Does Du Chinese Teach Japanese?
No. Du Chinese is a Mandarin Chinese app, and Mandarin is the only language on its site and in its App Store listing. It is known for stories sorted by level, audio recorded by people for every reading, and pinyin, meanings, and translations that show up when you tap.
There is a Japanese app from the same company, though. The App Store lists Sinamon AB as the maker of both Du Chinese and Yomu Yomu, and Yomu Yomu's website links back to Du Chinese. Du Chinese's About page even says the idea started in Japan, where one of its founders spent more time looking up characters than reading Japanese.
Below, Japanese apps are grouped by the parts of Du Chinese people come for. For courses, speaking apps, and tutors too, see our best apps to learn Japanese.
Which Japanese Apps Offer What Du Chinese Offers?
| What Du Chinese Offers | Japanese Apps That Offer It |
|---|---|
| Readings sorted by level | Bubblegum, Yomu Yomu, Todaii Japanese |
| Audio for every reading | Bubblegum, Yomu Yomu, Satori Reader |
| Reading help you can turn on and off | Bubblegum (furigana), Yomu Yomu (hiragana and romaji), Satori Reader (furigana) |
| Tap a word to see its meaning | Bubblegum, Yomu Yomu, Satori Reader, Todaii Japanese |
| A translation for each sentence | Bubblegum, Yomu Yomu, Satori Reader |
Japanese Stories at Your Level, With Audio
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, that you like ramen, trains, or a certain anime, and she writes Japanese lessons about it at your level. Tap a word to see what it means, or open the translation of a sentence when you get stuck. If you can't read kana yet, the free Hiragana and Katakana courses start from the first letter.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum is not a library of stories written by people. For that, Yomu Yomu and Satori Reader below are made by teams who write every story.
- Poppy writes each lesson for your level and the topics you pick.
- Show furigana over the kanji, or hide it when you're ready.
- Ask Poppy why a sentence is built the way it is.
- Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Books, manga, and articles you found yourself can't be added.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Kana
Mobile
Yomu Yomu
Yomu Yomu is the Japanese app from the company behind Du Chinese. Its App Store listing names the same tools: word meanings, audio, and translations, all without leaving the story. It suits learners who already like Du Chinese and want that kind of app for Japanese.
- Stories built from the most common Japanese words, from Beginner up.
- Switch kanji to hiragana, or turn romaji on and off.
- Audio plays in time with the text.
- Help with pitch accent while you read.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Kana
Mobile
Satori Reader
Satori Reader has more than 1,650 episodes, from folk tales to thrillers to documentaries. Its discussion section under each episode is where its team replies to readers. It suits learners who know some Japanese and want longer stories to follow week after week.
- Voice actors read every sentence aloud.
- Each tapped word shows the sense it has in that line.
- It shows kanji based on the ones you already know.
- Notes from its editors explain tricky lines and culture.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana (partly)
MobileWeb
Japanese News Sorted by JLPT Level
Todaii Japanese
Todaii Japanese turns news about culture, technology, and everyday life into reading practice at your JLPT level. It also has a dictionary and a chat with AI about each article. It suits learners who are studying for the JLPT and like reading about what's happening in Japan.
- More than 10 new articles a day, sorted from N5 to N1.
- One tap shows a word's meaning inside the article.
- JLPT mock tests and reading exercises.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana (partly)
Mobile
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Japanese reading app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Japanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Yomu Yomu if you'd like stories written by people, because its Beginner I story, The Diary of a Cat, is built on 250 words. Add Satori Reader once you can follow longer chapters.
Is Yomu Yomu the same app as Du Chinese?
No. Yomu Yomu has its own App Store listing and its own website, and both name Sinamon AB as its maker. Du Chinese covers Mandarin Chinese, and Yomu Yomu covers Japanese.
What is the Japanese version of pinyin?
Japanese uses furigana, small kana printed above a kanji to show how to read it. Kana are letters for sounds, so once you know hiragana and katakana you can read any furigana you see. Bubblegum, Yomu Yomu, and Satori Reader all let you show furigana and hide it again.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Du Chinese: Learn Chinese with stories (Mandarin reading and listening for iOS, Android and web)
- Du Chinese: About us (how the app started)
- Du Chinese: App Store listing (Mandarin Chinese stories, pinyin, audio, sentence translations; seller Sinamon AB)
- Yomu Yomu: Read and learn Japanese (word lookup, kanji or hiragana, romaji, pitch accent; © Sinamon AB)
- Yomu Yomu: App Store listing (seller Sinamon AB; audio synced with text, sentence translations, SRS flashcards)
- Satori Reader: Home page (more than 1,650 episodes; kanji, kana, or kanji with furigana)
- Satori Reader: How it works (translations for each sentence)
- Satori Reader: App Store listing (stories for intermediate learners, voice actors, adaptive kanji)
- Todaii Japanese: App Store listing (news from N5 to N1, one-touch lookup, JLPT mock tests)
- Bubblegum
- Satori Reader
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
