KanaScript vs Nihongo Master Kana Coach
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KanaScript
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KanaScript is the complete kana learning system for beginners, students, and travelers. Free forever, fully offline, and zero data collection — just focused, effective practice. STUDY MODE Learn each character the right way from the start. KanaScript's study mode combines stroke-order references with guided writing practice, building correct muscle memory before you ever take a quiz. READING & WRITING QUIZZES Test yourself across both scripts with reading and writing quizzes. The more you practice, the smarter KanaScript gets about where to focus your time. SPACED REPETITION ENGINE KanaScript tracks your accuracy across all 92 kana and surfaces your weakest characters first. Reviews are scheduled at the optimal moment to maximize long-term retention. WORD WRITING MODE Go beyond isolated characters. Practice writing kana in the context of real Japanese words, building the fluency you need to read and write in the real world. HANDWRITING GRADING Write hiragana and katakana by hand and receive instant, accurate feedback from an on-device AI grading engine. No internet connection required — your writing never leaves your device. PRIVATE BY DESIGN KanaScript collects zero data, requires no account, and works completely offline. Your progress stays on your device, always. Perfect for: • Students taking Japanese classes • Beginners starting their Japanese journey • Travelers preparing for a trip to Japan Free forever — no subscription, no ads, no catches.
Nihongo Master Kana Coach
Master Japanese hiragana and katakana through interactive lessons, stroke-by-stroke guidance, and spaced repetition. Practice pronunciation with speech recognition and reinforce learning with printable sheets. The full curriculum is free with optional ads.
- Row-by-row kana lessons
- Stroke order animation
- Spaced repetition reviews
- Pronunciation practice with speech recognition
- Targeted drills for similar characters
- Printable practice sheets
- Offline functionality
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Hiragana and katakana are the front door to Japanese - and Kana Coach gets you through it. Professor Toshiro teaches every character the way Japanese schoolchildren learn them: row by row, stroke by stroke, with your eyes, ears, hand, and voice all doing the work. LEARN, ROW BY ROW Each lesson introduces five kana that share a sound. Hear native-quality audio, watch each character draw itself in real stroke order, then trace it yourself with instant feedback. Pass the row quiz and the next row unlocks. REVIEWS THAT REMEMBER FOR YOU A spaced-repetition system brings each kana back at just the right moment - reading, writing, and listening. A few minutes a day keeps everything sharp, and gentle reminders (optional) tell you when reviews are ready. SAY REAL WORDS OUT LOUD Every row you master unlocks real Japanese words you can now read - あき (autumn), くるま (car). Hear them spoken by two native-quality voices, then say them aloud: on-device speech recognition checks your pronunciation and awards stars. Your Word Book grows with you. DRILL THE TRICKY PAIRS シ/ツ, ソ/ン, ね/れ/わ - the lookalikes every learner mixes up get their own targeted drills. PRACTICE ON PAPER Printable practice sheets for every kana - print or share straight from the app and practice handwriting the traditional way. WORKS COMPLETELY OFFLINE Lessons, audio, reviews, sheets: everything is on your device. Study on the train, on a plane, anywhere. FREE TO LEARN The full curriculum is free, supported by unobtrusive ads - never during writing or speaking practice. One small purchase removes ads forever. Kana Coach is made by Nihongo Master, the Japanese learning platform. When you've mastered kana, your journey continues with full lessons, grammar, kanji, and a community of learners at nihongomaster.com.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KanaScript at none against Nihongo Master Kana Coach's 1. KanaScript also leads on ads (none vs shown). Nihongo Master Kana Coach's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Nihongo Master Kana Coach sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KanaScript asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for KanaScript against 5.0 for Nihongo Master Kana Coach. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
KanaScript ships an update every 3 weeks, Nihongo Master Kana Coach monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KanaScript | Nihongo Master Kana Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 91 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jameson Knoll | Nihongo Master |
In-app purchases
KanaScript
No in-app purchases
Nihongo Master Kana Coach
- Remove Ads$0.99
Questions
Is KanaScript free?
Is Nihongo Master Kana Coach free?
Which has better reviews, KanaScript or Nihongo Master Kana Coach?
Do KanaScript or Nihongo Master Kana Coach have ads?
Which is updated more often, KanaScript or Nihongo Master Kana Coach?
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