Comparison

Start Japanese vs Nihongo JLPT

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

Head to head
About

Start Japanese

Learn Japanese from scratch with easy-to-understand illustrations and a step-by-step approach. This app makes practicing characters and common phrases fun, like a game, and is suitable for absolute beginners.

Highlights
  • Easy-to-see illustrations
  • Spacious layouts
  • Fun, game-like learning
  • Activity guides
  • Step-by-step learning
  • Customized courses
Features
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“Zero kara Sutāto Nihongo” is a Japanese-learning app for beginners, who have never studied Japanese or just started. With the use of easy-to-understand illustrations, learners can effectively learn from Roma-ji to day-to-day expressions. *This app is compatible with a Japanese textbook 『ゼロからスタート 日本語』, published by J Research Press. With a combination use of the app and this book, the learning effect greatly increases. Main Features ●Easy-to-see Illustrations and Spacious Layouts With the illustration even beginners can easily grasp the image of each Japanese word. No Feeling of “Too Much” that learners might have when using other Japanese apps. ●Fun to learn as if you played the app game Just by playing around with this app, you can practice if you remember Japanese characters such as Hiraganas (Japanese alphabet) and their structures. ●Activity Guide All the learning steps begin with activity guides, which illustrates how to use the app. Even app haters can make use of this app. ●Step-by-step Learning Customized for Learner’s level No Difficult Characters All At Once! Workload is adjusted so that learners don’t feel overwhelmed. In addition, based on learners’ level three different courses are offered. With this app learners can get used to the following aspects of Japanese language; *Japanese Characters and Sounds *Japanese Accents and Rhythm *Greetings and Common Phrases *Number *Dates (Year, Month, the Day of the Week) *Time *Food and Beverage *Shopping *Town and Transportation *Buildings and Facility *Belongings *Family and Relatives *Body and Health “Start Japanese" is mainly targeted for: +Japanese beginners with no/little learning experience +Those who have an interest in Japanese language +Those who might want to work in Japan someday +Those who love Japanese culture such as Samurai Spirit, Geisha, animation, kimonos, Japanese movies/dramas etc.

About

Nihongo JLPT

Features
Read full description

Nihongo App は、日本語を学びたい全ての学習者のために作られた総合学習アプリです。 初心者から上級者まで、JLPT(N5〜N1)レベル別に学習でき、単語帳、文法レッスン、クイズ、日本語学習に必要な機能を幅広く備えています。 【主な機能】 ・JLPT(N5〜N1)レベル別の単語帳 ・意味、例文つきの単語学習 ・文法レッスンと例文 ・クイズで理解度チェック ・学習進捗の可視化 ・レベルアップシステム 【こんな方におすすめ】 ・日本語をゼロから学びたい ・JLPT の合格を目指したい ・単語を効率よく覚えたい ・毎日少しずつ勉強したい Nihongo App は日本語学習をもっと手軽に、もっと楽しくすることを目指しています。 さあ、一緒に日本語を学びましょう!

Screenshots

Start Japanese4 screens
Nihongo JLPT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Start Japanese at none against Nihongo JLPT's shown. Start Japanese also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Start Japanese ships an update every 4 days, Nihongo JLPT every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Start Japanese versus Nihongo JLPT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStart JapaneseNihongo JLPT
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoji Nakanoimamura yuto

In-app purchases

None

Start Japanese

No in-app purchases

None

Nihongo JLPT

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Start Japanese free?
Start Japanese is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nihongo JLPT free?
Nihongo JLPT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Start Japanese or Nihongo JLPT have ads?
Nihongo JLPT shows ads; Start Japanese does not.
Which is updated more often, Start Japanese or Nihongo JLPT?
Start Japanese ships an update every 4 days, and Nihongo JLPT every 6 days. Most recently, Start Japanese was updated on October 24, 2026 and Nihongo JLPT on October 9, 2026.

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