Comparison

KIROKUN vs Nihonisland

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

Head to head
About

KIROKUN

Features
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KIROKUN(キロクン)は、研究プロジェクトに参加する方のためのアンケート回答アプリです。 主な機能 ・配信されたアンケートを一覧で確認 ・通知からアンケートを開いて回答 ・回答期限や回答済みの状況を確認 ・回答率を確認しながら調査に参加 利用には、研究者から案内されたアカウントが必要です。参加する調査や利用方法については、担当の研究者にお問い合わせください。通知を受け取るには、端末で通知を許可してください。 お問い合わせ:ltajapan2024@gmail.com 本アプリは、言語研究のために開発されたLang-Track-Appを基盤に改良した派生版です。 参考論文:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lang.12555

About

Nihonisland

Master Japanese through interactive dialogues, pronunciation guides, and AI-powered subtitle generation for podcasts and videos. Learn vocabulary, grammar, and kana with structured lessons and personalized practice.

Highlights
  • AI-generated subtitles for audio/video
  • Interactive dialogues inspired by daily life
  • Pronunciation guides and audio speed adjustment
  • Grammar explanations and word context
  • Structured N5 learning path
  • Customizable vocabulary and sentence collections
  • Kana chart and practice
Features
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If you miss a line of Japanese, pause and listen again. Use pronunciation guides and translations, slow the audio down and say it yourself. Learn how each sentence sounds, what it means and how to use it. 500+ ORIGINAL DIALOGUES, INSPIRED BY EVERYDAY LIFE Shopping at a convenience store, ordering food, chatting with friends: learn expressions through everyday situations and original short stories. New dialogues are added regularly, so you can always find something new to practice. LISTEN CLOSELY, THEN SPEAK ALONG Follow the Japanese text, furigana, romaji and English translation. Adjust the speed, repeat individual sentences and set a pause so you have time to speak after the audio. Hide the text or reading aids to test your listening and practice shadowing, then check your understanding with listening and fill-in-the-blank exercises. TURN PODCASTS, VIDEOS AND SONGS INTO STUDY MATERIAL Choose a Japanese podcast and generate accurate AI subtitles and translations. Return to the parts you missed and listen as many times as you need. Import audio or video files from your device, or paste a supported video link to generate Japanese subtitles, readings and English translations. Japanese songs are supported too: use lyric subtitles to understand the words and learn how they're pronounced. GET HELP WITH WORDS AND GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT Tap an unfamiliar word to explore its reading, form and meaning in the sentence. Use AI grammar explanations to unpack difficult sentences and understand how expressions are used. Ask follow-up questions whenever you want to explore a word or sentence further. START FROM SCRATCH WITH KANA AND A GUIDED N5 PATH Learn hiragana and katakana with an interactive kana chart. Practice reading, listening and matching, with extra review for unfamiliar or easily confused characters. Follow the N5 path through basic vocabulary, sentence patterns and grammar in a clear sequence, with lesson exercises and checkpoints to reinforce what you've learned. SAVE EXPRESSIONS AND KEEP PRACTICING Save words and sentences to your own collections and choose how much new material to study and review each day. Reinforce what you've learned with multiple-choice questions, matching, spelling, dictation and practice putting words in order. Some content and features require a membership. AI usage allowances and credit requirements are shown in the app. AI-generated content may contain errors; check it against the original audio and context. Online content availability depends on the source and your network. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

KIROKUN4 screens
Nihonisland4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KIROKUN at none against Nihonisland's 3. Nihonisland's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Nihonisland sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. KIROKUN asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KIROKUN ships an update every 12 months, Nihonisland every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
KIROKUN versus Nihonisland: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKIROKUNNihonisland
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroki UematsuJinan Huansheng Tuoying Network Technology Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

KIROKUN

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Nihonisland

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Membership$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$19.99

Questions

Is KIROKUN free?
KIROKUN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nihonisland free?
Nihonisland is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do KIROKUN or Nihonisland have ads?
Neither KIROKUN nor Nihonisland shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KIROKUN or Nihonisland?
KIROKUN ships an update every 12 months, and Nihonisland every 3 months. Most recently, KIROKUN was updated on October 30, 2026 and Nihonisland on November 5, 2026.

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