Comparison

Learn Japanese vs Japanese Basic

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

Head to head
About

Learn Japanese

Learn Japanese vocabulary through engaging, visually-driven mini-games. Daily five-minute lessons make learning addictive and effective, focusing on practical words and essential scripts like Kanji and Kana. Build a consistent learning habit with this fun, illustrated approach.

Highlights
  • Illustrated vocabulary learning
  • Daily 5-minute lessons
  • Quick swipe and tap games
  • Focus on practical words
  • Teaches Kanji and Kana
  • Habit-building approach
Read full description

Play with your words! Drops makes language learning effortlessly fun. Essential vocabulary is bound to your memories through beautiful illustrations and quick mini-games. Take the daily 5 minute lessons and ease yourself into the beautiful world of Japanese language! 
 Ingredients of the secret sauce? 100% illustrated: Pictures directly carry the meaning - you don’t have to use your native language at all! No intermediary. Faster, more effective and of course more fun for the Japanese learning process! :) 5 min sessions: limiting practice time sounds crazy but it makes it incredibly addictive - which is a cool thing for learning. The barrier of entry is close to zero so you can’t have any excuses: you’ll have 5 minutes even on the busiest day! Effortless play: We know why games are fun and addictive and distilled the essence into Drops. The result is a truly immersive experience but it’s not a waste of your time while you play because you build valuable knowledge. Quick: Keyboard typing is painfully slow. Welcome rapid swipes and taps! Trust us, you’ll need those extra seconds during the quick learning session ;) Vocabulary only: Zero grammar, just handpicked practical words. That’s our focus and we do it extremely well. The app teaches the Japanese “alphabets” Kanji and Kana (hiragana and katakana) too! Forge a habit: Drops wants to make you language learning addict. Effectiveness is nothing without a well established habit. We can help you build one! We are extremely proud of our lovely word pronunciations by seasoned voice talents! Drops is free for casual learners: more than 3300+ words in 150+ topics are all available for everyone. Hardcore language learners can subscribe for premium to progress faster with unlimited Japanese language learning time. Our goal is to empower people of the world via language knowledge by providing a special tool that utilizes the universal language we all speak: pictures. ----------------- Keep tuned as even more languages are in the works! Payment information: Length of subscriptions: - 1 Month - 12 Months Price of subscriptions: - 1 Month – $12.99 per month - 12 Months – $89.99 per year - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period Have questions? Feel free to contact us at sup@languagedrops.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/language_drops Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnwithDrops Blog: https://medium.com/languagedrops Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/language_drops/ Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://languagedrops.com/privacypolicy.html

About

Japanese Basic

Learn basic Japanese vocabulary, characters, and phrases with this beginner-friendly app. It offers offline access, customizable pronunciation, and a red sheet function for effective memorization. Expand your learning with in-app purchases for additional words.

Highlights
  • Basic Japanese vocabulary and phrases
  • Hiragana and Katakana study
  • Offline access
  • Customizable pronunciation and audio speed
  • Red sheet memorization function
  • Verb conjugation guide
  • User vocabulary book
Features
Read full description

This app is for learning Japanese in English. For beginners. The main content is vocabulary and characters, and small quizzes to test your skills are available. Three major features ■Simple and easy to use It is designed to be simple, with no unnecessary content or story elements. This makes it intuitive to use and allows you to quickly find the information you want. ■Available offline This app can be used even without an internet connection. For example, you can use it even if you have just arrived in Japan and do not have an internet connection yet. You can also check the pronunciation. ■Customizable You can choose from two voices for pronunciation: "female" (automatic) and "male" (local native speaker), and you can also change the audio playback speed. In the vocabulary book, you can adjust the display of Japanese to your liking, such as "kanji only," "hiragana only," or "both kanji and hiragana." It also has a red sheet function that is convenient for memorization. [Content details] * 488 basic Japanese vocabulary words Each word includes two example sentences. * 75 phrases From greetings to basic phrases such as "thank you" and "I'm sorry" * Japanese characters You can study "hiragana" and "katakana", as well as pronunciation and stroke order. * Random quiz You can check your vocabulary with multiple choice quizzes. * Verb conjugation This section helps you understand the conjugation of Japanese verbs, which can be particularly confusing. * Search function You can easily find words from the words in the app. Search results are available in both Japanese and English. * Favorites function You can save words you don't remember or are curious about in your favorites list. By compiling them in a list, you can help you overcome words you are weak at. You can also change the order or take multiple choice quizzes only from your favorites list. * User vocabulary book You can make notes of your own unique words in the app. Make notes of words you learn in your daily life. [Upgrade] Many more words can be added by in-app purchases. The added words can also be used in other functions such as multiple choice quizzes and favorites lists. Whether you're planning a trip to Japan, already live there, are studying abroad, or are just interested in Japanese, this app is easy for anyone to use. We hope it will be useful in your Japanese studies. Thank you.

Screenshots

Learn Japanese4 screens
Japanese Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Learn Japanese at 4.8 against Japanese Basic's 3.5. Learn Japanese also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Learn Japanese sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Japanese Basic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Learn Japanese holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Japanese has 2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Japanese ships an update every 9 days, Japanese Basic every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Learn Japanese versus Japanese Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn JapaneseJapanese Basic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2K ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.1
Further details — not scored
Size207 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPLANB LABS OUSHINGO MATSUO

Customer experience

Learn Japanese

All ratings2,009 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews484 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.0%

Japanese Basic

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Learn Japanese

Subscriptions12
  • Unlimited time!$7.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
  • Premium$11.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Unlimited time for all Languages!$12.991 Month
  • Premium$12.991 Month
  • Daily 10 minutes bonus$22.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Premium$39.991 Year
  • Premium$47.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial2 variants$89.991 Year
1 purchases

Japanese Basic

One-time1
  • Japanese Basic -Full Version-$3.99

Questions

Is Learn Japanese free?
Learn Japanese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Japanese Basic free?
Japanese Basic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Learn Japanese or Japanese Basic?
Learn Japanese is rated higher. Learn Japanese averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Japanese Basic averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Learn Japanese or Japanese Basic have ads?
Japanese Basic shows ads; Learn Japanese does not.
Which is updated more often, Learn Japanese or Japanese Basic?
Learn Japanese ships an update every 9 days, and Japanese Basic every 3 months. Most recently, Learn Japanese was updated on September 23, 2026 and Japanese Basic on June 11, 2026.

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