FirstKaruta vs 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FirstKaruta
This app helps children memorize the Hyakunin Isshu by breaking down the 100 poems into smaller groups. It offers various menus, including practice modes, a cat character opponent, and a quick memorization tool, all with furigana and child-friendly explanations.
- Memorize poems in small groups
- Furigana for all text
- Child-friendly explanations of poem meanings
- Audio readings by a professional voice actor
- Practice modes and opponent battles
- Quick memorization tool for fixed phrases
- Includes 101 poems, including competitive karuta intro songs
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Begin your child's first steps into Hyakunin Isshu with Chamame the cat. This Japanese karuta learning app helps children from age 3 enjoy and memorize all 100 classic poems, gently and at their own pace. Every screen includes furigana, with clear narration by a trained vocalist. "100 poems is far too many." "The old words make no sense." These are the two walls that trip children up, and Hajimete Karuta was built to break down both. ◆ Learn alongside Chamame the cat With a charming companion by their side, children keep going. Winning and losing at karuta makes them naturally want to learn more. ◆ 100 poems, a little at a time The full set is split into small groups and practiced in a steady cycle — letters, meaning, sound, key syllables (kimariji), and a final challenge — so it sinks in without feeling overwhelming. ◆ Furigana on everything, so even young children can play alone From the reading cards to the poem explanations, every screen includes furigana. Any child who can read hiragana can focus and play on their own. ◆ When the meaning clicks, the poems stop being a mystery Even the love and quiet sadness in the poems are retold in short, gentle words, so each one feels close and familiar. ◆ Easy-to-hear narration by a real voice Recorded by a trained vocalist with the warm, gentle tone of a mother — clear, correctly pronounced Japanese. ◆ Learn the key syllables naturally The kimariji, the opening syllables that decide a card, make all the difference in karuta. Children pick them up through play. ◆ More to explore, a full set of modes - Kimariji speed memorization: sort the cards you know from the ones you don't, and repeat just the tricky ones - Recitation: 101 poems recorded, including the joka opening verse used in competitive karuta, so you can play real karuta with your own cards - Card sweep: check the key syllables from the second half of each poem, great for competitive karuta practice A great first step toward competitive karuta, too. For ages 3 to adult — your child's Hyakunin Isshu debut, right at home. - Recommended age: 3 and up - Save data: up to 3 players per device (great for siblings) - Universal app for iPhone and iPad
小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!
Master fifth-grade Japanese kanji with interactive drills covering reading, writing, and stroke order. Features daily lessons, progress tracking, and tests to reinforce learning. Supports school-use settings for multiple students.
- Learn 193 fifth-grade kanji
- Interactive reading and writing practice
- Stroke order animation and correction
- Daily kanji study habit builder
- Progress tracking and saved exercises
- Kanji reading and writing tests
- School-use multi-user setting
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Since its release in 2011, the "Elementary School Kanji Drill" series is a long-selling app that has been used not only by individual users but also by schools and cram schools. This app series supports all 1026 characters that elementary school students learn in 6 years. In accordance with the 2020 revised elementary school curriculum guidelines, this app covers 193 kanji learned in the fifth grade of elementary school. About This App: “The Fifth Grade Kanji Learning Drill” covers all 193 kanji characters learned by fifth grade elementary school students in Japan. You can acquire kanji reading and writing skills through interactive exercises, all while having fun. By learning proper stroke order, you will also gain beautiful kanji writing skill. 10 new kanji characters are studied per day, so it’s easy to build a good learning habit. Completed exercises are marked and saved, so it’s easy to keep track of your progress. Test function can be used to test your kanji knowledge and what you have learned. When a kanji is written with improper stroke order, a “re-do” function allows you to learn the correct stroke order. All kanji practices are saved, so you can start your exercise from where you left off. Memorized kanji characters are marked, so you can visually keep track of your daily accomplishments. [App Function] School-use setting (multi-user setting) is now available. Administrator can enter a password to manage students’ information. [How to use] Turn on “school-use” in settings and enter administrator password. Each student’s name and password can be registered. Lists of school and student names are displayed. Students can select their name and enter password to start their exercise. ■Practice: ・ Learn to read and write all 193 kanji characters learned by fifth grade elementary school students in Japan ・ Study each kanji’s meaning and how to use it through a variety of example sentences ・ Stroke order is demonstrated through animations ・ Practice correct kanji stroke order ・ Both kanji readings, onyomi (sound reading) and kunyomi (meaning reading), are displayed ・ Each kanji character is practiced 5 times ■Kanji Writing Check: ・ Each kanji writing is checked ・ Practicing kanji have to be mastered before moving on to the next new kanji ・ Correctly written kanji characters are marked, so it’s easy to check your progress ■Kanji Reading Check: ・ Each kanji reading is checked ・ Get both onyomi and kunyomi correct before moving on to the next kanji ・ Kana chart can be used to check your hiragana writing ■Test Function: ・ Writing and reading skills can be tested with randomly selected kanji ・ Total of 20 kanji (10 writing, 10 reading) are tested and scored ・ Receive a medal based on your score ・ Challenge as many times as you like and score 100% ■Additional Test Function: ・ Additional exams are available to strengthen your kanji skills ■Score Function: ・ National score ranking chart is available, and it can be filtered by: age, gender or city ・ “National average” displays national average score, number of registered users and average user age ・ “City ranking” displays average score and number of registered users by city ■Setting: ・ Kanji Display Order Setting: Relevance/Stroke Count/Kana Syllabary/Custom ・ Audio: On/Off ・ Clear Practice Record ・ Skip Function ・ Display Kana Guide ・ Multi-user Setting
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FirstKaruta at none against 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!'s 1. FirstKaruta also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!'s advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 70%). On ads, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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
FirstKaruta costs $3.99 and 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! $4.99 up front. 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. FirstKaruta asks for nothing beyond the download.
FirstKaruta ships an update fortnightly, 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FirstKaruta | 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 149 MB | 157 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | polygondrill co.,Ltd. | Gloding Inc. |
Customer experience
FirstKaruta
小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!
In-app purchases
FirstKaruta
No in-app purchases
小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!
- 小5漢字ドリル 令和2年度版追加ドリル$1.99
Questions
Is FirstKaruta free?
Is 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! free?
Do FirstKaruta or 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター! have ads?
Which is updated more often, FirstKaruta or 小5漢字ドリル 基礎からマスター!?
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