Comparison

Nihongo Lessons vs Japanese Writer

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

Head to head
About

Nihongo Lessons

This app helps learners of all levels achieve Japanese fluency. It uses a flashcard format to teach vocabulary, grammar, and writing systems, with advanced spaced repetition for effective retention. Content is sourced from real manga for advanced learners.

Highlights
  • Learn Hiragana and Katakana
  • 7000+ handcrafted sentences
  • Professional voice actor audio
  • Advanced Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
  • Vocabulary and grammar from manga
  • Flashcard learning format
Features
Read full description

A new app for people serious about becoming fluent in Japanese, from the maker of Nihongo: a modern Japanese dictionary. Nihongo Lessons is based off the excellent Japanese Level Up (Jalup) series, and is made to help all levels of learners. * If you're a complete beginner, the app starts you off by teaching you to write the Japanese alphabets hiragana and katakana, and then quickly starts building your vocabulary and grammar fundamentals. * If you're at an intermediate level, you can jump into content that will help you grow your Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and listening skills more efficiently than ever before. * If you're an advanced learner diving into the world of native content or studying for JLPT N1, Nihongo Lessons can help fill in the gaps in your knowledge with vocabulary and grammar pulled directly from real manga. Instead of a traditional textbook, everything in Nihongo Lessons is in a flashcard format. Flashcards are easier to take in, easier to know how much to learn and how often to review, and simplify the mountain of information you need to absorb. Each flashcard introduces one new sentence for you to understand, and every new sentence introduces exactly one new word, grammar point, or concept. This keeps you constantly moving forward in your learning journey - never bored, never overwhelmed. * Learn to write hiragana and katakana, the main alphabets of the Japanese language. * Progress from beginner to fluent across 7000 handcrafted sentences, each introducing a single new word or concept. * Listen to sentences spoken out loud by a professional voice actor. * Advanced Spaced Repetition (SRS) to help you retain everything you've learned for the long-term. * Nihongo Lessons doesn’t just plop a fun game on top of the language. It engages the brain’s natural urge to solve problems by making learning the language itself the game.

About

Japanese Writer

Practice Japanese handwriting with an engaging game. Learn Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji through guided stroke order and smart reviews. Unlock all levels with an optional upgrade.

Highlights
  • Handwriting practice game
  • Learn Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji
  • Guided stroke order
  • Smart review system
  • Character dictionary with pronunciation
  • JLPT level progression
Features
Read full description

Write. Learn. Remember. Characters fall from the top of the screen — can you write them before they hit the bottom? Japanese Writer turns handwriting practice into an engaging game. Learn to write Hiragana, Katakana, and over 2,000 Kanji from JLPT levels 5 to 1, with smart review that focuses on the characters you need most. • Guided stroke order: Trace each character step by step to master writing accuracy. • Smart review: Characters you miss reappear until you’ve truly learned them. • Character dictionary: Look up any character to hear pronunciations, view stroke order, and see real example words in use. • Learn at your pace: JLPT level 5 is free to play, with an optional upgrade to unlock everything. Join learners worldwide who are discovering the joy of writing Japanese — one stroke at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Nihongo Lessons4 screens
Japanese Writer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nihongo Lessons at every 3 weeks against Japanese Writer's every 4 months. Nihongo Lessons also leads on ratings volume (129 vs 4). Japanese Writer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Japanese Writer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Nihongo Lessons against 4.8 for Japanese Writer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 129 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Nihongo Lessons's written reviews are positive against 100% of Japanese Writer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihongo Lessons ships an update every 3 weeks, Japanese Writer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Nihongo Lessons versus Japanese Writer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihongo LessonsJapanese Writer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (129 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings129 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1714.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size258 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSerpenti Sei Japantrainchinese B.V.

Customer experience

Nihongo Lessons

All ratings126 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive84.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative9.1%

Japanese Writer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Nihongo Lessons

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Explanation modal flashed and cannot be brought back
  • Unclear how to interact with cards (swiping direction)

Requested features

11 requests
  • Add notifications
  • Add a way to add own notecards for review
  • Add meaning and context for some words in dictionary
  • Add monthly subscriptions or lower prices
  • Add Kanji section
Show 6 more
  • Add Kanji decks
  • Add dark mode
  • Automatically play audio when flipping card
  • Teach word in context, then quiz for understanding using only the Japanese word
  • Surface Japanese definition and make user remember the word
  • Optimize for iPad

Japanese Writer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Nihongo Lessons

Subscriptions2
  • All Access Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • All Access Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time11
  • Beginner Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Champion Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Expert Deck (Discounted)$59.99
Show 8 more
  • Master Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Intermediate Deck (Discounted)$83.99
  • Beginner Deck (Discounted)$101.99
  • Beginner Deck$119.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$149.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$254.99
  • All Decks$299.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$299.99
2 purchases

Japanese Writer

Subscriptions1
  • Japanese Writer Subscription$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Upgrade$19.99

Questions

Is Nihongo Lessons free?
Nihongo Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Japanese Writer free?
Japanese Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?
Japanese Writer is rated higher. Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while Japanese Writer averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer have ads?
Neither Nihongo Lessons nor Japanese Writer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?
Nihongo Lessons ships an update every 3 weeks, and Japanese Writer every 4 months. Most recently, Nihongo Lessons was updated on October 30, 2026 and Japanese Writer on October 31, 2026.

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