Comparison

Kanji no Ma vs Bunchuu

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

Head to head
About

Kanji no Ma

Learn Japanese kanji through an engaging game. Correctly identify meanings before characters reach you to level up. Features JLPT levels, mnemonics, and a review system. Progress is saved locally with no ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • JLPT N5, N4, N3 levels
  • 500+ kanji with meanings
  • Mnemonics for memorization
  • Review missed and bookmarked kanji
  • Local progress saving
  • No ads or tracking
Features
Read full description

Kanji no Ma (漢字の間) is a kanji learning game for Japanese language learners. A kanji character emerges from the depths of a traditional Japanese room and slowly approaches you. Tap the correct English meaning before it reaches you — and level up your kanji knowledge one character at a time. FEATURES - 3 JLPT levels: N5 (Beginner), N4 (Elementary), N3 (Intermediate) - 500+ kanji with meanings, readings, and mnemonics - Atmospheric traditional Japanese room backgrounds - 3 lives per session — wrong answers and timeouts cost a life - Bookmark any kanji for later review - Review tab for missed and bookmarked kanji - All progress saved locally — no account required - No ads, no tracking, completely private JLPT LEVELS - N5: Essential kanji for absolute beginners - N4: Elementary kanji for early learners - N3: Intermediate kanji to expand your vocabulary All data is stored on your device. No personal information is collected.

About

Bunchuu

This app enhances language learning by providing real-world context for vocabulary and kanji. It offers customizable study sessions, offline access, and seamless synchronization with an existing learning platform. Enjoy a visually appealing and private study experience.

Highlights
  • Vocabulary in context with furigana
  • Customizable study and review sessions
  • Offline access and progress syncing
  • Visual progress tracking
  • Private study with no tracking
  • Dark mode support
Read full description

Bunchuu is a beautiful, fast, native companion app for WaniKani. Do your lessons and reviews anywhere — then go further, and meet every kanji where it lives: in real sentences. VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT Real context sentences for every vocabulary item. Furigana readings and plain-English grammar notes, one tap away. Translations stay veiled until you ask, so you can test yourself first. YOUR STUDIES, YOUR PACE Hand-pick exactly which radicals, kanji, and vocabulary to learn next. Review in batches, choose the ordering, and ask meaning and reading back to back — or far apart. Typo tolerance, your own synonyms, an automatic kana keyboard, and a leech threshold you control. WANIKANI'S SRS, SYNCED Works fully offline — lessons, reviews, and every mnemonic are cached on your device, and progress syncs when you're back online. Your progress lives in your WaniKani account, so you can switch between Bunchuu and the website at any time. Accuracy, streaks, and review history for every item. WATCH YOUR PROGRESS RISE Every level and every SRS stage, at a glance. Get notified the moment reviews are ready. A DELIGHTFUL PLACE TO STUDY A watercolor world, from the radicals to the snack breaks. Beautiful enough to make reviews feel like a treat. Full dark mode. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No Bunchuu account, no analytics, no tracking. Your study data syncs directly between your device and your WaniKani account. Bunchuu requires an active WaniKani account (wanikani.com). WaniKani's free trial covers its first three levels, so you can try both together. Bunchuu is an unofficial third-party app and is not affiliated with WaniKani or Tofugu, LLC.

Screenshots

Kanji no Ma4 screens
Bunchuu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kanji no Ma at every 4 days against Bunchuu's every 2 weeks. Bunchuu's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Kanji no Ma against 5.0 for Bunchuu. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanji no Ma ships an update every 4 days, Bunchuu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Kanji no Ma versus Bunchuu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji no MaBunchuu
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYoshiaki TakahashiFour Skills Labs, LLC

Customer experience

Kanji no Ma

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bunchuu

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kanji no Ma

No in-app purchases

None

Bunchuu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kanji no Ma free?
Kanji no Ma is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bunchuu free?
Bunchuu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kanji no Ma or Bunchuu?
Kanji no Ma and Bunchuu are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Kanji no Ma or Bunchuu have ads?
Neither Kanji no Ma nor Bunchuu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kanji no Ma or Bunchuu?
Kanji no Ma ships an update every 4 days, and Bunchuu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kanji no Ma was updated on October 3, 2026 and Bunchuu on October 2, 2026.

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