It is an excellent opportunity currently to learn as much as you can while you are at home. Learning new languages brushes up your skills and makes your verbal dialect even better.
If you want to learn Japanese, we have researched and got down with the best apps to learn Japanese the easiest way.
You will love these apps since they are currently used by millions worldwide. Indeed, learning a new language isn’t that easy, but then we have all the time in the world, and we can make the best use of it.
Japanese is a superb one to start with and will help you if you ever plan to travel to a beautiful place. Or if you have clients from the native city, it is time that you surprise them in their native language.
Well, there is no better platform than using a smartphone; it is right there, and you can access it anytime. Simply download the app and get started with it within seconds.
All these apps are free, with much more to achieve than just learning a language. Let’s start with the list of the best apps to learn Japanese without wasting much time.
Here we go!!
Best Apps to learn Japanese – Our Top Pick 👌
1. FluentU – Best app to learn japanese 2022
FluentU is a superb application that is easily available to all android users where they can learn multiple languages.
It is surely one of the best apps to learn japanese and multiple others, such as Spanish. French, German, Chinese, English, etc., can be learned within days.
Well, it is free for everyone who wishes to try this out. But after a 14-days free trial, you will have to pay a small amount every month to continue using its services.
Apart from other apps, this one has a special program for schools and colleges. You can get a massive genre of content in all languages, including music videos, trailers, news, inspirational videos, etc.
All the content is properly curated and available with proper subtitles by professionals. There are loads of quizzes that use real videos on the internet for a better learning curve.
As we speak about the school program, you can create a custom package for as many students in your class and make the best out of it. It includes unlimited content, iOS, Android, and a website app for all students.
Make sure you read more about this excellent app since it is worth spending money on.
Pros:-
- Easy to use
- 1000 Videos to learn Spanish
- Flashcards are available as well
- Free content and price are affordable
- Multiple languages to learn
Cons:-
- No courses available
- No speaking or verbal practice
Platform Availability
Android (Download Here), iOS (Download Here), Website (Visit Here)
Pricing :
Free Trial (14 Days), Basic Plan ($20/month), School Plan (Customization)
2. Bunpo – Best apps to learn japanese From Alphabets to Pro Level
We have another dynamic app that is entirely free of cost. Bunpo is available in your Play Store and on your iOS devices.
For more information about the app, you can visit its official website and learn more about its technology.
From learning grammar to preparing for examinations on multiple levels, such as JLPT N5 to JLPT N4, JLPT N3, JLPT N2, and JLPT N1, you get everything on the app for free.
Do not worry if you do not know even a bit about the Japanese language; the translations of English to Japanese make it even easier. There are 1700 example sentences and 8000 Japanese grammar quiz questions to brush up on your skills while learning.
You will probably find five main sections, i.e., Alphabets (Hiragana and Katakana), Grammar, Vocabulary, Kanji, and Reading Japanese. All of these are covered properly, so you are not left out with anything.
If you are okay with paying for anything, subscribe to Bunpo plus, where you can access the SRS(spaced repetition system) to study Japanese with personalized flashcards.
The app also has a great interface, making it easier for you to learn and grow.
Pros:-
- Entirely Free of cost
- Good interface
- Learn for multiple levels
- Highly responsive and easy to use
- Ad-free app
Cons:-
- Formatting errors at times
- Difficult to navigate
Platform Availability
Android (Download Here), iOS (Download Here)
Pricing:-
Free of Cost
3. Learn Japanese Offline – Best free apps to learn Japanese
This particular application is available for both iOS and Android devices. The interface is basic, but the information and lessons available are highly useful.
You will mostly find genres such as Greetings, Numbers, etc., with over 1000 commonly-used Japanese phrases and vocabularies for travelers and beginners in more than 18 categories.
The best part is that you can learn on the go since it does not need an internet connection.
All the texts and phrases are available in both English and Japanese, making it easy for everyone to understand and practice easily. Since it does not need any internet connection, you can use it anytime.
The developers have been updating the app so that they can add more and more such categories. Also, it is free of cost for every lesson you take.
Moreover, if you are a traveler, this can come in handy as you can use the search bar to type a sentence of the letter in English and get the translation in Japanese super easily.
Although you may not find the perfect grammar that has been used in the app but works fine otherwise, if you are a beginner, this could be a great app for free, although for those on different levels, this can be a little too basic.
Pros:-
- Perfect for travelers
- Simple and easy to learn
- Phrases and Vocabulary available
- English to Japanese translation
- Available Offline for free
Cons:-
- Limited features
- Does not have perfect grammar in sentences
Platform Availability
Android (Download Here), iOS (Download Here)
Pricing :
Free of Cost
4. Imiwa?
For all Apple users, you have an excellent app that you can use independently and exclusively designed for iOS users only. Similar to what we have seen above, this, too, is available offline for everyone and does not need any internet connection whatsoever.
This app is multi-lingual, so you can learn all forms of translation from languages such as English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
It has been known to be one of the best Japanese learning apps that are worthy of being used by users worldwide.
You may find a rich database of kanji (KanjiDic), examples (from tatoeba.org), and conjugations, as well as tools suitable for beginners. It is a rather diverse vocabulary, so you can easily translate and learn words on the spot.
For beginners, it is a great app that provides very detailed information about each word, making it easier to learn. Furthermore, you can use flashcards organized according to JLPT and school grade difficulty levels.
If you have issues while learning, you can bookmark and write notes to learn better. You may find other apps similar to this but not anything close to Imiwa and how clean the interface is.
Pros:-
- Multilingual Applications for easier communication
- Easy-to-access links to similar and related words
- Write notes and make bookmarks
- Very accurate and nuanced information
- The grammar structure is well explained
Cons:-
- Not available on Android
- Have certain glitches
Platform Availability
Only iOS (Download Here)
Pricing :
Free of Cost
5. HelloTalk – the best apps to learn Japanese with native speakers
HelloTalk is one of the best apps to learn free Japanese and many other languages. It is available for both Android as well as iOS devices.
This app has everything you are looking for. Also, you can simply scan the QR code from your app to their official website and use the features on your laptop or system. You will love the interface since it is very intuitive and dynamic.
It currently supports over 150+ languages worldwide and has 18 Million+ members to chat with while you learn. The most significant part of this app is that you can choose to have a chat with native speakers and learn from them easily.
Moreover, you have the choice to do video calls, chat, recordings, voice calls, etc., with native partners to make things easier for you.
HelloTalk also provides you with multiple courses and special tools for translation, pronunciation, transliteration, and corrections to help you learn the languages both verbally and communicatively.
Furthermore, if you feel you have any issues while learning Japanese, you can simply post your queries to native Japanese language experts.
Pros:-
- Highly intuitive and amazing interface
- Easy to use and navigate
- Very interactive and connects you with the world
- Platform independent
- pimsleur japanese
- Chat and learn via video calls, texts, voice calls, etc
Cons:-
- Only free to learn one language
- Limited features in the free plan
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here) and Android (Download Here)
Pricing :
Free to learn one language and $25/Lifetime
6. Drops – Best apps to learn japanese through fun, fast-paced games
Drops is an excellent app and one of the most popular Japanese learning. There are multiple other languages that you learn super easily by giving not more than 5 minutes of your time every day.
It helps you learn 2000+ Japanese words and every aspect of grammar you have wanted to learn for a long time.
An interesting aspect of the app is that it has a more visual representation of the words you can learn easily. Drag and connect the characters to learn how to write and read.
On the other hand, the app only allows you to use it for 5 minutes at least every day, making it very addictive, and you can learn every day. Since it is available for iOS and Android users, you can make the most of it.
Well, it is not entirely free, and you can take a premium subscription to get all the features. Unlike other apps, it is more colorful and interactive and keeps the users engaged while they learn.
Although there is no PC version, it may arrive soon if you are more into using your laptop or system. It is free but only for seven days, after which you will have to pay a price of $10/month for a monthly package, $3/month for a yearly package, or a one-time payment of $160 for lifetime access.
You can go for the monthly access since it looks very promising, and you can cancel at any time when you are done.
Pros:-
- Very easy to use and navigate
- Excellent app design and interface
- Very colorful and interactive
- Amazing features in premium subscription
- Superb to learn Japanese
Cons:-
- Free only for seven days
- Not available for PC version
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here) and Android (Download Here)
Pricing :
Free to learn one language, $10/month, $3/month for a yearly package, and $160/lifetime.
7. Memrise
Here we are with another superb option that can help you learn Japanese in the best possible way. Well, it too has both iOS and Android apps available, so anyone can get the benefits from the app.
You can sign in to the course and start learning immediately. In fact, on the PC version, you need not sign as well and learn words on the go super easy. Some languages other than Japanese are French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, etc.
There have been over 50 million language learners on the app for years, and thousands of courses of different apps are available.
To make things more interactive and interesting while you learn, there are very easy games that you can play, and also it has over 30,000video clips of native speakers. This will help you in your verbal skills, which are as important as writing languages.
The free version has limited options, while the premium version has many more features, such as interaction with actual people to learn, pronunciation guides, offline mode, and daily goals to complete.
You can make in-app purchases to access all the courses or directly the premium subscription to learn as many languages as you like.
Pros:-
- Learn characters and vocabulary easily
- Select from multiple languages
- Over 30,000+ video clips available
- Interact with native language experts
- Both for iOS and Android
Cons:-
- Simple words repeated many times
- The courses could have been better
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here) and Android (Download Here)
Pricing:-
Free as well as $9 per month, $59 per year, or $129.99 for a lifetime membership
8. DuoLingo – Best apps to learn Japanese Vocabulary
Duolingo is one of the most reviewed and highly popular apps on the Play Store and the Apple Store. Everything is free on this app, and it has loads of languages available for you to learn, especially Japanese.
Some languages you can learn on the app are Frech, Spanish, Italian, English, Hindi, and a lot more. There are no limitations on the number of languages you can enroll in.
This app is highly effective as we have tried it. Most users have experienced it being as effective as a university-level education. It has a rather intuitive interface with a separate dashboard for all your enrolled languages.
Duolingo starts from the beginner level and helps you keep your progress on track. It even gives you scores, so you are encouraged and addicted to learning more.
Furthermore, all your progress is automatically evaluated, and you made sure that the words you were stuck with come again so that you learn each lesson by heart.
It has a lot of lessons that allow for learning pronunciation, vocabulary, phrases, speech, etc. Moreover, there are thousands of flashcards that you can learn from for every language.
Japanese can be a little tricky to learn but using Duolingo; things can get a lot easier since we cannot deny that it is one of the best apps for learning Japanese Vocabulary.
Pros:-
- Free of cost
- Offers repetition and Audio learning for speech
- Excellent for learning vocabs
- The highly interactive interface and design
- Lessons are briefly structured
Cons:-
- Grammatical aspects could have been better
- Application isn’t as good for memorizing foreign alphabets
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here) and Android (Download Here)
Pricing:
Free of cost
9. Tandem Language Exchange
Tandem is known to have one of the largest language exchange communities. You will find loads of native people in your country that you can connect with and learn from quickly.
You must choose a Tandem partner from the app and start learning the language while chatting. Unlike other apps, it has over 160+ languages, including Japanese.
To learn Japanese easily, you can connect with someone fluent in it and start chatting with you on the app. Simply select anyone’s profile and connect with the person.
You do not need a meetup, calls, skype, or anything; all of it can be done via chat. If you are into learning sign languages for the greater good, you will find 12 different sign languages to select from.
The main features you will find here are vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, etc. If you feel you have any queries or are stuck with any words or phrases about Japanese languages, simply share your topics with the community and have a detailed conversation for a broader view from across the world.
Furthermore, you also have the option to buy the Tandem Pro subscription with more features.
Pros:-
- Connect with learners around the world
- Wide range of native experts available to help
- Get your queries solved within minutes
- Video calls, voice recording, chatting, and voice calls are available
- Well built interface
Cons:-
- No direct courses are available
- The video quality isn’t the best
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here) and Android (Download Here)
Pricing:
Free of cost and $6.99 for one month, $3.99/month for three months, and $2.92/month for a year’s subscription.
10. AnkiDroid Flashcards
An app specifically focused on helping you learn through flashcards is free of cost and available to you on Android devices. AnkiDroid is also a web app on Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS.
You will hardly find any such app available on every platform. There are more than 6000+ deck cards available to download in multiple languages.
This app allows everyone to create flashcards in multiple languages and topics. You can use the Web app Anki or simply the application AnkiDroid to add materials to the flashcards and make attractive ones.
Some of the key features found on the app are text-to-speech integration and supported flashcard contents, i.e., text, images, sounds, LaTeX, etc.
Moreover, this is an open-source app that allows anyone to contribute to the app and add lines of code to make this a lot better. If you want to use the web app, simply sync all your data on the AnkiWeb to start learning even more conveniently.
As you know, you can make your cards. Thus, it gives you entire authority for customizability at its best. The interface is basic and could be much more developed for better navigation.
Pros:-
- AnkiWeb free synchronization
- Handle decks of 100,000+ cards
- Embed audio clips, images, videos, etc
- Easy and secure to use
- A huge number of add-ons are available
Cons:-
- The interface could have been better
- Difficult to make cards as a beginner
Platform Availability
iOS (Download Here), Android (Download Here), Windows, ChromeOS, Mac, and Linux
Pricing:
Free of cost
✅FAQ
What is the best app to use to learn Japanese?
The best apps for learning Japanese quickly include FluentU, Bunpo, Learn Japanese Offline, Iowa, HelloTalk, and others.
These apps provide a full range of features, including a highly intuitive learning interface, interactive connects, thousands of video clips, interaction with language experts, and much more.
What is the best free app for learning Japanese?
LingoDeer, Anki, Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese, Obenkyo, Lang-8’s HiNative-Language Learning, etc., are a handful of great free apps to learn Japanese and enable you to understand and master the Japanese alphabet and much more.
Is Duolingo okay for Japanese?
Duolingo is a fantastic free tool for language learning, especially if you consider yourself a beginner who wants to pick up Japanese rapidly.
The software accomplishes many things well, such as using various strategies to aid with language learning and keep you engaged.
Duolingo can aid you in achieving your goals for learning Japanese, even though it is not the end-all of language learning (though we recommend you use it for review purposes only).
When learning Japanese, you want to investigate other superior possibilities like FluentU, Bunpo, HelloTalk, Iowa, etc.
What is the hardest language to learn?
The toughest language to learn, according to everyone, is Mandarin! People who speak languages that use the Latin writing system may find it incredibly difficult to learn a language spoken by more than a billion people globally.
Additionally challenging for native English speakers to acquire are the languages of Arabic, Hindi, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Portuguese.
How quickly can you learn Japanese?
According to the US Department of State, Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English natives to master. Its structure is not very similar to English’s.
They calculate that becoming fluent will require 2200 hours, or 88 weeks, of learning. That corresponds to a JLPT N2 or B2 level on the CEFR charts (conversational).
According to some estimates, it takes non-Asians (or English-speaking pupils) without prior kanji knowledge over 4800 hours to master Japanese and pass the JLPT N1 exam.
How many hours a day should I study Japanese?
You might speak at a conversational level in Japanese after three months of rigorous study and speaking for 30 to an hour daily.
How do I start learning Japanese?
Learn the Japanese writing system. Learning the alphabet is the ideal place to start while learning Japanese.
To read Japanese, you need to be able to read Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji, which are the three fundamental writing systems.
Other crucial components supporting your attempts to learn Japanese with some conviction include practicing grammar, memorizing significant phrases, creating a proper plan, using various apps, etc.
Which Japanese should I learn first?
Since it serves as the basis for the written Japanese language, Hiragana is the most fundamental of the three sets of letters.
Children and anyone learning a new language are taught this first set of characters as they begin their studies. Comparing Hiragana to Katakana and Kanji, the former is simpler to master.
There are always 46 characters in it. Each of these characters has a phonetic syllabary that represents a different sound.
Hiragana is used in Japanese writing for three purposes: to identify a word’s grammatical function, to alter the meaning of verbs, adverbs, or adjectives, and—most importantly—to replace native Japanese words that Katakana don’t cover.
How much Japanese can I learn in a year?
A year can be enough to become fluent. Fluent, that is. However, most people lack the necessary time, financial resources, and mental capacity (i.e., they would burn out from overstudying) to accomplish this.
Therefore, it greatly depends on your level of commitment and daily time commitment to learning Japanese. Additionally, choosing the right strategy and approach is crucial.
What is the easiest language to learn?
The easiest language to learn for English speakers is Norwegian. Norwegian, however, is a member of the Germanic language family, much like English.
This suggests that a significant amount of vocabulary is shared across the two languages, such as that used to describe winter and summer seasons (we’ll leave the translations to you).
Swedish, Spanish, Dutch, French, and Italian are other languages that are considerably easier to learn than others.
Can you self-teach Japanese?
Yes, that is doable; millions of people worldwide already do it. Although it requires some effort, it is possible to advance Japanese alone. Here are some pointers you may use to get your Japanese learning off to a good start.
- Choose a fundamental Japanese curriculum and use it every day. Japanese is taught in most Japanese schools using the “Minna no Nihongo” series.
- Japanese TV, movies, and anime to watch.
- Listen to Japanese podcasts, radio, and music.
- Make Japanese cuisine.
- Make some Japanese pals.
Final Thoughts on the best apps to learn japanese list
Here we are with the list of the best Japanese apps to learn Japanese in 2022. All of the mentioned above are exceptionally good and easy to use. Many more apps are available on the web, but we have ensured you get the best ones.
Since not all of them are among the list of 100’s, you will find they are good enough and reliable. Some are paid and unaffordable, while some may not be worth it.
So, we made sure each of them was reviewed and tested manually. Whether you are an iOS user or an Android lover, grab anyone you like the best from above and start your learning process.
We are super sure that you will not be disappointed. You can even pay for the premium or pro license, as they have very low prices and huge benefits.
The best part about many of these apps above is that it helps you connect with native Japanese language experts and all those who are also learning on the way.
Since it becomes difficult to find anyone to interact with these days, such apps are excellent in the long run.
