# Jishokun vs Nihongo

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nihongo at 91% against Jishokun's 16%. Nihongo also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Jishokun sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nihongo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo has 1.9K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Jishokun's written reviews are positive against 91% of Nihongo's.

Jishokun ships an update fortnightly, Nihongo weekly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Jishokun | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jishokun/id671889349/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 29 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews | **91.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 250 MB | 492 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Penzo](https://appshunter.io/developer/502622543) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Jishokun

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jishokun/id671889349)

This app provides comprehensive Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary functions. It includes features for kanji lookup, pronunciation, text translation, and stroke order visualization. Users can also save frequently used words and customize settings like text size.

**Highlights:** Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary, Kanji search with handwriting and radicals, English word pronunciation and text translation, Stroke order visualization, Save frequently used words, Adjustable text size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium 1 Month | $2.49 | per month |
| Premium 1 Year | $27.99 | per year |
| Offline Dictionary | $1.99 | one-time |
| Kanji Dictionary | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jishokun Premium | $3.99 | one-time |


### 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 Jishokun free?

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

### Is Nihongo free?

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

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

Nihongo is rated higher. Jishokun averages 4.2 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Nihongo averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Jishokun or Nihongo have ads?

Jishokun shows ads; Nihongo does not.

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

Jishokun ships an update fortnightly, and Nihongo weekly. Most recently, Jishokun was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nihongo on October 26, 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.*