17 Best Apps to Learn Japanese (Which Tool Fits Your Learning Style?)

Learning Japanese can feel like juggling kanji, grammar, and speaking all at once while you try to find an app that actually helps. Among top language learning apps, some stand out for spaced-repetition flashcards and kanji practice. In contrast, others focus on grammar lessons, vocabulary builders, conversation practice, listening drills, or JLPT prep with tutors and study plans. This guide shows the best apps for learning Japanese and helps you choose the tool that best fits your learning style.

To make that choice easier, Pingo AI offers an AI language-learning app that adapts to your pace with personalized lessons, targeted kanji and vocabulary work, and real speaking practice, so you can compare what actually helps you learn.

Summary

• Conversation-first practice produces usable Japanese faster; 90% of users reported improved Japanese skills after guided audio use (JapanesePod101), indicating realistic speaking practice consistently drives progress. This is where Pingo AI fits in, by simulating natural dialogues that force real-time response generation.
• Spaced repetition remains central to durable retention; users report a 50% improvement in vocabulary retention with targeted SRS, which explains why learners pair conversation tools with dedicated review systems. Pingo AI addresses this by pairing conversational sessions with targeted kanji and vocabulary work.
• Habit design matters more than flashy content. The guide recommends five minutes of spoken practice every day and notes that five to ten minutes between meetings can be a realistic study window for many learners. This is where Pingo AI fits in, offering short roleplay sessions that match those brief daily windows.
• Early script mastery delivers significant returns; hiragana and katakana each have 46 basic characters, and learning them early unlocks reading, pronunciation, and furigana comprehension quickly. Pingo AI addresses this by including beginner modes that combine script practice with spoken drills.
• Feedback should teach the next move, not punish attempts, and concrete habit rules like three new readings a week and adding one kanji to your review deck daily make progress measurable and sustainable. This is where Pingo AI fits in, by providing immediate, repeatable corrective feedback during simulated conversations.
• Choose by testing, not promises. The recommended one-week trial uses five checks, including a short conversation task and exporting five phrases to judge fit under pressure. Pingo AI fits here as a trialable, conversation-first option with exportable phrases and a free starter so that learners can run that checklist.

17 Best Apps to Learn Japanese

Conversation-first practice gets you usable Japanese faster than memorizing lists, and the apps below show the mix of approaches learners actually rely on, such as realistic speaking practice, focused SRS, clear grammar, and graded reading. I list each app with what it does best, where it falls short, and how people commonly combine it with other tools to fix the gaps.

1. Pingo

Pingo prioritizes spoken fluency by simulating natural dialogues with expressive AI, so you practice asking for things, handling small talk, and recovering from mistakes, not just repeating lines.

In conversations with learners I coach, people repeatedly say that this kind of practice ends the paralysis that follows textbook drills, because it forces response generation under realistic timing and intonation. Use case, tip, and tradeoff. Do short daily roleplay sessions for travel and work scenarios, then pair Pingo with an SRS app for durable recall.

2. Anki

Anki is the go-to spaced repetition system for heavy customization. It converts any word list, JLPT deck, or sentence example into durable flashcards and lets you tune intervals, card formats, and audio.

People often grumble about the iOS cost, but once you set up a disciplined deck, it becomes the engine for long-term retention, especially when you add context sentences rather than isolated items. Practical note, and a simple workflow like build sentence-based cards on desktop, then use mobile for quick daily reviews.

3. Obenkyo

Obenkyo is an Android-first toolkit for kana, kanji, and grammar drills with handwriting recognition that corrects stroke order and form. Learners value immediate corrective feedback because kanji without formative feedback can become rote and brittle. If you need guide rails for your writing, use Obenkyo for handwriting practice and a separate SRS for spaced review.

4. imiwa?

imiwa? is an elegantly compact offline dictionary for iPhone with strong lookup flexibility, including SKIP and radical-based searches, as well as clipboard lookup. For anyone who reads Japanese on-device, that clipboard lookup saves momentum; people tell me this tiny convenience keeps them reading for longer stretches. Pair imiwa? with a reading app, so lookup interruptions are quick and invisible.

5. Kanji Dojo

Kanji Dojo targets kanji mastery with stroke-order animations, readings, and an SRS schedule capped at daily limits to keep study sustainable. The app covers thousands of characters and is customizable for JLPT or other study sets, making it a practical follow-up to learning basic kana. If handwriting is your blocker, Kanji Dojo keeps practice bite-sized and repeatable.

6. Duolingo

Duolingo gives low-friction entry into hiragana and katakana and keeps you motivated through gamified streaks and varied question types. The common complaint is that it stays surface-level past basic proficiency, so use it to build momentum, then move to tools that force productive output. Keep DuoLingo as a warm-up, not your core production practice.

7. Todaii

Todaii provides leveled news articles with furigana and in-line glosses, which is ideal for turning passive recognition into practical reading stamina. The free tier lets you do a few articles a day, and the paid upgrade adds JLPT tests and audio. Learners I know use Todaii as their daily graded input, then copy difficult passages into a dictionary app for deeper study.

8. BunPro

BunPro is a focused grammar SRS that organizes points by JLPT level and tests you with fill-in-the-blank sentences. The immediate feedback and links to reference guides make it a compact way to convert abstract grammar into executable patterns. Use BunPro after you encounter a grammar point in conversation practice, so the rule anchors to the real usage you just experienced.

9. Renshuu

Renshuu is highly configurable and mixes vocabulary, kanji, and even puns with a playful interface and a strong review algorithm. The power here is control; you pick what to study, and the app will schedule it intelligently. Many learners tell me that Renshuu’s customization is what keeps them consistent when goals shift from JLPT prep to conversational topics.

10. JA Sensei

JA Sensei for Android is an all-in-one with kana, thousands of kanji, grammar notes, audio, and stroke animations. It is device-limited but comprehensive, which makes it a good single-device hub if you are on Android. If you need one place to track breadth of study, JA Sensei does the job, but you may still want an external SRS for long-term spacing.

11. Human Japanese

Human Japanese reads like a patient teacher in app form, with clear explanations, analogies, and gentle quizzes after each lesson. For people who want conceptual clarity before drilling, this app reduces confusion and makes rules feel intuitive. Treat it as your explanatory backbone and then practice the same forms in conversation.

12. Japanese (by Renzo Inc.)

Renzo’s app shines in presentation, showing audio, kana, and kanji neatly aligned so reading and listening map to meaning instantly. Design improves usability, and for many learners, that means less friction and more time studying. If you get stalled by clumsy interfaces, this app’s clarity is worth using alongside a stronger SRS.

13. Shinobi: Read Japanese Stories

Shinobi teaches with illustrated short stories that introduce grammar and vocabulary in context, complete with tap-to-translate and comprehension checks. Learning vocabulary through narratives keeps it memorable because it comes attached to the scene and character. For reading fluency and language in context, Shinobi beats isolated lists every time.

14. Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese

Tae Kim is a logical, no-frills grammar guide that explains why structures work and links grammar to practice examples. It is indispensable when you want conceptual understanding, even if it is not gamified. Use it as your anchor when rules feel inconsistent or when you need a clean mental model to reuse in conversation.

15. Lang-8’s HiNative-Language Learning

HiNative connects you with native speakers who correct your writing and explain natural phrasing, turning textbook sentences into usable language. The reciprocity model means you get authentic feedback and practical alternatives, beneficial for idiomatic repairs you will not find in grammar guides. Use HiNative after Pingo-like practice to get a human check on phrasing.

16. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone uses an immersion method, with image-audio pairings and speech recognition, to train pronunciation and listening skills without translations. If your goal is to think in Japanese and sharpen ear training, Rosetta Stone helps build automaticity, though you will still need explicit grammar study to tidy up accuracy. People often combine it with grammar references to close that gap.

17. Memrise

Memrise emphasizes authentic native-speaker video clips, SRS vocabulary review, and colloquial phrases so you learn how Japanese is actually spoken on the street. That live input trains rhythm and intonation in ways that generated audio sometimes cannot. For learners who want natural phrasing, Memrise supplies the raw material and an SRS cycle to lock it in.

How Learners Actually Use These Tools

Most of us do not rely on a single app. The strategy that consistently works is to combine a conversation-first practice tool with one dedicated SRS and a reliable dictionary or reading app. This mirrors what learners tell me that the conversation builds usable output, SRS preserves it, and a fast lookup prevents momentum loss while reading.

Related Reading

• Top Language Learning Apps
• Babbel vs Duolingo
• How Much Is Duolingo Max
• How Much Does Babbel Cost
• Best Apps to Learn Spanish
• Rosetta Stone vs Duolingo
• Busuu vs Duolingo
• Duolingo Alternatives

What Makes a Great Language Learning App?

An excellent language app turns learning into repeatable action, not occasional inspiration. It removes friction so you practice often, then gives feedback you can act on immediately, so words turn into usable speech and confidence grows.

How Do You Get Someone to Actually Show Up?

Habit design matters more than flashcards. Present a tiny next step, two clear paths, and a simple checklist that lives where the user already is.

In conversations with learners I coach, people repeatedly say they need small, achievable actions that require almost no willpower, otherwise they drift back to passive habits. Build lessons around micro-tasks, persistent to-dos, and predictable rewards that feel encouraging rather than punitive, and you convert intention into routine.

What Counts as Fair, Effective Feedback?

Feedback must teach the next move, not punish the attempt. Learners told me they feel demoralized when apps interrupt flow with paywalls or opaque penalties, or when “correct” effort still feels penalized.

A great app surfaces targeted, actionable corrections, a short replay of your pronunciation with a precise tip, a one-sentence grammar fix tied to the exact phrase you tried, or an optional drill that practices the single error that tripped you up. Timing matters too. Provide help when mistakes occur, and give control over response windows for scripts that take longer to parse.

How Do Lessons Transfer to Messy Real Life?

Design practice that mirrors the friction and unfinished business of honest conversations. Use branching role plays, interruptions, and deliberately imperfect prompts so learners learn to recover, rephrase, and ask for clarification.

Think of training like a simulator that throws realistic problems at you, not a straight rehearsal where everything goes according to script. That practice builds fluency you can actually use in a meeting, at a restaurant, or during a tense interview.

How Should the App Behave Around Attention and Money?

Respect the user’s time and cognitive load. Avoid mechanics that gate progress based on consumption or impose waiting periods that break rhythm. Learners consistently choose tools that are predictable and transparent; when design choices feel like tricks to extract money, trust evaporates, and people look elsewhere. Offer clear free paths, reasonable paid upgrades, and controls over notifications so the app nudges without nagging.

How Does an App Help Me Become Myself Again in Another Language?

Content should help you speak about who you are, not about abstract phrases. Let users choose themes tied to hobbies, work, or identity, and provide shareable conversation starters they can use with friends or partners. I’ve seen learners describe language practice as a way to rediscover themselves, and the apps that support personal storytelling and social feedback amplify that change.

How to Choose the Right Japanese App for You

Choose an app that fits the life you actually have, not the ideal study plan you wish you had. Match session length, feedback style, and how much control you want over your study material, then test those matches in real use before paying.

What Does Your Daily Routine Realistically Allow?

If you only have five to ten minutes between meetings, pick an app that delivers tangible wins in that window. Try a quick, scripted task during a free trial and see whether you can finish it without switching apps or getting distracted. People I talk with often quit not because the content was harmful, but because lessons demanded more uninterrupted time than they actually had.

Do You Want Corrective Coaching or Gentle Exposure?

Decide whether your priority is immediate correction that forces you to change how you speak, or repeated exposure that improves comprehension quietly. Learners I work with repeatedly say they felt stuck after passive exposure alone, and only gained usable speech when feedback told them precisely what to change and how to practice it. If speaking is the aim, prioritize tools that mark errors and suggest the following exercise you can run in the same session.

How Much Control Do You Need Over What You Learn?

Some people want curated paths, others want to capture phrases from shows and conversations. Ask whether the app lets you export vocab, save sentences, or push content to another review system. That control matters because your interest and motivation live in personally relevant material; losing that link makes study feel generic and forgettable.

How Steep a Setup Curve Will You Tolerate?

Powerful systems often require setup and habit architecture. If a tool takes an hour to configure and become useful, you must decide whether you have that patience.

I’ve seen learners abandon excellent apps because they felt like technical chores rather than study partners. Favor tools with straightforward onboarding, examples, and community tips if you know you dislike fiddling.

Which Trust Signals Matter to You?

Cost is one signal, but so are licensing, privacy, and active maintenance. Many learners worry about ethically sourced content and whether a product will still exist next year. Check recent update history, privacy policy, and whether the team publishes release notes. Those small checks save emotional pain and wasted subscriptions later.

What Happens When You Hit a Plateau?

Look for features that let you level up without switching apps, such as progressive difficulty, mentor or community hooks, or exportable data you can hand to a tutor. People often underestimate how demoralizing a plateau can be; when it arrives, the easiest way out is an app that offers a next-stage path rather than a dead end.

How Should You Test an App in One Week?

Run a focused trial, try a short conversation task, assess the quality of feedback, export or save five phrases, test offline play, and note how annoying or helpful the interface feels under pressure. If those five checks pass, you have a viable tool for longer-term use. This is a pragmatic exam that weeds out shiny promises from genuinely helpful practice.

Pingo: AI-Powered App to Learn Japanese Through Conversation

Pingo's AI language-learning app is redefining language learning through conversation-first practice powered by expressive AI, letting learners engage in immersive, real-world dialogue, from ordering food to making new friends.

With adaptive feedback, personalized exercises, two modes for beginners and advanced learners, and a free starter option, Pingo helps you build speaking confidence faster by talking, not memorizing.

Related Reading

• Memrise vs Duolingo
• Best Apps to Learn French
• Best Apps to Learn Mandarin
• Lingodeer vs Duolingo
• Pimsleur vs Babbel
• Best Apps to Learn Arabic
• Best Apps for Learning English
• Jumpspeak vs Duolingo

9 Best Tips for Learning Japanese

1. Start Learning Japanese with the Alphabet

Treat hiragana and katakana as the single most efficient early win. They each have 46 basic characters, and learning them lets you read sounds, follow furigana, and stop guessing at pronunciation. Use simple, consistent drills like writing each character by hand, making tiny mnemonic stories for trouble characters, and turning daily items into reading practice so the alphabet becomes muscle memory.

Introduce a few common kanji early, too, so you avoid the later backlog that turns kanji into an emotional cliff. In conversations I’ve had with learners, the biggest relief comes when they can actually read signs or menus for the first time; that immediate payoff keeps momentum alive.

2. Master Japanese Pronunciation

Learn the five vowel sounds and the basic consonant-vowel pattern first, then train pitch and rhythm. Japanese is phonetic, so literals count, but natural speech uses pitch differences and linking that learners often miss.

Practice by shadowing short sentences, recording yourself, and comparing to native audio. Many learners assume phonetics equals perfection, then feel flat or robotic; add short daily listening-and-repeat drills that force you into the language’s musical shape, not just its letters.

3. Learn Japanese Grammar

Learn how particles attach meaning, and treat tense as past versus non-past rather than an English-style tense matrix. Study polite and plain forms early so you can switch registers without panic.

Use tiny production tasks that force the structure out of your head, like describing yesterday’s two-line actions or asking a question you might actually use. Immediately try the same sentence in polite form. That active use anchors rules far better than passive page-turning.

4. Immerse Yourself in Japanese Culture

Language without context sounds hollow and can produce awkward mistakes. Learn etiquette, everyday social routines, and context cues that change literal meaning.

Join local celebrations, watch etiquette demonstrations, or ask friends about the why behind behaviors you see on screen. People I coach often say that understanding the cultural subtext makes sentences click; it helps you use language in the right tone and setting.

5. Listen to Simple Japanese Podcasts

Choose short, level-appropriate audio aimed at learners and incorporate it into a daily micro-habit. Listen once for the gist, then pause to repeat useful chunks. Convert one episode into three tasks, like comprehension, shadowing, and phrase extraction, for review. Beginners I speak with feel less overwhelmed when podcasts include transcripts or slowed audio, because those features help comprehension grow without killing momentum.

6. Read Japanese Books or Manga

Start with graded readers, short translated stories, or manga that includes furigana so you don’t stop for every unknown word. Resist the urge to look up every term; infer meaning from images and repeated context, then add the most valuable phrases to a review list.

Re-reading familiar stories in Japanese speeds retention because your brain uses prior knowledge to fill gaps. Many learners report that this “guided guessing” keeps the flow intact and makes reading a high-yield retention tool.

7. Watch Japanese Anime

Use anime as structured input, not background noise. Pick short scenes, watch twice, then transcribe one line and practice saying it aloud. Subtitles are fine for a first pass, but the learning happens when you detach from them and try to reproduce the line with natural rhythm. 

For visual learners, anime supplies contextual cues that speed up recall and make phrases memorable; keep sessions targeted and active so watching turns into practice.

8. Speak Japanese Daily

Make speaking a nonnegotiable part of your routine, even if it's just five minutes. Use role plays that replicate stress points you expect in real life, such as ordering, apologizing, or negotiating. Speaking forces you to assemble grammar and vocabulary under pressure, and that friction is where fluency forms.

I hear the same fear again and again that learners quit when studying feels like a chore. Small, purposeful speaking sessions stop the study from becoming punitive and make progress visible.

9. Connect with a Native Japanese Speaker

Get regular, kind corrective feedback from someone who speaks the language natively, and you will catch mistakes you cannot see on your own. Aim for short exchanges focused on one improvement area, such as natural phrasing, pitch, or a set of vocabulary you plan to use. 

People who add this step report faster confidence gains, because human interaction exposes gaps and rewards improvisation in ways apps cannot fully replicate.

Related Reading

• Best Russian Learning Apps
• Best Apps for Learning Spanish
• Best Apps for Learning Korean
• Best Apps for Learning Spanish
• Best Apps for Learning German
• Best Apps for Learning Italian
• Best Apps for Learning Portuguese
• Best Apps for Learning Russian

Start Learning A Language with Pingo for Free Today

I know a highly realistic AI can feel unnerving, and people I talk with worry about attachment, privacy, or becoming too dependent on instant corrections. Still, when you treat it as a supervised rehearsal space and pair it with real conversation practice, it closes the gap between knowing grammar and actually speaking.

Try Pingo’s AI language-learning app, add age-based guardrails for younger learners if needed, and use Tutor Mode for targeted, immediate feedback to build confidence and measurable speaking progress faster.