Comparison

くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA vs スマホで書道

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA

Learn to read historical Japanese cursive script (kuzushiji) with this educational app. It offers character learning, contextual reading practice with classic texts, and a community forum for asking questions and connecting with other learners.

Highlights
  • Learn hentaigana and cursive kanji
  • Over 3000 character images
  • Contextual reading practice with Edo period texts
  • Progress tracking with review tests
  • Community message board for questions
  • Connect with other learners
Features
Read full description

Have you ever wanted to read what it says in old Japanese paintings? How about books that describe swords from the Edo period? Reading books from the Edo period or earlier requires the ability to read “kuzushiji” – characters written in a style not used today. KuLA, the Kuzushiji Learning Application, was developed to help people learn kuzushiji effectively on a smartphone or tablet. Using the test and social-media functions in KuLA will make learning difficult characters easy and fun. KuLA has three main sections: -Learn This section is for learning how to read hentaigana (hiragana that are no longer used today) and cursive-style kanji, using over 3000 images of individual characters. Progress can be checked using the review tests. -Read Remembering only the characters isn’t enough for reading actual texts. In this section, kuzushiji can be practiced in context using images taken from books published in the Edo period. This version currently includes Hojoki (An Account of My Hut), Shinpan Nazonazo Sugoroku (New Edition Riddle Sugoroku [an illustrated board game]), and Aramimei Zukushi Koshu (New Sword Inscriptions, Continued). -Connect Did you find characters you can’t read? Why not ask other users?! The Connect section features social-media tools which allow communication with other kuzushiji learners over the internet, such as by posting a question to the message board with attached pictures of difficult characters. Let’s enter the world of classical Japanese literature and documents with KuLA! KuLA was primarily developed in the Graduate Faculty of Letters, Osaka University for the research project “Developing an International Educational Program Related to Japanese Classical books” (Project leader: Professor Iikura Yoichi) and was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (2015).

About

スマホで書道

Features
Read full description

「スマホで書道」は、日本書道芸術院の最新情報や、先生と生徒の間でのお稽古ができるアプリです。他の会の方も無料で利用できます。また、アカウント登録して、ログインすると、下記機能が使えます。 【基本機能】 お知らせ:インストール後アプリを起動すると、書道教室からの最新情報を閲覧できます。 お手本:先生からの添削画像が届きます。 先生からのお手本を保存できます。新しいお手本もカメラで撮影して追加できます。 お稽古:先生から出された課題をアップロードして提出できます。 ※ データ通信料金がかかりますので、データ定額サービスへの加入をおすすめします。 ネットワークが不安定な場合や端末の容量が不足している場合、インストールが正しく行われないことがあります。 ネットワークの状態や容量を確認してから再度お試しください。

Screenshots

くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA4 screens
スマホで書道3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: スマホで書道 at fortnightly against くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA's every 9 months. くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA ships an update every 9 months, スマホで書道 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA versus スマホで書道: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterくずし字学習支援アプリKuLAスマホで書道
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuta Hashimotosunggi park

In-app purchases

None

くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA

No in-app purchases

None

スマホで書道

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA free?
くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is スマホで書道 free?
スマホで書道 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA or スマホで書道 have ads?
Neither くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA nor スマホで書道 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA or スマホで書道?
くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA ships an update every 9 months, and スマホで書道 fortnightly. Most recently, くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA was updated on November 2, 2026 and スマホで書道 on November 3, 2026.

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