Nihongo Master Dictionary vs Immersion Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nihongo Master Dictionary
This Japanese dictionary app helps users quickly find words and kanji with example sentences and JLPT levels. Create custom study lists and use flashcards to build vocabulary. It also offers popular study lists for common situations like travel and work.
- Word and kanji lookup
- Example sentences
- Related kanji information
- JLPT level indicators
- Custom study lists
- Flashcard vocabulary builder
- Popular situational study lists
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Nihongo Master Dictionary is a fast, beautiful, and completely offline Japanese–English dictionary — built for learners at every level, from your first hiragana to JLPT N1. Look up any of 190,000+ words and 6,000+ kanji in an instant, with no internet connection required. Everything lives on your device, so it's always fast and always available — on the train, on a plane, or anywhere. SEARCH ANY WAY YOU THINK • Search in English, Japanese, or rōmaji (type "taberu" or 食べる) • Smart search understands conjugated verbs — 食べました finds 食べる • Results ranked by how common words actually are MASTER KANJI • 6,000+ kanji with meanings, readings, and JLPT level • Watch stroke-order animations, then practice writing with guided feedback • Find any kanji by its radicals • Listen to native pronunciation for many readings UNDERSTAND REAL JAPANESE • Full conjugation tables for every verb and adjective • Paste in a sentence and tap any word to break it down • Real-world example sentences show words in context STUDY & REMEMBER • Star your favorites and revisit recent lookups • Build custom study lists, or add popular community lists • Review with built-in spaced repetition so it sticks Nihongo Master Dictionary is free, supported by ads. A one-time in-app purchase removes ads forever. Ready to go beyond the dictionary? Nihongo Master offers full structured Japanese lessons at nihongomaster.com.
Immersion Reader
Easily look up Japanese words while reading ebooks with a single tap. Import custom dictionaries and export saved vocabulary for spaced repetition learning. Offers customizable themes for a comfortable reading experience.
- One-tap word lookup in Japanese ebooks
- Import Yomichan and frequency dictionaries
- Export vocabulary to Anki
- Light and dark mode themes
- Lookup neighboring words
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Look up Japanese words as you read! Features - One tap to look up words in Japanese Ebooks. Tabs to help you look up neighboring words - Import Yomichan dictionaries and frequency dictionaries - Export saved vocabulary to Anki via Anki Dojo - Light mode, dark mode, and other themes for the dictionary
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Immersion Reader at none against Nihongo Master Dictionary's shown. Immersion Reader also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 5). Nihongo Master Dictionary's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Master Dictionary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Immersion Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nihongo Master Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Immersion Reader has 26 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Nihongo Master Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 62% of Immersion Reader's.
Nihongo Master Dictionary ships an update every 21 months, Immersion Reader every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nihongo Master Dictionary | Immersion Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (5 ratings) — better | 4.0 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 61.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 26 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 242 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nihongo Master | Mathew Chan |
Customer experience
Nihongo Master Dictionary
Immersion Reader
In-app purchases
Nihongo Master Dictionary
- Remove Ads$0.99
Immersion Reader
- Immersion Reader Premium$4.99
Questions
Is Nihongo Master Dictionary free?
Is Immersion Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Nihongo Master Dictionary or Immersion Reader?
Do Nihongo Master Dictionary or Immersion Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nihongo Master Dictionary or Immersion Reader?
Other comparisons
