Comparison

Japanese Kana vs Japanese Basic

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

Head to head
About

Japanese Kana

Learn Japanese hiragana and katakana with pronunciation, stroke order, and writing practice. Features high-quality audio, smooth animations, and an intuitive interface. Supports a wide range of Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Kana pronunciation
  • Stroke order guidance
  • Writing practice
  • High-quality audio
  • Smooth animations
  • Multi-device support
Features
Read full description

"Japanese Kana" is a life-wide learning Japanese kana syllabaries software.It allows you to quickly keep in mind the voiceless, voiced / half voiced, bend sound of hiragana & katakana pronunciation and stroke order. 



1 User-friendly interface and operating
 2 High-quality male / female voice pronunciation
 3 Clear and smooth animation
 4 True and intuitive writing experience
 5 Apple Watch,iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch support. 

 A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I believe this software will help you to overcome the Japanese learning disabilities, and leading to Quick Start.
Start your Japanese learning journey from here!

About

Japanese Basic

Learn basic Japanese vocabulary, characters, and phrases with this beginner-friendly app. It offers offline access, customizable pronunciation, and a red sheet function for effective memorization. Expand your learning with in-app purchases for additional words.

Highlights
  • Basic Japanese vocabulary and phrases
  • Hiragana and Katakana study
  • Offline access
  • Customizable pronunciation and audio speed
  • Red sheet memorization function
  • Verb conjugation guide
  • User vocabulary book
Features
Read full description

This app is for learning Japanese in English. For beginners. The main content is vocabulary and characters, and small quizzes to test your skills are available. Three major features ■Simple and easy to use It is designed to be simple, with no unnecessary content or story elements. This makes it intuitive to use and allows you to quickly find the information you want. ■Available offline This app can be used even without an internet connection. For example, you can use it even if you have just arrived in Japan and do not have an internet connection yet. You can also check the pronunciation. ■Customizable You can choose from two voices for pronunciation: "female" (automatic) and "male" (local native speaker), and you can also change the audio playback speed. In the vocabulary book, you can adjust the display of Japanese to your liking, such as "kanji only," "hiragana only," or "both kanji and hiragana." It also has a red sheet function that is convenient for memorization. [Content details] * 488 basic Japanese vocabulary words Each word includes two example sentences. * 75 phrases From greetings to basic phrases such as "thank you" and "I'm sorry" * Japanese characters You can study "hiragana" and "katakana", as well as pronunciation and stroke order. * Random quiz You can check your vocabulary with multiple choice quizzes. * Verb conjugation This section helps you understand the conjugation of Japanese verbs, which can be particularly confusing. * Search function You can easily find words from the words in the app. Search results are available in both Japanese and English. * Favorites function You can save words you don't remember or are curious about in your favorites list. By compiling them in a list, you can help you overcome words you are weak at. You can also change the order or take multiple choice quizzes only from your favorites list. * User vocabulary book You can make notes of your own unique words in the app. Make notes of words you learn in your daily life. [Upgrade] Many more words can be added by in-app purchases. The added words can also be used in other functions such as multiple choice quizzes and favorites lists. Whether you're planning a trip to Japan, already live there, are studying abroad, or are just interested in Japanese, this app is easy for anyone to use. We hope it will be useful in your Japanese studies. Thank you.

Screenshots

Japanese Kana4 screens
Japanese Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Japanese Kana at 4.5 against Japanese Basic's 3.5. Japanese Kana also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Japanese Kana sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Japanese Basic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Japanese Kana holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Japanese Kana ships an update every 5 months, Japanese Basic every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Japanese Kana versus Japanese Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJapanese KanaJapanese Basic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer世木 林SHINGO MATSUO

Customer experience

Japanese Kana

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative4.7%

Japanese Basic

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Japanese Kana

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
1 purchases

Japanese Basic

One-time1
  • Japanese Basic -Full Version-$3.99

Questions

Is Japanese Kana free?
Japanese Kana is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Japanese Basic free?
Japanese Basic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Japanese Kana or Japanese Basic?
Japanese Kana is rated higher. Japanese Kana averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Japanese Basic averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Japanese Kana or Japanese Basic have ads?
Japanese Basic shows ads; Japanese Kana does not.
Which is updated more often, Japanese Kana or Japanese Basic?
Japanese Kana ships an update every 5 months, and Japanese Basic every 3 months. Most recently, Japanese Kana was updated on October 21, 2026 and Japanese Basic on October 14, 2026.

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