Kanji Study vs Nihongo Lessons
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kanji Study
This app teaches Japanese kanji by focusing on vocabulary words. It offers writing practice with stroke detection and spaced repetition reviews for effective memorization. Learn kanji readings naturally through over 5,000 JLPT-aligned words.
- Vocabulary-first kanji learning
- Writing lessons with stroke detection
- Spaced repetition reviews
- Full JLPT N5-N1 coverage
- Audio pronunciation
- Offline functionality
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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.
Nihongo Lessons
This app helps learners of all levels achieve Japanese fluency. It uses a flashcard format to teach vocabulary, grammar, and writing systems, with advanced spaced repetition for effective retention. Content is sourced from real manga for advanced learners.
- Learn Hiragana and Katakana
- 7000+ handcrafted sentences
- Professional voice actor audio
- Advanced Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
- Vocabulary and grammar from manga
- Flashcard learning format
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A new app for people serious about becoming fluent in Japanese, from the maker of Nihongo: a modern Japanese dictionary. Nihongo Lessons is based off the excellent Japanese Level Up (Jalup) series, and is made to help all levels of learners. * If you're a complete beginner, the app starts you off by teaching you to write the Japanese alphabets hiragana and katakana, and then quickly starts building your vocabulary and grammar fundamentals. * If you're at an intermediate level, you can jump into content that will help you grow your Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and listening skills more efficiently than ever before. * If you're an advanced learner diving into the world of native content or studying for JLPT N1, Nihongo Lessons can help fill in the gaps in your knowledge with vocabulary and grammar pulled directly from real manga. Instead of a traditional textbook, everything in Nihongo Lessons is in a flashcard format. Flashcards are easier to take in, easier to know how much to learn and how often to review, and simplify the mountain of information you need to absorb. Each flashcard introduces one new sentence for you to understand, and every new sentence introduces exactly one new word, grammar point, or concept. This keeps you constantly moving forward in your learning journey - never bored, never overwhelmed. * Learn to write hiragana and katakana, the main alphabets of the Japanese language. * Progress from beginner to fluent across 7000 handcrafted sentences, each introducing a single new word or concept. * Listen to sentences spoken out loud by a professional voice actor. * Advanced Spaced Repetition (SRS) to help you retain everything you've learned for the long-term. * Nihongo Lessons doesn’t just plop a fun game on top of the language. It engages the brain’s natural urge to solve problems by making learning the language itself the game.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Kanji Study at every 2 days against Nihongo Lessons's every 3 weeks. Kanji Study also leads on ratings volume (7.2K vs 126). Nihongo Lessons's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 69%). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Kanji Study sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Kanji Study against 4.8 for Nihongo Lessons. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kanji Study has 7.2K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Kanji Study's written reviews are positive against 85% of Nihongo Lessons's.
Kanji Study ships an update every 2 days, Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kanji Study | Nihongo Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (7.2K ratings) | 4.8 (126 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | 84.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.2K — better | 126 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 17 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 258 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Luli Languages LLC | Serpenti Sei Japan |
Customer experience
Kanji Study
Nihongo Lessons
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)
Nihongo Lessons
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Kanji Study
- Level 1$9.99
- Level 2$12.99
- Level 3$14.99
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- Level 4$14.99
- Level 5$14.99
- All Levels3 variants$29.99
Nihongo Lessons
- All Access Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- All Access Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Beginner Deck (Discounted)$59.99
- Champion Deck (Discounted)$59.99
- Expert Deck (Discounted)$59.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Master Deck (Discounted)$59.99
- Intermediate Deck (Discounted)$83.99
- Beginner Deck (Discounted)$101.99
- Beginner Deck$119.99
- All Decks (Discounted)$149.99
- All Decks (Discounted)$254.99
- All Decks$299.99
- All Decks (Discounted)$299.99
Questions
Is Kanji Study free?
Is Nihongo Lessons free?
Which has better reviews, Kanji Study or Nihongo Lessons?
Do Kanji Study or Nihongo Lessons have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kanji Study or Nihongo Lessons?
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