Comparison

Kanji Drop vs kotoha

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

Head to head
About

Kanji Drop

This app teaches Japanese kanji through a unique block-dropping game. Construct kanji from their components and form words from existing kanji to progress. It offers a fun and engaging method for learners of all levels, from beginners to advanced.

Highlights
  • Build kanji from parts
  • Form words from kanji
  • Audio pronunciation of words
  • Import Anki/WaniKani decks
  • JLPT and textbook lesson filters
  • Beginner to advanced levels
Features
Read full description

Learn Japanese kanji by dropping blocks to make kanji and words! Make kanji from their parts and words from other kanji! Blow them up by making words! Fill your limit meter by making kanji from others and watch your blocks blow up! It's a great way to learn kanji for beginners, a fun alternative to flashcards for advanced learners as you can import your Anki, WaniKani, and Koohii decks, and a fun game overall! :D Learn all Japanese jouyou kanji for fun or proficiency. Every time you make a word or kanji, its meaning is spoken and you also hear the pronunciation of words. You also learn how to make kanji from their parts, just like in Remembering the Kanji, Vol. 1, by James Heisig. You can restrict learning to JLPT 1-5 kanji or textbook lessons from popular Japanese textbooks! Open to all skill levels! It starts off easy and gives you hints when you're stuck. Keep playing and you'll find yourself recognizing more and more kanji! You can select Easy/Learning mode to have more time to read about the kanji and words you make!

About

kotoha

This daily word game tests your Japanese language skills and helps you learn new words. It features different modes suitable for both beginners and advanced speakers, specifically designed around the Japanese syllabic writing system.

Highlights
  • Daily word guessing challenges
  • Vocabulary expansion
  • Modes for learners and fluent speakers
  • Focus on Japanese syllabic writing system
  • Free to play
Features
Read full description

A daily word game that proves your knowledge of Japanese while expanding your vocabulary. Includes modes for learners and fluent speakers alike. Designed specifically for Japanese's syllabic writing system.

Screenshots

Kanji Drop4 screens
kotoha2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: kotoha at none against Kanji Drop's 4. kotoha also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (80% vs 50%). Kanji Drop's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support 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. Kanji Drop sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. kotoha asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

kotoha holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Kanji Drop's written reviews are positive against 80% of kotoha's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanji Drop ships an update every 2 weeks, kotoha every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 9, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kanji Drop versus kotoha: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji Dropkotoha
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (26 ratings)4.6 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size344 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInternational Technology Consulting LLCkyle coburn

Customer experience

Kanji Drop

All ratings26 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral3.8%
Negative46.2%

kotoha

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Kanji Drop

One-time4
  • 100 Coins$4.99
  • 500 Coins$5.99
  • 1000 Coins$6.99
Show 1 more
  • 2000 Coins$9.99
None

kotoha

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kanji Drop free?
Kanji Drop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is kotoha free?
kotoha is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kanji Drop or kotoha?
kotoha is rated higher. Kanji Drop averages 4.3 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while kotoha averages 4.6 from 16 ratings.
Do Kanji Drop or kotoha have ads?
Kanji Drop shows ads; kotoha does not.
Which is updated more often, Kanji Drop or kotoha?
Kanji Drop ships an update every 2 weeks, and kotoha every 3 weeks. Most recently, Kanji Drop was updated on July 9, 2026 and kotoha on September 3, 2026.

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