Nihongo Lessons vs Japanese Writer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Learn Hiragana and Katakana
- 7000+ handcrafted sentences
- Professional voice actor audio
- Advanced Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
- Vocabulary and grammar from manga
- Flashcard learning format
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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.
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.
- Handwriting practice game
- Learn Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji
- Guided stroke order
- Smart review system
- Character dictionary with pronunciation
- JLPT level progression
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Nihongo Lessons | Japanese Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (129 ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 129 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 258 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Serpenti Sei Japan | trainchinese B.V. |
Customer experience
Nihongo Lessons
Japanese Writer
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
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- 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
Nihongo Lessons
- All Access Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- All Access Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Beginner Deck (Discounted)$59.99
- Champion Deck (Discounted)$59.99
- Expert Deck (Discounted)$59.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- 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
Japanese Writer
- Japanese Writer Subscription$1.991 Month
- Lifetime Upgrade$19.99
Questions
Is Nihongo Lessons free?
Is Japanese Writer free?
Which has better reviews, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?
Do Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?
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