Comparison

Remembering the Kanji vs GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.

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

Head to head
About

Remembering the Kanji

This app provides flashcards and review tools for learning Japanese kanji using the Heisig method. It offers customizable study lists, mnemonic story saving, stroke order animations, and drawing practice. Learn kanji readings and jukugo, and review lessons from the companion books.

Highlights
  • Flashcards and review slides
  • Customizable study lists
  • Mnemonic story saving
  • Animated stroke order diagrams
  • On-screen drawing practice
  • Learn kanji readings and jukugo
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

"Remembering the Kanji" (Official flashcard and review app for the Heisig method) is a kanji learning App to complement the bestselling kanji books “Remembering the Kanji” (Volumes I, II & III), by Dr. James W. Heisig. * Now updated for Edition 6 of Volume I. For over 40 years, users have benefited from the highly effective Heisig Method for learning Japanese kanji. With this sole official “Remembering the Kanji” app, you now have review slides and flashcards for over 3,000 kanji available on your mobile device! This App is available only on the App Store! Reviews for the Heisig Method: ***** “Fastest way to learn all 2000” — L.S. (Texas) ***** “A great gem in kanji learning” — Z.N. ***** “Fantastic for achieving literacy” — S.C. (Michigan) ***** “It's actually fun! And ‘fun’ matters!” — F.T. ***** “I'd recommend this for serious learners of Japanese” — E.H. (Illinois) What is special about this App? - It is portable, allowing for review anywhere, anytime, without the need for an internet connection. - It is the first and only authorized "Remembering the Kanji" App. - It is customizable to your needs and preferences. - It has an easy-to-use interface. - It is reasonably priced. What this great App can help you with: - Creating your own study lists and generating flashcards for you to review what you have learned — You’ll love the flashcards function! - Saving notes for your own imaginative mnemonic stories for each kanji in "Remembering the Kanji" Volume I. Whenever you need to jog your memory to recall the story behind a kanji — refer to the App! - Learning the stroke order of each and every kanji with fantastic animated diagrams! - Practicing drawing each kanji with your finger on screen, and comparing your result with a written form of the kanji. - Learning the readings (pronunciations) of each and every kanji in "Remembering the Kanji". Also, learn the readings of kanji combination words (jukugo). - Reviewing each lesson for Volumes I, II & III of the "Remembering the Kanji" books with easy-to-use review slides. - Looking up the meaning of primitive elements quickly. - Looking up kanji by stroke number. - Searching for key words and finding the kanji you want in an instant. Take your kanji knowledge to the next level with this convenient and easy-to-use App! Copyright Notice: Kanji data is Copyright © 2013 James W. Heisig KanjiVG data is Copyright © 2013 Ulrich Apel

About

GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.

Master 317 basic kanji through over 1,100 vocabulary words. This app offers a self-paced learning experience with memorization, self-checking, audio pronunciations, and stroke order animations. Track your progress and focus on challenging kanji for efficient study.

Highlights
  • Learn 317 basic kanji
  • Study over 1,100 kanji words
  • Audio recordings for vocabulary
  • Stroke order animations
  • Progress tracking
  • Memorization and self-checking modes
  • Bookmark favorite words
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Learn basic kanji through kanji words: GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. is an app that helps users become able to recognize 317 basic kanji by studying more than 1,100 kanji words at their own pace! This is the official iPhone app from the 3rd edition of GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, a best-selling series of Japanese learning materials boasting more than 3.5 million copies sold. Advantages ◆ Users can view the kanji words as they like, enabling them to study at their own pace. ◆ By repeating a process of memorization and self-checking, learners can master readings of kanji words and recognition of basic kanji. ◆ Audio recordings have been newly added for each kanji word. ◆ Kanji words already mastered are progressively removed from the study set, so users can concentrate on just the kanji that challenge them, making for a more efficient approach to learning. *This app will not play audio if your device is in Silent mode (Vibrate mode). To hear the audio, please turn Silent mode off. Study methods and functions This app has three main modes: Study, Check, and List. ◇ “Study” allows users to view the kanji words, their readings, and the target kanji for each word over and over, so they can take their time learning. ・Audio recordings of natural pronunciations by native speakers are provided for all kanji words. ・Basic information on the target kanji is provided with fun illustrations and mnemonic hints, as well as animations of their stroke order. (The illustrations and hints are taken from the very popular learning resource “Kanji Look and Learn.”) ・Users can bookmark the kanji words they like. The bookmarked words are compiled in the Bookmark list in "List." ◇ “Check” helps learners to track their mastery. ・Users check their understanding of the kanji words studied and sort them into those mastered and those not yet retained. ・The kanji words already mastered are taken out of the study set, leaving behind just those that still need to be worked on. ◇ “List” displays various lists of all the words and kanji covered by the app so that users can see their progress and review them. ・In the lists arranged in lesson order, a-i-u-e-o order, or alphabetical order, checkmarks are automatically placed next to words that have been mastered. ・Kanji information on the cards can be displayed from the entries in the On/Kun list. ・Users can search kanji words from their target kanji in the Serial # list. ・The words bookmarked in the Study mode are also listed in the Bookmark list. ・The Study view of kanji words or the target kanji can be displayed from the list entries, enabling quick review. ○This app is based on the kanji list from the third edition of GENKI. ○Ads: The app does not display any ads that might interfere with learning.

Screenshots

Remembering the Kanji3 screens
GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Remembering the Kanji at 62% against GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.'s 19%. Remembering the Kanji also leads on rating (3.4 vs 2.7) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.'s advantage is price ($6.99 vs $10.99) and chart position (#45 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Remembering the Kanji costs $10.99 and GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Remembering the Kanji holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Remembering the Kanji's written reviews are positive against 19% of GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Remembering the Kanji ships an update every 2 months, GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Remembering the Kanji versus GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRemembering the KanjiGENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.
Price$10.99$6.99 — better
Rating3.4 (24 ratings) — better2.7 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews — better19.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better22
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#45 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMirai AppsThe Japan Times Publishing, Ltd.

Customer experience

Remembering the Kanji

All ratings24 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews176 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral15.3%
Negative22.7%

GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.

All ratings21 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral9.5%
Negative52.4%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive19.0%
Neutral14.3%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

Remembering the Kanji

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Study lists and stories deleted after updates
  • Backup crashes on iOS devices
  • App crashes when adding multiple kanji to study list
  • Flashcard progress not saving
  • Import function crashes with CSV files
Show 7 more
  • Stroke order differs from book for some kanji
  • App crashes on older devices (iPhone 3G, iPad 2)
  • Flashcard settings reset when switching modes
  • Lessons skip kanji from book
  • Notes not displaying on flashcards
  • Study list progress not resuming after pause
  • Occasional crashes during flashcard function

Requested features

16 requests
  • Include Heisig stories from the book
  • Add spaced repetition system (SRS/Anki-style)
  • Landscape/split-screen support for iPad
  • Search default to alphabetical letters
  • Expand story/notes display area
Show 11 more
  • Clickable primitive elements linking to related kanji
  • Progress tracking and resume functionality
  • Audio pronunciation support
  • Kanji compound meaning translations on flashcards
  • Highlight/bold/italicize text in story area
  • Drawing practice integrated into flashcard review
  • Sync progress across devices
  • RTK 3 support
  • Visual progress indicators and motivation features
  • Backup to cloud storage
  • Timed repetition system

GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Remembering the Kanji

No in-app purchases

None

GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Remembering the Kanji free?
Remembering the Kanji costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. free?
GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Remembering the Kanji or GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.?
Remembering the Kanji is rated higher. Remembering the Kanji averages 3.4 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. averages 2.7 from 22 ratings.
Do Remembering the Kanji or GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. have ads?
Neither Remembering the Kanji nor GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Remembering the Kanji or GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed.?
Remembering the Kanji ships an update every 2 months, and GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. every 7 months. Most recently, Remembering the Kanji was updated on November 1, 2026 and GENKI Kanji for 3rd Ed. on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons