Comparison

Sand Nihongo vs Learn Hiragana

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

Head to head
About

Sand Nihongo

Features
Read full description

Tap, Listen, Write Japanese - Sand Nihongo No complicated lessons. Just a few taps a day. Start from hiragana and katakana basics, all the way to JLPT vocabulary and real-world sentences and learn Japanese the way that fits you. How you learn • Multiple-choice quizzes - memorize the easy way by picking the right answer • Listening - train your ear with Japanese pronunciation every day • Kanji writing - trace every stroke by hand and make it stick • Time attack - test your skills against the clock From basics to fluency • Master hiragana & katakana completely • Vocabulary - essential words organized by category • Sentences - pick up conversational feel with expressions you'll actually use Built to keep you going • Stats & progress - see your history and growth at a glance • Light, intuitive screens made for daily practice Start today and grow a little closer to Japanese every day. • Terms of Use (EULA) : https://sandpia.com/sand-nihongo/terms • Privacy Policy : https://sandpia.com/sand-nihongo/privacy

About

Learn Hiragana

Read full description

Learn the shapes and stroke order of Japanese hiragana by tracing each letter with your finger. Built for young children (ages 3–7) and for anyone learning Japanese. Follow the guide A pen-tip marker glides along each stroke from the green start point to the red end point, showing the correct order and direction. Trace along and feel a gentle tap as your line takes shape (on iPhone, and when tracing with Apple Pencil Pro). Every finished character is graded with a familiar Japanese mark: a flower (excellent), a circle (good), or a cross (try again). What you get • All 46 basic hiragana, laid out on the classic gojūon chart • Stroke-order guide with numbered start/end points and animation • Pronunciation audio for every letter, plus sound effects • Adjustable difficulty for how strictly your tracing is judged • Apple Pencil support: stroke thickness follows your pressure, and Apple Pencil Pro adds haptics you can feel as you trace (requires an iPad that supports Apple Pencil Pro) • Words while you practice: as you work on a letter, an illustrated word appears with that letter left blank—trace it in to complete the word • Shuffle practice: run through your unlocked letters in random order • My Garden: watch flowers grow as you practice, and compare today's writing with your very first try • Romaji readings to support learners (in non-Japanese languages) Made for little hands and grown-up learners Playful marks and sounds keep children engaged, while a calm, uncluttered layout works just as well for adults. Purchases are protected behind a parents' gate. The app works offline and needs no account. Free and Pass The five letters あ・い・う・え・お are free forever. Unlock all 46 letters with a 1-Month or 1-Year Pass—these are one-time and non-renewing, so nothing is charged automatically. Available on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Sand Nihongo4 screens
Learn Hiragana4 screens

Verdict

The call

Sand Nihongo and Learn Hiragana are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Sand Nihongo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.59 per month and Learn Hiragana sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sand Nihongo ships an update every 2 weeks, Learn Hiragana fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Sand Nihongo versus Learn Hiragana: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSand NihongoLearn Hiragana
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.5 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSandpiaSURVITAC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sand Nihongo

Subscriptions1
  • Premium - Monthly$1.591 Month
One-time1
  • Premium - Lifetime$4.59
2 purchases

Learn Hiragana

One-time2
  • 1-Month Pass$2.99
  • 1-Year Pass$5.99

Questions

Is Sand Nihongo free?
Sand Nihongo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Learn Hiragana free?
Learn Hiragana is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sand Nihongo or Learn Hiragana have ads?
Both Sand Nihongo and Learn Hiragana show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sand Nihongo or Learn Hiragana?
Sand Nihongo ships an update every 2 weeks, and Learn Hiragana fortnightly. Most recently, Sand Nihongo was updated on October 16, 2026 and Learn Hiragana on October 29, 2026.

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