Comparison

Nihongo Master Dictionary vs Kana Bento

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Word and kanji lookup
  • Example sentences
  • Related kanji information
  • JLPT level indicators
  • Custom study lists
  • Flashcard vocabulary builder
  • Popular situational study lists
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Kana Bento

Learn Hiragana and Katakana through an engaging drag-and-drop game. Practice matching characters to their Romaji with native speaker audio. Ideal for beginners and those reviewing Japanese scripts.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop kana matching
  • Native speaker audio
  • Romaji, Hiragana, and Katakana recognition
  • Timed challenges
  • Focus on core kana
  • Distraction-free design
Features
Read full description

Master Hiragana and Katakana the fun way; no flashcards, no rote memorization. Just the core 46 Hiragana and Katakana kanas. Kana Bento turns kana practice into a fast-paced drag-and-drop game. Drag each character to its matching Romaji (or vice versa), with all three scripts, Hiragana, Katakana, and Romaji, in play so you build real recognition, not just memorization. • Hear authentic native speaker pronunciation for every kana, with both male and female voices • Race against the clock and watch your completion time improve as you learn • Train on Hiragana, Katakana, or both • Clean, distraction-free design built for quick daily practice Whether you're just starting Japanese or brushing up before a trip, JLPT exam, or anime binge, Kana Bento makes kana stick.

Screenshots

Nihongo Master Dictionary4 screens
Kana Bento3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nihongo Master Dictionary at Free against Kana Bento's $2.99. Nihongo Master Dictionary also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). Kana Bento's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Nihongo Master Dictionary is free to download; Kana Bento costs $2.99 up front. Nihongo Master Dictionary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Kana Bento asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nihongo Master Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Master Dictionary has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Nihongo Master Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kana Bento's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihongo Master Dictionary ships an update every 21 months, Kana Bento every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Nihongo Master Dictionary versus Kana Bento: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihongo Master DictionaryKana Bento
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.5 (6 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size242 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNihongo MasterAdrian Gray

Customer experience

Nihongo Master Dictionary

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Kana Bento

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Nihongo Master Dictionary

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Kana Bento

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nihongo Master Dictionary free?
Nihongo Master Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kana Bento free?
Kana Bento costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nihongo Master Dictionary or Kana Bento?
Nihongo Master Dictionary is rated higher. Nihongo Master Dictionary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Kana Bento averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Nihongo Master Dictionary or Kana Bento have ads?
Nihongo Master Dictionary shows ads; Kana Bento does not.
Which is updated more often, Nihongo Master Dictionary or Kana Bento?
Nihongo Master Dictionary ships an update every 21 months, and Kana Bento every 4 days. Most recently, Nihongo Master Dictionary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Kana Bento on October 24, 2026.

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