, uchisen does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use, with optional in-app purchases for uchisenPRO.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.7 — 2022-02-09

Yet another uneventful update :(
- Finally fixes the crash that occurs when trying to add a vocab word to reviews
- Prevents further crashes from occurring when dealing with vocab items

More good stuff is coming in the horizon! Thank you for using uchisen!

### 1.2.6 — 2022-02-07

Fixed a few too many bugs:
- Fixed an issue where in-feed reviews wouldn't show new tests when tapping on "Answer More ->"
- Fixed a crash that occurred when tapping next while on a vocab page
- There was one more improvement but I can't remember right now... Must not have been very important :P

Thank you for using uchisen! Please feel free to reach out on uchisen Community if you are experiencing issues (or just want to talk!)

### 1.2.5 — 2022-02-01

久しぶり！Long time no see!
Here's an update I've been working on for a few months.
- Adds preschool in the app! No more lame webpage (mostly)
    - Enjoy drills from the app! Compete to get the best time you can using dynamic kana drills
    - Kana feed for new users! Scroll through kana just like you can for kanji
- Cleaned up some things... It's been so long I can't remember everything I've added... We recently had a daughter so we've been very busy being new parents! I'll be making more tweaks and optimizations in the near future. Thanks for your support!

### 1.2 — 2021-04-25

This is a pretty big update, so get ready! 
- Added comments for kanji, primes, and vocab items! Ask questions, give advice, or talk about the weather as you're scrolling through your feed! 
- Visual refresh time! This was much needed (in my opinion) and makes uchisen look a little more hip-and-happening, giving new colors and making some things more readable
- Added kanji components/primes to the feed, so now you won't have to venture into the info pages to get a refresher on what parts kanji are made up of
- Other bug fixes and performance improvements... what would an update be without that!?

In other news, we crossed the 460th kanji picture drawn! Saori (our artist) is almost 1/4th of the way there, and has been picking up steam lately! We look forward to having all 2200+ kanji pictures drawn in the next year, so keep your fingers crossed! As always, thanks for using uchisen :)

### 1.1.8 — 2021-04-03

Added a couple of fixes that add up to be a nice update!
- Scratchpad writing feels MUCH better, there were a few issues introduced in the last update that were ironed out
- "Start Reviews" button works as intended now, there were a few quirks introduced recently that now should work every time
- Most importantly: Updated wording on notification to say "1 Review Due" instead of "1 Reviews Due"... the details matter!

Thank you for your continued support of uchisen! :)

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## More apps by Franklin Fanelli

- [Bilingual Japanese Stickers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bilingual-japanese-stickers/id1495259801)
- [JPDBreader+α (Plus Alpha)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jpdbreader-plus-plus-alpha/id6738365000)

All apps by Franklin Fanelli: https://appshunter.io/developer/1495259800

## Related topics

[fanellis](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fanellis) · [japanese learning kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/japanese-learning-kids)

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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 2026-08-24.*