NihonMaster vs Japanese Reflex

I'm Joppe. I built Nihon Master because I was learning Japanese and the apps I was using were not doing it for me. Duolingo got me started but I was not really learning past hiragana. Anki is great if you build your own deck. Wanikani is great for kanji. I wanted one place that actually teaches the language. So I built it for myself. A few friends started using it. Then strangers. Now it's here. This is not a flashcard deck, and it is not a gamified drill machine. It is a real curriculum backed by real tools, built specifically for Japanese, where kana and kanji are first-class instead of a language pack bolted on the side. What's inside. A guided journey from absolute beginner through JLPT N1. Hiragana, katakana, kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading practice. Every lesson has a clear point and you finish it knowing something you did not know an hour ago. Around 2,000 kanji with stroke animations, writing practice, and readings ordered by what you actually need first. Spaced repetition built on FSRS (the same algorithm Anki adopted in 2024) instead of the 1987 SM-2 formula most apps still ship. Twelve sub-skills tracked separately, so you can see whether your particles are fine and your kanji readings are the problem, instead of one meaningless overall number. Mock JLPT tests for every level, in the same shape as the real exam. Useful for the test itself and for figuring out where you actually stand. Native-quality Japanese audio on every vocabulary item, generated by VOICEVOX, an open-source Japanese TTS that does not sound like a robot. A sentence generator that builds sentences only from words and grammar you have already learned, so you never get jumped by kanji you have never seen. What's not inside. Streaks engineered to guilt you into opening the app at 11:59 PM. A heart system that locks you out until you wait or pay. A subscription that holds half the content behind a paywall. Ads of any kind. Everything works offline. No sign-in. No account. Your progress lives on your device. There are no servers, and that is intentional. I am one person making this in my spare time. If you have an idea, a feature request, a bug to report, or you just want to tell me which kanji is annoying you this week, please do. There is a Discord linked inside the app and an Instagram at @nihonmaster.official. I read everything. If Duolingo is working for you, honestly that is great, keep doing that. This app is for the people who tried Duolingo, kept the streak alive for six months, and realised they still could not read anything. Have fun with it. Let me know what you think. nihonmaster.com

Stop translating Japanese in your head. Start processing it automatically. Japanese Reflex uses fast, interactive drills to develop your Japanese Brain—the mental pathways that let you understand Japanese directly, without translating everything into English first. Traditional study can teach you thousands of words and grammar points, but knowledge alone does not guarantee fast processing. Even learners who have passed JLPT N2 or N1 may still struggle to follow conversations or respond without hesitation. Japanese Reflex bridges that gap. It is more than a vocabulary or grammar app—it is a reflex training system that turns what you know into fast, automatic Japanese ability. BUILD YOUR JAPANESE REFLEXES Short, audio-driven drills train you to: • Recognize grammar patterns instantly • Process spoken Japanese at conversational speed • Identify particles and sentence roles automatically • Understand verb forms without conscious translation • Distinguish transitive and intransitive verbs • Navigate conditionals, requests, keigo, and nuance • Respond based on meaning instead of memorized rules Each drill challenges you to make quick, accurate decisions, moving Japanese processing from slow and conscious to fast and intuitive. MEASURE YOUR JAPANESE BRAIN Japanese Reflex includes 26 Reflex Drills targeting critical—and often difficult—grammar and meaning patterns. Every completed drill gives you a Reflex Score combining accuracy and response speed. The app averages your five most recent scores across all 26 drills to calculate your overall Japanese Brain Score: a measure of real-time Japanese processing ability ranging from 0 to 105. Your goal is to raise your Japanese Brain Score above 90—the level where processing and understanding Japanese become fast, intuitive, and automatic. ADAPTIVE PRACTICE Adaptive Practice identifies the specific grammar skills and meaning patterns giving you trouble, then gives you extra practice with those weaker areas. Each session adapts to your performance and continues working on difficult skills until you can answer correctly and consistently—helping turn weak points into automatic reflexes. MASTER YOUR MISSES Master Your Misses creates focused review sets from questions you answered incorrectly. Work directly on your weak points until the correct response becomes automatic. CHALLENGE FRIENDS Create custom challenges, invite friends, and compete on leaderboards. Whether you are preparing for the JLPT, living in Japan, or studying with classmates, Challenges make consistent practice more engaging. TRY IT FREE Start with free access to every Reflex Drill. Create a free account for additional practice time, cloud sync, challenges, and personalized progress tracking. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited Reflex Drill training. Optional JLPT vocabulary and grammar packages can be purchased separately. No subscriptions. No ads. Every purchase is yours to keep. KEY FEATURES • 26 fast, interactive Reflex Drills • Training for particles, sentence roles, verb forms, conditionals, keigo, and more • Reflex Scores measuring accuracy and response speed • Overall Japanese Brain Score from 0 to 105 • Adaptive Practice targeting specific weak skills • Master Your Misses focused review • Japanese Brain Vocabulary study • Customizable audio reviews and self-assessment quizzes • Friend challenges and leaderboards • Cloud sync and personalized progress tracking WHO IT’S FOR • Learners stuck translating Japanese in their heads • Intermediate and advanced learners who know Japanese but cannot process it quickly • Beginners who want to build strong foundations • Anyone preparing for the JLPT • Professionals, students, and residents in Japan • Busy learners who want efficient, focused practice • Anyone who wants to understand Japanese in real time Knowing Japanese is not the same as processing it automatically. Train your Japanese Brain. Build real reflexes. Understand Japanese faster.