Comparison

Basic Kanji Plus vs Learn Japanese

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

Head to head
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。

About

Learn Japanese

Master Japanese vocabulary and characters with interactive quizzes designed for beginners. Learn Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji up to JLPT N5 and N4 levels through engaging content with native audio and authentic fonts. Offers a free version with ads and an optional Pro subscription for an ad-free, unlimited experience.

Highlights
  • Learn Japanese vocabulary and letters
  • Interactive quizzes for beginners
  • Covers JLPT N5, N4 levels
  • Native audio and authentic fonts
  • Kanji mode with Furigana
  • Vocabulary search tool
Features
Read full description

Learn Japanese with the app that provides the best contents ! Our app is specialized in teaching beginner Japanese level. With Langoal, you can learn Japanese vocabularies and letters ("Hiragana", "Katakana") simply, by taking quizzes ! (covers JLPT N5, N4 level, and text book such as Minnano Nihongo) Our app is designed to help you learn letters and vocabularies in a natural way, like how a child would learn their native language ! No more flash cards and memorizing. Vocabularies we offer comes with pictures, audio, and well thought-out sentences. This app is created by Japanese teachers who have experiences teaching Japanese around the world, carefully designed to provide best content for you to really "learn" Japanese. Strengths of Langoal : • You can learn vocabularies with either "Kanji" or "Hiragana" mode. With "Kanji" mode, there will be "Furigana" ! (basically a "Hiragana" subtitle) • You can either learn vocabularies by categories (JLPT N5, N4), or through text book-like style by unlocking chapters ! • The difficult parts of Japanese is explained through-out ! • Native audio, Authentic Japanese fonts used in elementary schools. • Currently we only support English, but we are planning to add more languages in near future so stay tuned ! • We offer tool for you to search vocabularies ! Every thing is Free ! Langoal Pro Subscription Features: - Unlimited access to quiz - No ADs - Unlock all levels instantly Plans: - 1 Month - 6 Months - 1 Year Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account when you confirm the purchase. Subscription will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours before the current subscription expires. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current subscription expires. You can manage subscriptions by turning off auto-renewal at the Account Settings on your ios device. You are not able to cancel the current subscription while it is active. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us at support@langoal.com Privacy Policy: https://app.langoal.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://app.langoal.com/terms

Screenshots

Basic Kanji Plus4 screens
Learn Japanese4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Basic Kanji Plus at 100% against Learn Japanese's 50%. Basic Kanji Plus also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Learn Japanese's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 48 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ratings volume 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 3 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Basic Kanji Plus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Basic Kanji Plus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Basic Kanji Plus's written reviews are positive against 50% of Learn Japanese's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Kanji Plus ships an update every 48 months, Learn Japanese every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Basic Kanji Plus versus Learn Japanese: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic Kanji PlusLearn Japanese
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings37 — better
Update frequencyEvery 48 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size626 MB97 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperUniversity of TsukubaAnna Kurata

Customer experience

Basic Kanji Plus

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

Learn Japanese

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Basic Kanji Plus

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Learn Japanese

Subscriptions3
  • Langoal Pro$10.991 Month
  • Langoal Pro$44.996 Months
  • Langoal Pro$76.991 Year

Questions

Is Basic Kanji Plus free?
Basic Kanji Plus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Learn Japanese free?
Learn Japanese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Basic Kanji Plus or Learn Japanese?
Basic Kanji Plus is rated higher. Basic Kanji Plus averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Learn Japanese averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.
Do Basic Kanji Plus or Learn Japanese have ads?
Learn Japanese shows ads; Basic Kanji Plus does not.
Which is updated more often, Basic Kanji Plus or Learn Japanese?
Basic Kanji Plus ships an update every 48 months, and Learn Japanese every 2 weeks. Most recently, Basic Kanji Plus was updated on October 2, 2026 and Learn Japanese on October 8, 2026.

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