Best JPN/JLPT study apps
Are you having trouble with kanji, hiragana, katakana, or all three of them? Over the past year, I’ve downloaded many apps onto my Ios (both free and paid). I have books that I like to study from as well but,….. sometimes you just want an app, you know?. Why not?
FYI, the majority of the apps on this list require a purchase.
After testing a handful of different apps, these are the ones I personally think are worth the download and price (if not free). Also, I have seen some of them on google play store for those that got androids tablet or phone. However, I’m not sure about the pricing.
(As always, click thumbnail pic to in large.)
Best JPN/JLPT study apps
In no particular order:
Dr. Moku’s Hiragana by, Wukomi.
This app helps you remember basic hiragana (Seion) by using the mnemonic system. This is by far the best app I’ve tried. Within a week or so, I came to remember the whole hiragana chart completely. If I was to try and remember the chart the traditional way, just write and repeat, I know it would take me much longer.
Dr. Moku’s Katakana
OK, so between hiragana and katakana, I hate katakana the most. I personally find them a little harder to remember for some reason. Probably because this set all look so similar to each other, with the straight lines (if you know what I mean). Thank goodness for Dr. Moku’s!. Well, this will help you with basic katakana.
Note: Both links are to the one I purchased. A free trial are available as well, though.
Japanese Kanji Flash Cards by, Yasuharu Tsuchidate
This app is a bit different from what I’m normally used to seeing from kanji apps. It’s taught similarly to how Japanese schools teach their kids. The grading goes from grade 1 to 6 (primary – junior high), plus high school.
It starts off easy and gradually gets a little harder as the grade gets higher (1,940 characters total).
Another thing I appreciate from this app is, it includes a section for those interested in taking the JLPT exams.
There are 1,931 characters and, set up from N5 through N1. It is by far one of the best out there.
Note: I forgot if this app was free or not when I got it. But according to the reviews, IT IS!. But it may change in the future so, hurry while you still can!.
小学生漢字ドリル (Shogakusei Kanji Doriru) by, Gloding Inc.
The newest kanji app that I stumbled upon, and probably my favorite by far. It’s got a lot of unique features, and you can tell a lot of thoughts were put into it.
Everything is set in a marathon theme and you can track what percentage you are at until you finish that round. You get to practice strokes order for each character. Not to mention, it’s got audio, for accurate pronunciation, tests, and so much more!.
The downside of this app, however, is since it’s aimed towards those that already know Japanese (i.e, KIDS) it’s all in Japanese!.
If I, with my beginner-level Japanese can function through this app like a breeze, you surely can do the same. In other words, if you’ve gotten the hiragana and katakana down, you will do just fine!.
Note: The link I provided is for the bundle pack, which you get all 6 levels (grades). I personally decided to go with the bundle but, you can get them separably. There is a free trial version available as well.
Kana Bimoji Japanese Master
If you are worried about getting the strokes order correct, this is a good one. Not only does it helps you memorize the orders (example 1), but also…form? (don’t know the word for it). And you also get scored for accuracy!.
Note: This was free!
Scribe Japanese by, Guiix Pty Ltd
I have to admit, at the beginning of trying this app, it was kinda confusing and messy to me cause there was so much stuff on there, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do!.
But with a little exploring around, you come to figure out what it’s about.
This is good for studying for your JLPT exams. My favorite part about his app is the breakdown of every character, to the very root (example 1, 2, 3 ).
Example:
It’s also got audio, for pronunciation. There are matching games to test what you know. Not to mention it’s got a good list of vocabularies to learn along the way.
Note: This app was shown as “free” for download. But, there is an in-app purchase necessary, if you want to access all the stuff on there (like most apps). This was probably the most expensive app on this list. So, test the free version first to see how you like it.
Do you have a favorite app? Or what is your favorite way of studying?
