# Hiragana Times vs Nihongo Master Dictionary

Hiragana Times and Nihongo Master Dictionary both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Nihongo Master Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 20% of Hiragana Times's. Hiragana Times's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 21 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hiragana Times sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month and Nihongo Master Dictionary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Hiragana Times against 4.5 for Nihongo Master Dictionary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hiragana Times has 74 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 20% of Hiragana Times's written reviews are positive against 67% of Nihongo Master Dictionary's.

Hiragana Times ships an update every 2 weeks, Nihongo Master Dictionary every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hiragana Times | Nihongo Master Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiragana-times/id729245159/reviews) | **[4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-master-dictionary/id1672167556/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **74** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 20.5% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 23 MB | 242 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [We Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/867899879) | [Nihongo Master](https://appshunter.io/developer/1672167558) |

## What reviewers say

### Hiragana Times

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiragana-times/id729245159)

Learn Japanese and English simultaneously through a bilingual magazine featuring articles on Japanese culture and daily life. Enjoy side-by-side translations, furigana on kanji, and audio narration for an immersive learning experience. Access a library of issues or purchase them individually.

**Highlights:** Bilingual Japanese-English articles, Furigana on kanji, Katakana word translations, Japanese and English audio, Print magazine layout, Access to issue library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hiragana Times Digital Version | $5.49 | per month |
| 定期購読 | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Hiragana Times Digital Version | $41.99 | per 6 months |
| Hiragana Times Digital Version | $55.99 | per year |
| Hiragana Times Digital Version | $66.99 | per year |
| ひらがなタイムズ2013年12月号 | $4.99 | one-time |
| ひらがなタイムズ2016年2月号 | $4.99 | one-time |
| ひらがなタイムズ2016年5月号 | $4.99 | one-time |
| ひらがなタイムズ2022年11月号 | $5.99 | one-time |
| ひらがなタイムズ2023年01月号 | $5.99 | one-time |


### Nihongo Master Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-master-dictionary/id1672167556)

This Japanese dictionary app helps users quickly find words and kanji with example sentences and JLPT levels. Create custom study lists and use flashcards to build vocabulary. It also offers popular study lists for common situations like travel and work.

**Highlights:** Word and kanji lookup, Example sentences, Related kanji information, JLPT level indicators, Custom study lists, Flashcard vocabulary builder, Popular situational study lists

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hiragana Times free?

Hiragana Times is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nihongo Master Dictionary free?

Nihongo Master Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hiragana Times or Nihongo Master Dictionary?

Nihongo Master Dictionary is rated higher. Hiragana Times averages 4.4 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Nihongo Master Dictionary averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.

### Do Hiragana Times or Nihongo Master Dictionary have ads?

Nihongo Master Dictionary shows ads; Hiragana Times does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hiragana Times or Nihongo Master Dictionary?

Hiragana Times ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nihongo Master Dictionary every 21 months. Most recently, Hiragana Times was updated on November 6, 2026 and Nihongo Master Dictionary on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*