# Japanese vs Nihongo

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Japanese at none against Nihongo's 6. Japanese also leads on iOS requirement (12.3 vs 18.6). Nihongo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Japanese asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Japanese against 4.8 for Nihongo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.6K and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 91% and 91% positive.

Japanese ships an update every 2 months, Nihongo weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Japanese | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese/id290664053/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 1.9K |
| Positive reviews | 90.7% of reviews | **91.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 248 MB | 492 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.3** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [renzo Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290664056) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Japanese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese/id290664053)

This comprehensive language learning tool offers an extensive dictionary with over 175,000 entries and 58,000 example sentences. It includes advanced features like handwriting recognition, conjugation search, and a text reader, alongside flashcard study tools and JLPT-specific lists. Learn Japanese offline with this pocket-sized study companion.

**Highlights:** Extensive dictionary with 175,000+ entries, 58,000+ example sentences, Handwriting recognition for kanji/kana, Conjugation search, Text reader for translation, Flashcard study tools, JLPT study lists

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive dictionary with detailed information
- 🔍 Efficient search options (kanji, radicals, handwriting)
- 🗂️ Customizable vocabulary lists and flashcards
- 💡 Helpful features like JLPT/Kanji Kentei levels, example sentences
- 🆓 Completely free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Handwriting recognition issues, especially on newer iOS versions
- 🔇 Text-to-speech function not working for some users
- 🔀 Inconsistent organization of example sentences and conjugations

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when scrolling through certain kanji lists
- Occasional display issues with floating vocabulary words

**Requested features**

- Sync functionality across devices
- More customization options for flashcards and study modes
- Improved sentence/phrase lookup and translation
- Ability to add personal notes to dictionary entries


### Nihongo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245)

This app is an offline Japanese study tool that functions as a dictionary, translator, and flashcard creator. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their surroundings, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese dictionary, Picture-to-text translation (OCR), Automatic flashcard creation, Reading assistant with furigana/romaji, Spaced repetition flashcards, Search in English, Japanese, or romaji

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (3 Months) | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nihongo Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Pitch Accents | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nihongo Pro (Lifetime) | $179.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent dictionary
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🔒 Offline compatibility
- 👍 Helpful example sentences
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Subscription model could be expensive
- 🔍 Difficult to manage flashcards

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing issues when tapping on kanji
- Font size problems
- Inconsistent OCR and translation accuracy

**Requested features**

- Handwriting input support
- Customizable flashcard settings
- Monolingual dictionary feature
- Improved backup and sync functionality
- Statistics and progress tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Japanese free?

Japanese is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nihongo free?

Nihongo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Japanese or Nihongo?

Nihongo is rated higher. Japanese averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Nihongo averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Japanese or Nihongo have ads?

Neither Japanese nor Nihongo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Japanese or Nihongo?

Japanese ships an update every 2 months, and Nihongo weekly. Most recently, Japanese was updated on October 31, 2026 and Nihongo on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*