Comparison

Kanji Dojo vs Nihonary

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

Head to head
About

Kanji Dojo

Learn to write Japanese characters, memorize meanings and readings with flashcards. This open-source app uses spaced repetition for effective recall and offers flexible study paths for all levels.

Highlights
  • Learn hiragana, katakana, and kanji
  • Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
  • Flexible study paths (JLPT, school grades, Wanikani)
  • Over 6000 kanji characters
  • Vocabulary examples and dictionary
  • Open-source development
Features
Read full description

Kanji Dojo is an open-source app with no paid content that you can use to learn how to write Japanese letters, memorize the correct stroke order, practice recalling meanings and readings of kana and kanji using flashcards with vocabulary examples. Keep studying anywhere, anytime without wasting tons of paper, available on desktop too Main Features: • Suitable for absolute beginners and advanced users - can study hiragana, katakana and kanji • Flexible learning process: follow JLPT levels, school grades or Wanikani levels, or mix all of them! • Rich kanji coverage, more than 6000 characters in total and many more words are available • Uses a Spaced Repetition System to help retain learned information • No paid or locked content • Includes dictionary with a search function • The app is open source, you can suggest new features and collaborate on development The app uses the Spaced Repetition System (SRS) - a highly effective learning method that optimizes the timing of reviews based on how well you remember information. You can set a daily limit to control your workload at a comfortable level and enable daily notification reminder in the application's settings to stay consistent and make sure that memorized information is retained

About

Nihonary

Features
Read full description

Learn practical Japanese through a connected manga story designed for JLPT N5 beginners. Nihonary turns 40 illustrated chapters into interactive lessons. Tap Japanese dialogue to see its meaning and learning notes, listen line by line, save useful words, and review them with flashcards. FEATURES • 40 story-driven JLPT N5 chapters • 291 illustrated lesson pages • More than 1,500 character-matched audio clips • Japanese dialogue with English meaning and grammar guidance • Saved-word flashcards and progress tracking • Lessons and bundled audio available offline • Optional iCloud sync for learning progress • No Nihonary account or sign-in required ADS AND PURCHASES Chapters 1–3 have no chapter-entry advertisements. Chapters 4–40 may show one interstitial advertisement before entry. A chapter Review can be unlocked by choosing to watch a rewarded advertisement. The one-time Remove Ads purchase removes chapter-entry ads and unlocks every Review. Purchases can be restored from Settings. PRIVACY AND CONTROL Learning data stays on your device unless you choose to enable iCloud sync. Settings provides controls to disable sync, delete learning data, restore purchases, and manage available advertising privacy choices. AI CONTENT Lesson artwork, character voices, and portions of the educational text were created with generative AI, then curated, mapped, and reviewed by the developer. Nihonary does not provide live AI generation or a chatbot. The voices are AI-generated and are not recordings of real people. Nihonary is an independent learning aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the JLPT administrators.

Screenshots

Kanji Dojo4 screens
Nihonary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kanji Dojo at none against Nihonary's 1. Kanji Dojo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.3 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. Nihonary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Kanji Dojo asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kanji Dojo versus Nihonary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji DojoNihonary
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.3 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB159 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperYaroslav ShuliakThu Nguyen

In-app purchases

None

Kanji Dojo

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Nihonary

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

Is Kanji Dojo free?
Kanji Dojo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nihonary free?
Nihonary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Kanji Dojo or Nihonary have ads?
Nihonary shows ads; Kanji Dojo does not.

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