# ウーパールーパー (Wanikani companion) — WaniKani companion app

> Companion app for WaniKani Japanese kanji and vocabulary learning. (iPhone/iPad app by Gabriel Barandiaran Silveira.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wanikani-companion/id6757488964 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Gabriel Barandiaran Silveira](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867230690)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 18 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-01-08
- Data updated: 2026-07-16
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wanikani-companion/id6757488964/reviews.md

## What is ウーパールーパー (Wanikani companion)?

ウーパールーパー is a beautiful companion app for WaniKani, the popular spaced repetition system for learning Japanese kanji and vocabulary.

FEATURES
  • Complete Reviews & Lessons
  Take your WaniKani reviews and lessons anywhere. Clean, intuitive interface designed for focused study sessions.

  • Track Your Progress
  View detailed statistics, level progression, and accuracy rates. See which items need extra attention.

  • Dashboard Overview
  Quick glance at upcoming reviews, lesson queue, and current level progress.

  • Offline Support
  Your data syncs automatically so you can review your progress anytime.

  • Beautiful Design
  Modern, clean interface with support for light and dark modes.

REQUIREMENTS
  • An active WaniKani account (https://www.wanikani.com)
  • WaniKani API token for sync

ウーパールーパー is a third-party app and is not affiliated with WaniKani or Tofugu LLC.

## Key features

- Complete reviews and lessons
- Track progress and statistics
- Dashboard overview
- Offline support
- Clean, intuitive interface
- Light and dark modes

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| ウーパールーパー Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| ウーパールーパー Generous Tip | $19.99 | one-time |
| ウーパールーパー Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wanikani-companion/id6757488964/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Dark Mode 🙌

*2026-02-26*

A great native app experience for WaniKani. Would love to see a similar one for NativShark in the future as well!

## Frequently asked questions about ウーパールーパー (Wanikani companion)

### How does ウーパールーパー help with WaniKani studies?

ウーパールーパー allows you to complete your WaniKani reviews and lessons anywhere, providing a clean interface for focused study. It also offers offline support, so your progress syncs automatically for anytime access.

### What kind of progress tracking does ウーパールーパー offer?

You can view detailed statistics on your level progression and accuracy rates within the app. It highlights items that require extra attention, helping you optimize your study sessions.

### Is ウーパールーパー free to use?

Yes, ウーパールーパー is free to download and use. The app does offer in-app purchases, but the core functionality for WaniKani companion features is available without cost.

### Does ウーパールーパー have ads?

No, ウーパールーパー does not contain advertisements. The app is designed to provide an uninterrupted study experience.

### What are the requirements to use ウーパールーパー?

To use ウーパールーパー, you need an active WaniKani account and a WaniKani API token for data synchronization. The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.

### How often is ウーパールーパー updated?

The latest version of ウーパールーパー is 1.5, which was last updated on March 3, 2026. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support.

### What is the user sentiment for ウーパールーパー?

Based on the available data, ウーパールーパー has a perfect rating of 5.0 stars from 1 rating, indicating very positive initial user sentiment.

### Is ウーパールーパー suitable for young learners?

ウーパールーパー has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. Its educational focus on language learning is beneficial for learners of all ages.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5 — 2026-03-03

What's New in v1.5

New Features

  • Interleave Lessons with Reviews - New setting to mix lessons into your review sessions. Lessons appear in batches with Previous/Next navigation, and their quizzes are added to your reviews afterward.

  • Subject Search - Search through all your unlocked subjects by character, meaning, or reading.

  • Accept Any Kanji Reading - New setting that accepts any valid reading for kanji (on'yomi or kun'yomi), not just the primary one.

Improvements

  • Leeches - "Critical Items" has been renamed to "Leeches" and now uses WaniKani's official formula to identify items you struggle with.

  • Reorganized Settings - Settings are now grouped into clearer sections for easier navigation.

  • Better Audio Playback - Improved pronunciation audio handling for more reliable playback.

  • Improved Wrap-Up Mode - Items you've attempted are now included when wrapping up, so you won't lose progress.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed various issues with lesson and review sessions
  • Improved sync reliability
  • General stability improvements

### 1.4 — 2026-02-18

Version 1.4

  What's New

  NEW FEATURES

  - Anki Mode: A new self-grading review mode. Instead of typing your answers, tap to reveal the correct answer and mark yourself as correct or incorrect. Great for quick review sessions or when you can't type. Enable it in Settings > App Preferences.
  - Back-to-Back Reviews: Reading and meaning questions for the same item now appear one after another, so you can fully review each item before moving on. Toggle it in Settings > App Preferences.
  - Vibrant Colors mode: An optional high-contrast color palette for users who prefer stronger, more distinguishable subject colors. Enable it in Settings > Appearance.
  - Tip Jar: A new way to support the developer directly from the app. Look for the heart icon on the main screens.
  - Audio download controls: Choose to download only male or female pronunciation voices, and cancel downloads midway if needed.

  IMPROVEMENTS

  - Cleaner settings screen: Setting descriptions are now shown as info tooltips, making the settings screen less cluttered while keeping helpful explanations just a tap away.
  - Simplified color scheme: Streamlined the app's color palette for a more cohesive visual experience across all screens.
  - Reorganized lesson tabs for better learning flow: Kanji lessons now show Meanings first, followed by Readings, then a combined Related tab with both radicals and vocabulary examples. Vocabulary lessons now show Meaning first, followed by Reading, Context sentences, and finally the Kanji composition.
  - Consistent card design in Kanji lessons: The radicals tab now displays cards in the same style as other sections throughout the app, showing your learning progress at a glance.
  - Improved lesson content layout: Reduced excessive bottom margins in lesson tabs for better content visibility.
  - Smarter kanji reading validation: When you enter a valid but non-primary reading for a kanji, you'll now see a helpful hint instead of being marked wrong, helping you learn which reading WaniKani expects.

  BUG FIXES

  - Fixed the "Force Full Re-Sync" button so the loading overlay appears properly when syncing data from settings.
  - Fixed the upcoming reviews forecast so it updates correctly after completing lessons or reviews, without requiring a manual full sync.
  - Fixed the "Enlightened" label wrapping to a new line in the statistics view.
  - Fixed the app getting stuck on the loading screen after restarting.

### 1.3 — 2026-01-15

Release Notes - v1.3

Improvements

Quiz & Review Experience
  - Faster auto-advance on correct answers (reduced from 1s to 0.5s)
  - Redesigned lesson completion screen to match review summary format with card-based layout
  - Improved kanji reading section with larger fonts, vertical dividers, and better spacing

User Interface
  - Level selector dropdown now highlights selected level with background color instead of checkmark icon
  - Custom end session confirmation dialog with wider layout and centered text (iOS)
  - Smoother app launch experience - loading overlay stays visible until fully loaded, preventing flash between screens

Bug Fixes
  - Fixed daily lesson count not syncing across platforms (lessons done on web now properly counted in app)
  - Fixed wrap-up button not dismissing the confirmation popup (iOS)
  - Fixed subject progress counter to only count items where lessons have been completed (srsStage > 0) (iOS)

Performance
  - Optimized ViewModels with more efficient database queries
  - Improved week forecast caching and sync performance
  - Various UI component refinements

### 1.2 — 2026-01-12

What's New in Version 1.2

Performance Improvements
  - Faster loading of subject lists with optimized database queries
  - Improved SVG rendering with pre-caching for smoother scrolling
  - Reduced memory usage when viewing statistics and dashboard
  - Week forecast now cached during sync for instant loading

Lesson Experience
  - New smooth slide animations when navigating between lessons
  - Vocabulary audio now auto-plays when entering a lesson
  - Tap the lesson card to replay pronunciation audio

Subject Details
  - Drag down on the subject sheet to dismiss it quickly
  - Smoother navigation transitions

Reviews
  - Improved answer validation: typing "n" at the end of a reading now converts to "ん" automatically instead of showing a warning

Bug Fixes & Polish
  - Various stability improvements throughout the app

### 1.1 — 2026-01-09

ウーパールーパー (WaniKani Companion) Release Notes (v1.1)

What's New

  - Smarter Answer Checking - When answering kanji readings, if you type the correct reading but wrong type (onyomi vs kunyomi), we'll let you try again instead of marking it wrong
  - Easier Long Vowel Input - Press the space bar to type ー (long vowel mark) for words like ハート, コーヒー, and more
  - Helpful Hints - Get a tip when you forget to use ー in your answer

## More apps by Gabriel Barandiaran Silveira

- [Manhole Notebook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manhole-notebook/id6759797202)

All apps by Gabriel Barandiaran Silveira: https://appshunter.io/developer/1867230690

## Related topics

[wanikani](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wanikani)

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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 2026-07-16.*