Comparison

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] vs Basic Kanji Plus

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

Head to head
About

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]

Learn Japanese kanji through engaging mnemonic pictures, sounds, and animations. Test your knowledge with interactive games and access a comprehensive kanji table with pronunciation. Ideal for beginners and those curious about Japanese characters.

Highlights
  • Mnemonic pictures for memorization
  • Interactive kanji learning games
  • Sound and animation aids
  • Stroke order and example sentences
  • Kanji pronunciation table
  • Explanations of Japanese writing system
Features
Read full description

1. Description Study kanji the fun way using mnemonic pictures  and check your understanding with two types simple of games! Recommended for: Beginners in Japanese Anyone interested in Japanese letters 2. Features -Features pictures, sound, animation, kanji, stroke order and example sentence to help you remember the kanji. -Includes games for checking your understanding of the kanji you've learned. -Includes simple explanations about the Japanese writing system and the characters used in it. -A Kanji table allows you to tap each Kanji to hear how kanji word is pronounced. 3. Tested Devices iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad Air2, iPod touch 5th Generation. *Requires iOS 8 or later 4.Contact the Developer If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to send  them to us at the following email address. app-kc@jpf.go.jp

About

Basic Kanji Plus

Master Japanese kanji and vocabulary with this comprehensive learning tool. It features animated stroke orders, pronunciation audio, and personalized study methods based on best-selling textbooks. Efficiently learn and review thousands of words and characters.

Highlights
  • 1167 Kanji and 8000 Vocabulary
  • Animated Kanji stroke order
  • Vocabulary pronunciation audio
  • Personalized study modes
  • English translations and example sentences
  • Offline learning capability
Features
Read full description

Includes 1167 Kanji and approximately 8000 words from Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced Levels. Animation of Kanji stroke order and text sound of vocabulary included. This is an app based on best-selling Kanji textbooks for Japanese Learners (New Edition) BASIC KANJI BOOK VOL. 1&2 (Bonjinsha Co., Ltd., 2016/2017) INTERMEDIATE KANJI BOOK VOL. 1&2 (Bonjinsha Co., Ltd., 2017) Advantages Readings and stroke order of kanji can be seen with a recording of its pronunciation. Perfect for learners from countries using kanji that may be strong in writing but weak in listening. Includes feature that shows only words that you have not memorized allowing for a more efficient approach to learning. In addition to textbook vocabulary, approximately 1500 frequently used words were newly added from Vocabulary Database for Reading Japanese (VDRJ) Ver. 1.1 (Approximately 750 words using beginner level kanji, and another 750 using intermediate and advanced level kanji) Study Methods and Features Study: Learn vocabulary by looking at the kanji and listening to the pronunciation. You can choose to study “All words” or “Unlearned words”. You can study by looking at the hiragana notation, kanji notation, and text sound. All vocabulary include English translation, example sentences with their English translation and text sound. Kanji information can be seen when learning vocabulary. Check: You can verify that you have learned the vocabulary. You can check and remove memorized vocabulary. Hiragana to kanji notation, kanji to hiragana notation, text sound to kanji notation, and kanji notation to text sound can be checked. List: Approximately 8000 words can be listed. You can see all vocabulary in lesson order and alphabetical order. You can review vocabulary in the lesson order and look up vocabulary in the alphabetical order. Kanji Information can also be viewed in the List section. * Ads: Any advertisements that may interfere with learning are not displayed. *Supported OS: OS10.3.1 or higher is required to install this app. *Depending on model of phone and environment, this app may not operate properly. *  *  * 「Basic Kanji Plus」は日本語学習者向け漢字教科書に準拠した漢字とその漢字を使った語彙を確認できる日本語学習のためのアプリです。 初級から中上級レベルの漢字1167字とその漢字を使った語彙約8000語を収録しています。教科書掲載語彙に加え、Vocabulary Database for Reading Japanese (VDRJ) Ver. 1.1から使用頻度の高い語彙約1500を新たに収録しました。(初級漢字を使った初級語彙約750語、中上級語彙約750語) 〈特長〉 ◆漢字の読みを文字や音声で確認できます。 ◆漢字の筆順をアニメーションで見ることができます。 ◆覚えていない語彙だけを選んで学べる機能付きなので、効率的に学習ができます。 ◆自分の学習状況を読み、漢字、音声ごとに視覚的に確認することができます。 ◆収録語すべてを教科書の課ごとや50音順に確認できるリスト付き。 ◆使用にネット接続を必要としないため、どこでも学習できます。(インストール時のみネット接続が必要) 〈学習方法と機能〉 Study:漢字と語彙を覚える。 ・読み、漢字、音声の3つの機能でいろいろな側面から学べます。 ・「すべての言葉」または「覚えていない言葉」を選んで学習できます。 ・全語彙で例文とその英訳を確認したり、音声を聞くことができます。 ・漢字の音読み、訓読み、筆順や意味のイラストなど詳細情報も確認できます。 Check:漢字と語彙を確認する。 ・1)読み(ひらがな)を見て漢字を確認、2)漢字を見て読み(ひらがな)を確認、3)音声を聞いて漢字を確認、4)漢字を見て音声を確認の4つの方法で覚えているかの確認ができます。 ・Checkで覚えられていないことが分かったら、Studyでその言葉だけをもう一度、復習することができます。 *本アプリには広告は一切表示されません。 *本アプリをご利用いただくにはOS10.3.1以降が必要です。また、機種あるいはその環境によっては、正常に動作しない場合があります。

Screenshots

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]4 screens
Basic Kanji Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Basic Kanji Plus at 5.0 against Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]'s 3.5. Basic Kanji Plus also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 48 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Basic Kanji Plus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Basic Kanji Plus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] ships an update every 2 months, Basic Kanji Plus every 48 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] versus Basic Kanji Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji Memory Hint 2 [English]Basic Kanji Plus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 48 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS9.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB626 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, KansaiUniversity of Tsukuba

Customer experience

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Basic Kanji Plus

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English]

No in-app purchases

None

Basic Kanji Plus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] free?
Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Basic Kanji Plus free?
Basic Kanji Plus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] or Basic Kanji Plus?
Basic Kanji Plus is rated higher. Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Basic Kanji Plus averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] or Basic Kanji Plus have ads?
Neither Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] nor Basic Kanji Plus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] or Basic Kanji Plus?
Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] ships an update every 2 months, and Basic Kanji Plus every 48 months. Most recently, Kanji Memory Hint 2 [English] was updated on October 17, 2026 and Basic Kanji Plus on October 24, 2026.

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