Free Kanji Apps for Android and iPhone: What to Expect

Short answer: for Android, look for a kanji app that works in the browser or has a real Android version, test it for a few days, and check what is free before you rely on it. Kanji Guide runs in Chrome on Android and is free in the browser. On iPhone, there is also an app.

What “free” usually means for kanji apps

Many kanji apps are free to download and then limit what you can use. In recent App Store reviews of a few popular kanji apps, one of the most common complaints is hitting a paywall after the first few lessons. Reviewers describe being asked to pay after about eight characters, or after two lessons.

That is not wrong. Developers have to earn money, and a one-time purchase or a subscription can be fair. The problem is only when you learn about it after you start. So before you commit, find out:

• What is free, in lessons, in levels, and in features such as review.
• What it costs, one-time or monthly, and whether a trial exists.
• Can you try the real thing before paying.

What to check before choosing

Platform. Is there a version for your device? If you use more than one device, check that your progress and your purchase work on both. Some App Store reviews of kanji apps mention progress that does not sync across devices, or a purchase made on Android that could not be restored on iPhone.

Method. Does it teach meaning and shape, or only drill what you already know? Does it show stroke order? Does it have review that adapts to what you forget?

Content. Do the kanji cover your level? Are the readings and examples right? A kanji app with mistakes in its content is hard to trust.

Backup. If you reinstall or change phone, will your progress survive? Signing in can help.

Effort. Is a daily session short enough that you will do it? An app that takes an hour a day will not last.

Android options

You have a few routes.

A web app in Chrome. No store, no install. Kanji Guide works this way: open the study app in Chrome, tap the menu, and choose Add to Home screen or Install app. It then has its own icon and opens full screen. Details are on the Android page.

Anki through AnkiDroid. Free, flexible, and you supply the content. See picture stories vs WaniKani vs Anki.

A native Android app from the Play Store. There are several. Check the reviews for the points above.

We do not have an Android app at the moment. If you prefer a native one, use the checklist above and pick the one that passes it.

iPhone options

On iPhone you can use the same web app in Safari, or the Kanji Guide iPhone app. There are many other kanji apps on the App Store. The same checklist applies. A common thing to look at is how much of the course you can use without paying.

What Kanji Guide offers, and what it does not

Free in the browser, today:

• 2131 kanji from N5 to N1
• A picture story for each, plus a picture for some
• Animated stroke order
• On and kun readings with example words
• Spaced review

What to know:

• Pictures cover N5 and part of N4 so far. The other kanji show the character in large type with the story.
• It is a kanji tool, not a full Japanese course.
• There is no handwriting input.
• There is no Android app.

We would rather you know that before you start.

What a browser app can and cannot do

A browser app has real advantages: nothing to install from a store, the same version on every device, and no update to wait for. The trade-offs are different from a store app.

• Progress is saved in your browser unless you sign in. Clearing your browser data can remove it, so sign in if you want your progress kept on your account.
• It opens from an icon on your home screen after you add it, but it is not listed in the Play Store.
• We make no promise here about use without a connection, so assume you need one.

A quick way to test any kanji app

Try this for a week:

1. Learn five kanji a day for three days, for example 一, 二, 三, 四, 五 on day one.
2. Come back on day four without opening any other tool, and see what you remember.
3. Note whether the review feature brought back the right ones.
4. Check whether you wanted to open it.

If you can pass that test and the price is acceptable, you have a good app.

Syncing and backups

If you study on a phone and a laptop, sign-in matters. In Kanji Guide, progress is saved on your device, and if you sign in it can follow your account. Check how any app does this before you build up months of progress.

Try the browser version

It takes about a minute to try. Open it on your phone, learn a few kanji, and see if the stories help. More on why they might: how to memorize kanji.