KanaRush vs Kana Pop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KanaRush
Master Japanese Hiragana and Katakana through engaging gameplay. This app offers multiple game modes and difficulty levels to help you quickly recognize and recall Kana. Unlock seasonal backgrounds and utilize smart review features for efficient learning.
- 3 Game Modes: Hiragana, Katakana, Mixed Challenge
- 2 Difficulty Levels: Normal, Hard
- Smart Review Mode for missed Kana
- Unlockable Seasonal Backgrounds
- Daily Phrases with native audio
- Interactive Kana Charts with audio and zoom
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Master Japanese Kana with speed and fun! Tap the correct Kana, build combos, and boost accuracy in a fast-paced learning game. Perfect for beginners and anyone who wants to sharpen recognition skills! Key Features • 3 Game Modes: Hiragana, Katakana & Mixed Challenge • 2 Difficulties: Beginner-friendly Normal & advanced Hard mode • Smart Review Mode: Focus on Kana you missed to improve faster • 40+ Seasonal Backgrounds to unlock as you progress • Daily Phrases with native audio pronunciation • Interactive Kana Charts: Tap to hear, zoom to study clearly Why KanaRush works Short sessions, immediate feedback, streak mechanics, and spaced review help you fully remember each Kana — while having fun! Start your Japanese journey today! Turn training into a game, and master Kana faster than ever.
Kana Pop
This app transforms learning Japanese kana into an engaging game. Instead of rote memorization, it uses timed challenges and personal bests to improve reading speed and accuracy. It tracks your mistakes to focus your practice on difficult characters.
- Timed kana matching games
- Personal best tracking
- Focus on difficult kana
- Mistake tracking and stats
- Optional pronunciation audio
- All kana available from start
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Kana Pop turns hiragana and katakana practice into a game, not a flashcard deck. No lessons, no memorizing lists. Just a board full of kana and a clock ticking down. Every run is timed and scored against your personal best. You're not studying — you're playing to beat your last run, while getting faster at reading kana on sight. **Four modes. One goal: read the kana before the clock runs out.** **HIRAGANA** Match the romaji prompt to the right hiragana tile. 90 seconds. 3 lives. 1 hint. **KATAKANA** Same game, katakana edition. 90 seconds. 3 lives. 1 hint. **MIXED** No romaji this time. Find the hiragana and katakana that share the same sound. 90 seconds. 3 lives. 1 hint. **CLEAR THE BOARD** 36 tiles. 18 pairs. 60 seconds. 3 lives. 3 hints. Nothing refills. Clear them all to win — the only mode you can actually beat. **WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT** • **Your score is yours to beat.** Every mode tracks a personal best. The clock is the same every run, so there's always a number to chase. • **The wrong answers aren't random.** You'll see kana that are easy to confuse, like シ/ツ, ぬ/め, or か/が. Every board is a reading test, not just a shape-matching exercise. • **No rounds, no memory grid.** The board keeps refilling in every mode except Clear the Board. There's always one more kana to read, and one more chance to beat your score. • **Your mistakes become your practice.** Every kana you miss is tracked. Stats shows your weakest kana first, while Chart shows which kana you've missed most often. The darker the kana, the more you've missed it. • **Pronunciation is built in.** Every correct answer can be spoken aloud in Japanese. Turn it off anytime in Settings. **ALL 102 KANA** Hiragana, katakana, gojūon, dakuten, handakuten, and yōon are all available from the start. No levels to unlock. No cards to collect. Just play. No account required. No analytics. Optional ads can give you an extra hint or a revive when you need one. Available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Kana Pop at Free against KanaRush's $0.99. Kana Pop also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). KanaRush's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On rating, review sentiment, in-app purchases 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
Kana Pop is free to download; KanaRush costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for KanaRush against 5.0 for Kana Pop. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
KanaRush ships an update daily, Kana Pop every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | KanaRush | Kana Pop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 翔 梅 | WEIZHE ZHAO |
Customer experience
KanaRush
Kana Pop
In-app purchases
KanaRush
No in-app purchases
Kana Pop
No in-app purchases









