Comparison

Nihongo Learn vs BrainDojo Kids

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

Head to head
About

Nihongo Learn

Master Japanese with interactive lessons covering kana, kanji, vocabulary, and grammar. Practice with AI conversation partners, mock exams, and spaced repetition. Offers guided paths from beginner to advanced levels.

Highlights
  • Interactive kana and kanji learning
  • 2,000+ kanji with stroke order
  • JLPT N5-N1 vocabulary and grammar
  • AI conversation practice
  • Spaced repetition system (SRS)
  • JLPT mock exams
  • Progress tracking and analytics
Features
Read full description

Learn Japanese the smart way — from your first hiragana to JLPT N1 mastery. Nihongo Learn is a comprehensive Japanese study app with 30+ interactive modes designed for every stage of your journey. Whether you're memorizing kana, drilling kanji stroke order, or preparing for the JLPT, everything you need is in one place. WRITING SYSTEMS • Hiragana & Katakana with stroke-by-stroke animation • 2,000+ Kanji with readings, meanings, and stroke order • Handwriting practice with trace and recall modes • Radical breakdown for systematic kanji learning VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR • N5 through N1 vocabulary with audio pronunciation • Complete grammar explanations for all JLPT levels • Example sentences with furigana and translations • Conjugation drills for every verb form QUIZZES & PRACTICE • Multiple choice, typing, matching, and speed drills • SRS spaced repetition to remember what you learn • Smart drills that target your weak points • JLPT mock exams to test your readiness IMMERSIVE LEARNING • AI conversation partners for real-world dialogue practice • Graded reading passages with tap-to-translate • Listening comprehension at every level • Pitch accent training for natural pronunciation • Cultural context lessons on politeness and etiquette STAY MOTIVATED • Guided lesson paths from beginner to advanced • Daily tasks and study streaks • Detailed analytics tracking your progress • Customizable avatars, themes, and collectible rewards • Study calendar to visualize your consistency FREE TO START Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, N5-N4 content, all quiz types, conjugation drills, reading passages, and pitch accent training are completely free. PREMIUM Upgrade for AI conversation partners, full analytics, N3-N1 content, unlimited SRS cards, the immersion reader, and advanced listening practice. That's about 1,500 characters — well within the 4,000 character limit. Adjust any section as you see fit. Privacy Policy: https://digitalisapps.com/nihongo-privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://digitalisapps.com/nihongo-tos/

About

BrainDojo Kids

Read full description

Learn independently. Laugh together. BrainDojo Kids combines short learning activities for ages 3–6 with a same-device family board game. Children can practice the alphabet, Japanese Hiragana and Katakana, numbers, memory, mazes, and handwriting on their own, then play cooperative and face-to-face mini games with parents or siblings. STEP-BY-STEP COURSES Children progress from tracing to copying, independent writing, and a short challenge. Courses include Hiragana, Katakana, numbers, beginner Kanji, the alphabet, addition, and subtraction. Completed stages and best scores are saved separately for each player. Three daily activity picks make it easy to fit practice into a short routine. A BOARD GAME FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Gather 2–4 players around one device. Roll the die, collect stars and coins, shop for useful items, and open surprises. Cooperative challenges and face-to-face battles appear between rounds. The board layout changes from game to game, so every match has a different story. The player with the most stars wins, with coins breaking a tie. LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE • Counting animals, food, and colorful objects • Finger counting and beginner addition • Hiragana, Katakana, number, and letter handwriting • Pair matching and visual memory games • Mazes, weight comparison, and position memory • Telling the time and animal quizzes • Cooperative games and face-to-face challenges HANDWRITING TOOLS • Letters: write a message one character per box, then save or share it as an image. • Writing: practice longer text on a squared writing sheet. • My Font: fill in the character chart in your child's own handwriting and the whole app switches to their letters. Each version is saved with the date and age, so it doubles as a record of how their writing grows. WHY WRITING BY HAND The trace, copy, write sequence follows research on handwriting itself. • Five-year-olds who printed letters by hand later showed reading-related brain activity when viewing those letters; tracing or typing did not (James & Engelhardt, 2012) • Thirty-eight children aged 3–5 practiced for three weeks; the handwriting group recognized letters better than the typing group (Longcamp et al., 2005) • Handwriting engaged more widespread brain connectivity than typing, in an EEG study of university students (Van der Weel & Van der Meer, 2024) None of this research studied this app. BrainDojo Kids simply tries to make time spent writing by hand into something children want to keep doing. MADE FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS • Large controls and a clear portrait layout • Short sessions with friendly feedback • No ads and no account required • Separate stamps and learning records for each player • A daily screen-time limit parents can set, with a lock screen once it is reached • Parent settings protected by a parental gate Use BrainDojo Kids for a short daily routine, quiet waiting time, or a family game together. Counting, remembering, comparing, writing, and searching all feel like play instead of worksheets. BrainDojo Kids does not claim to diagnose, treat, or guarantee improvements in cognitive ability. It is an educational game that gives young children playful opportunities to practice early skills. PREMIUM (AUTO-RENEWABLE SUBSCRIPTION) The free plan includes three Today's Training activities every day. Premium unlocks every course, game, and tool. - Plans: monthly or yearly - Price: shown in your local currency on the purchase screen - Payment is charged to your Apple ID - Renews automatically for the same period and price unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions Terms of Use: https://www.studyx.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.studyx.app/privacy

Screenshots

Nihongo Learn4 screens
BrainDojo Kids4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BrainDojo Kids at every 8 days against Nihongo Learn's monthly. BrainDojo Kids also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nihongo Learn sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and BrainDojo Kids sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihongo Learn ships an update monthly, BrainDojo Kids every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Nihongo Learn versus BrainDojo Kids: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihongo LearnBrainDojo Kids
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB131 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperStephen DudleyStudyX G.K.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nihongo Learn

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Year
2 purchases

BrainDojo Kids

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Nihongo Learn free?
Nihongo Learn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BrainDojo Kids free?
BrainDojo Kids is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nihongo Learn or BrainDojo Kids have ads?
Neither Nihongo Learn nor BrainDojo Kids shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nihongo Learn or BrainDojo Kids?
Nihongo Learn ships an update monthly, and BrainDojo Kids every 8 days. Most recently, Nihongo Learn was updated on October 8, 2026 and BrainDojo Kids on October 11, 2026.

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