A Japanese word can arrive in kana, in kanji or in both, so where your words come from changes what you need to know first. Each app below is compared by where its words come from, how review works and what is free. If you want courses, tutors or speaking practice, see our Japanese app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Japanese. You learn from Japanese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Japanese lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- The Hiragana and Katakana course teaches kana from the first letter.
- Every lesson is written at your level, about things you like.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Japanese Hiragana course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- You can't turn manga or Japanese books you own into lessons. However, you can send Poppy a photo of a page, and she'll explain it line by line.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Kana
Mobile
Satori Reader
Satori Reader suits learners who want each saved word to come with the sentence it was used in. Stories have human notes, and kanji display adapts to what you know.
- Tap a word in a story and the saved card keeps its original sentence.
- Replay that sentence in a native voice, and review cards with spaced repetition.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana (partly)
MobileWeb
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who want a word list built from Japanese texts they chose. Tap the words you don't know and they join your review.
- Tap a word you don't know and save it as a LingQ, then review it later.
- Spaced repetition shows each saved word again in context.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana (partly)
MobileWeb
jpdb
jpdb suits learners who want to study the words in a text they chose. Its sentence cards are picked using the words you already know.
- Paste Japanese text and get its words in a study order.
- Review tracks words across decks and teaches the kanji you need first.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Kana
Web
Takoboto
Takoboto suits learners who want a dictionary that also keeps their lists. Entries show example phrases, kanji details, conjugations and pitch accent.
- Search by kanji, kana, romaji or a conjugated form.
- Save favorites and custom word lists, or use the ready-made study lists.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana (partly)
MobileWeb
WaniKani
WaniKani suits learners who want kanji and words taught in an order, with English explanations. Membership is USD 9 a month, USD 89 a year or USD 299 once, with tax where it applies.
- Learn kanji and vocabulary in a set sequence with mnemonics.
- Reviews are scheduled.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Kana
Web
Drops
In Drops, each Japanese word has a picture and audio, and short games practice it. You follow its word lists instead of building your own.
- Each Japanese word is shown with a picture and audio.
- Go back to a word through Favorites, Quiz or your Word Collection.
- Teaches Kana (partly)
Mobile
Anki
Anki keeps whatever you put on a card: a word, its kana reading, a sentence. Use the free desktop program and AnkiWeb, buy AnkiMobile once for iPhone, or use the separate AnkiDroid app on Android. To get started with decks, read Is Anki good for language learning?.
- Make cards with kanji, kana, a sentence or audio, as you choose.
- Choose SM-2 or FSRS to decide when each card returns.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Kana
MobileWeb
| App | Word source | Review | Sentence and audio | Kana and kanji | English help | Free boundary | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Hiragana and Katakana course | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro | iPhone, iPad |
| Satori Reader | Stories you read | Spaced repetition | Card keeps the sentence and native-voice audio | Kanji display adapts to you | Yes | First two episodes of each series free, some series free in full; Pro opens the rest | iPhone, iPad |
| LingQ | Text and audio you import | Spaced repetition | Matching text and audio | Japanese course available | Yes | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| jpdb | Text you paste, or media decks | Spaced repetition | Sentence cards | Kanji taught as needed | Yes | Web sign-up; price unconfirmed | Web |
| Takoboto | Dictionary lookups | Favorites and word lists | Example phrases; text-to-speech | Kanji, kana and romaji search | Yes | Free on iPhone | iPhone, iPad |
| WaniKani | Set kanji and word sequence | Scheduled reviews | Mnemonics | Kanji-led | Yes | Free introductory levels; membership paid | Web |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Favorites, Quiz, Word Collection | Pictures and audio | Japanese script named in listing | Yes | 5 minutes every 10 hours | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Anki | Cards you make | SM-2 or FSRS | Only if the card has them | Whatever you type | Your own cards | Desktop and AnkiWeb free; AnkiMobile paid once | iPhone, iPad, Android, computer |
To find Japanese stories and shows to take words from, see our Japanese comprehensible input app comparison.
Which Japanese vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Japanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose WaniKani if you want kanji taught in order. Choose Drops for a ready-made picture list.
Can I turn a Japanese text into a word list?
jpdb lets you paste text and study its words, and LingQ lets you import lessons. Bubblegum does not turn your own books into lessons, but Poppy will explain a page you paste or photograph.
Do I need to know kana before I save words?
It helps, because most apps show words in kana and kanji. The Hiragana course teaches kana from the first letter.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Satori Reader: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Satori Reader: FAQ
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- LingQ: what's free
- jpdb: official site
- Takoboto: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Takoboto: official site
- WaniKani: Premium membership
- WaniKani: official site
- Drops: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Drops: what's free
- AnkiMobile: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Anki manual: scheduling and cards
- Bubblegum
- Satori Reader
- LingQ
- Takoboto
- Drops
- Anki
