Comparison

Kanji Study vs JClass

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

Head to head
About

Kanji Study

Master Japanese kanji through vocabulary words rather than rote memorization. Features include writing lessons with stroke detection, spaced repetition reviews, and full JLPT level coverage. Learn readings naturally, one word at a time, with audio pronunciation and offline access.

Highlights
  • Vocabulary-first kanji learning
  • Writing lessons with stroke detection
  • Spaced repetition reviews
  • JLPT N5-N1 coverage
  • Audio pronunciation
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Most kanji apps show you a character and its readings and expect you to memorize them cold. Kanji Study takes a different approach: you learn kanji through the vocabulary words they appear in. By studying real JLPT words, over 5,000 of them across N5 to N1, you absorb kanji readings naturally, one word at a time, the way they actually appear in Japanese. What makes it different: Vocabulary-first learning: master readings through words, not rote memorization Writing lessons with stroke detection: learn correct stroke order and get instant feedback Spaced repetition reviews: English → Japanese and Japanese → English, including writing quizzes Full JLPT coverage: structured levels from N5 through N1 Audio pronunciation: hear every word read aloud Works offline: no internet connection required Ideal for JLPT test prep, Japanese language students, or anyone preparing to live or work in Japan.

About

JClass

Master Japanese easily with a virtual tutor. Progress through hiragana, katakana, kanji, and vocabulary with interactive quizzes and progress tracking. Earn achievements and compete on leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Learn hiragana, katakana, and kanji
  • Vocabulary building
  • Interactive quiz mode
  • Progress tracking
  • Achievements and leaderboards
  • Content review by level
Features
Read full description

JClass helps you learn Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and the kanji and vocabulary of every JLPT level, from N5 to N1. STUDY WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW YET Quick quizzes sort every character and word by how well you know it. The ones you miss come back more often, and new ones appear only when you're ready. Wrong answer options are look-alike kanji and similar words, so guessing won't help. WHAT'S INSIDE • Hiragana and katakana • 2,000+ kanji with on and kun readings, radical, stroke order and example words • 4,100+ vocabulary words • Searchable dictionaries for kana, kanji and words • Audio pronunciation • Meanings in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese or Russian ALSO • iCloud sync across your devices • Game Center achievements • Dark mode • No ads, no in-app purchases

Screenshots

Kanji Study4 screens
JClass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Kanji Study at Free against JClass's $4.99. Kanji Study also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 376). JClass's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On rating, review sentiment, 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

Kanji Study is free to download; JClass costs $4.99 up front. Kanji Study sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and JClass sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Kanji Study against 4.7 for JClass. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kanji Study has 7.3K ratings behind it against 376, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Kanji Study's written reviews are positive against 75% of JClass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanji Study ships an update every 2 days, JClass every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kanji Study versus JClass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji StudyJClass
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (7.3K ratings) — better4.7 (376 ratings)
Positive reviews67.5% of reviews75.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better376
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuli Languages LLCJorge Cozain

Customer experience

Kanji Study

All ratings7,286 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews861 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative20.3%

JClass

All ratings376 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral8.5%
Negative16.0%

User reviews

Kanji Study

From 7.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for learning kanji
  • 👍 Effective review system
  • 💡 Organized by JLPT levels
  • 👍 Affordable one-time purchase
  • 👍 Helps with writing practice and muscle memory

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sensitive kanji recognition, sometimes doesn't accept correct strokes
  • 🐛 Review sessions can get very long and tedious
  • 🐛 Inconsistent kanji definitions and translations
  • 🐛 Lack of syncing progress across devices

JClass

From 376 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Effective for learning
  • 💡 Good for building memory
  • 💰 Great value for money
  • 📚 Teaches words with kana/kanji

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashing issues
  • ❌ No Russian language support
  • ❌ Limited language options
  • 🐛 App hangs/freezes
  • ❌ Payment issues

Bugs and requests

Kanji Study

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Certain kanji not recognized correctly
  • App crashing or freezing, especially during long review sessions
  • Progress not syncing across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to customize review sessions (select specific kanji, JLPT levels, etc.)
  • Add both on and kun readings for kanji
  • Implement sentence practice and vocabulary exercises
  • Add support for more languages (e.g. Russian)

JClass

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Crashing on iPhone
  • App crashes with iOS 13.4
  • App crashes every time
  • App don't working on iPhone 5C
  • Purchased but it didn’t work
Show 15 more
  • App crashes everytime that use it
  • App crashes
  • After update, app doesn't work
  • App not working on iPad
  • App crashes on iPhone X
  • App crashes on iPhone 6
  • App hangs/stuck
  • Payment does not work correctly
  • Purchased N5, requires re-payment
  • Purchased N2, wish I didn't
  • Purchased full access, not opened
  • Error in word transcrib
  • App is closing alone
  • App is not reacting to touches
  • Purchased full set, doesn't react to touches

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add Russian language
  • Add more language options
  • Ability to reset progress
  • Landscape mode for iPad
  • Transfer progress to other devices
Show 9 more
  • Faster speed between questions
  • Dark mode option
  • Add Hiragana as an alphabet
  • Feature to select specific words for testing
  • Allow restarting exercises
  • Fix TTS pronunciation
  • Add 'kun' readings in Hiragana and 'on' readings in Katakana
  • Improve JLPT word training
  • Add Russian translation for Kanji

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Kanji Study

One-time6
  • Level 1$9.99
  • Level 2$12.99
  • Level 3$14.99
Show 3 more
  • Level 4$14.99
  • Level 5$14.99
  • All Levels3 variants$29.99
6 purchases

JClass

One-time6
  • JLPT N5Free
  • JLPT N4Free
  • JLPT N2Free
Show 3 more
  • JLPT N3Free
  • JLPT N1Free
  • Full JLPT AccessFree

Questions

Is Kanji Study free?
Kanji Study is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JClass free?
JClass costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kanji Study or JClass?
Kanji Study is rated higher. Kanji Study averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while JClass averages 4.7 from 376 ratings.
Do Kanji Study or JClass have ads?
Neither Kanji Study nor JClass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kanji Study or JClass?
Kanji Study ships an update every 2 days, and JClass every 2 months. Most recently, Kanji Study was updated on November 9, 2026 and JClass on November 6, 2026.

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