Comparison

Kanji Draw vs Kanji123

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

Head to head
About

Kanji Draw

Master Japanese Kanji with interactive study and quiz modes. Learn through association, writing practice, and reading comprehension exercises. Features native speaker audio and real-world word examples to prepare you for exams.

Highlights
  • Interactive Kanji writing practice
  • Reading comprehension quizzes
  • Associate kanji with images/stories
  • Native speaker audio pronunciation
  • JLPT exam preparation
  • Real-world word examples
Features
Read full description

Now with the 3,000 most used kanji in Japan! From your very first kanji all the way to reading a Japanese newspaper — Kanji Draw now covers the complete journey: every kanji taught in Japanese schools, every JLPT level from N5 to N1, and the most frequent kanji of everyday Japanese. All 3,000 of them, beautifully organized and ready to study. Kanji Draw is the most complete and fun tool to learn and practice kanji! The 3 ways to remember a kanji are: • Associate it with a story or image. • Associate it with a sound. • Write the kanji over and over again. Well, you can do all this with Kanji Draw. WHAT'S INSIDE • 3,000 kanji, organized into themed lessons: Actions, Nature, People, Time, Animals and more. • Over 12,000 example words — real, everyday vocabulary. No need to waste time on words that no one uses anymore. • Japanese audio for every reading and every example word. Tap any word and hear it spoken aloud. • Stroke-order diagrams with numbered strokes and direction arrows for every single kanji. • Elegant brush-style kanji in the classic textbook form used in Japanese schools. Lessons hold hundreds of kanji each, but you choose your own pace: enable just the kanji you want to study, add more little by little, and watch your collection grow. HOW TO USE KANJI DRAW There are 3 modes: STUDY KANJI, KANJI QUIZ and MEANING QUIZ. • STUDY KANJI You typically start with the STUDY MODE. Here you can focus on each kanji. Write something about it that will help you remember it later, or make a drawing about it. If you are out of ideas try importing someone else's text or drawing. You can also take a picture or import an image from your photo gallery, maybe a fun image that you found on the web... Don't forget to share your text or image with the community! (if you use Game Center your user name will be displayed next to your creations) To learn how to use the kanji in Japanese, check the details card. Here you will find the most used words containing the selected kanji, along with the readings in HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. Tap any word to hear its reading spoken in Japanese. Tapping the icons next to the examples will access an online dictionary with more information and hundreds of sentences. Courtesy of Denshi Jisho (the best online dictionary). Next, it's practice time! Select the kanji that you want to practice and start a quiz. (We recommend practicing about 10 kanji each time) You have full control of how much help you want during the quiz. • KANJI QUIZ Look at the reading and meanings on the details card and try to guess the correct kanji. On the right, you can choose to show your text or drawing, or simply swipe sideways to hide this card. The left card is where you answer. Find the correct kanji and tap it. Or even better, switch to draw mode and use your finger to write the kanji. You can start by writing on top of a guide showing the stroke order and direction, and when you're ready, hide this hint and you're on your own. • MEANING QUIZ The MEANING QUIZ is similar but you are shown the kanji and must choose the correct meaning. Note: Kanji Draw started with 333 kanji. Today it has 3,000 — and every update has been free for everyone who unlocked the lessons. That's a promise we keep: unlock once, grow forever. We believe Kanji Draw truly is the best and most fun way to study kanji. And we hope you enjoy it!

About

Kanji123

Features
Read full description

A new type of "Kanji" (Japanese characters) learning application! Have you ever tried to memorize letters one by one? That way is too hard and too boring! You should learn not only characters, but also "How to use". Let's study 123 Kanjis with vocabulary! ・Understand - All vocabulary have translation and Pronunciation (Audio). ・Write - detailed data about how to write (stroke order) ・Read - Flash card function to memorize how to read ・Check - Test for checking your kanji skill.

Screenshots

Kanji Draw4 screens
Kanji1234 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kanji123 at every 9 days against Kanji Draw's every 16 months. 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. Kanji Draw sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Kanji123 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanji Draw ships an update every 16 months, Kanji123 every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Kanji Draw versus Kanji123: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanji DrawKanji123
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOktoidShoichi Kuwahara

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Kanji Draw

One-time1
  • Unlock All Lessons$3.99
1 purchases

Kanji123

One-time1
  • Kanji123 Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Kanji Draw free?
Kanji Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kanji123 free?
Kanji123 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Kanji Draw or Kanji123 have ads?
Neither Kanji Draw nor Kanji123 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kanji Draw or Kanji123?
Kanji Draw ships an update every 16 months, and Kanji123 every 9 days. Most recently, Kanji Draw was updated on September 18, 2026 and Kanji123 on September 14, 2026.

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