Japanese learning for adults who want results, not games. Hate it? Good. Hate it every day for two years and you'll be fluent. Seriously, what are you waiting for?!
Stop wasting time on apps that treat you like a child.
While other Japanese learning apps busy themselves with cartoon mascots and meaningless streaks, we built something that actually works. Nihon Dojo doesn't care about making you feel good about yourself. We care about making you fluent in one of the hardest possible languages imaginable in two years or LESS!
Most Japanese learning apps are designed to keep you subscribed, not to make you fluent. They feed you bite-sized "lessons" that feel productive but teach you nothing useful. They celebrate your "progress" when you've learned to say "I like apples" for the 47th time.
We're different. And you'll probably hate us for it.
REAL SPACED REPETITION THAT HURTS
Through our use of the tried-and-true FSRS algorithm, we will make you review words until you hate them, even if you do learn them a week later. No participation trophies.
Here is the twist: we generate sentences using only words you've already learned (revolutionary concept, we know). No more example sentences filled with 20 different N1 words you've never seen before. By giving you context clues that are targeted in real-time at your knowledge, we not only reinforce language in a natural way, we allow you to learn the meanings of new words even when you are seeing them for the first time.
Not only that, but our built in formality switching teaches you how Japanese people ACTUALLY talk— learn to be "hip" OR turn so textbook you be start saying させていただきます in your sleep.
For the cherry on top, every time you review a word, we will guide you how to write it. If you can call that chicken scratch of yours "writing," that is. Don't worry, we smooth it out for you.
GRAMMAR AND CULTURAL THAT MAKES SENSE
In addition to shoving words down your throat until you are begging us to stop, we provide structured grammar and culture lessons that build on each other.
We're not just here to teach you how to conjugate. We also teach you why Japanese people say what they say. We cover the social rules other apps pretend don't exist, and prepare you for real conversations. You can't learn a language without learning the culture, they are one and the same.
KANA PRACTICE FOR VETERANS AND BEGINNERS ALIKE
If you're new, there is no easy way to learn and memorize Japanese kana, nor is there a shortcut (except our app, hah). At the very least, we make it sort of less painful to do. With both a rapid-fire minigame and our guided writing practice, you could get kana down in a week or two if you're serious! It's not hard (just tedious), and it works.
THE GUARANTEE THAT'LL SCARE YOU
Use this app every day for two years. Follow the system. Do the reviews. If you're not (almost) fluent, we'll refund every penny. Most apps won't make this promise because they know their cute gamification doesn't work. We will, because we built tools that do.
WHO THIS IS FOR
You should use NihonDojo if you want to actually speak & read Japanese. If you're tired of apps that waste your time with pointless games. If you can handle being challenged instead of constantly praised. If you want personalized training that adapts to your actual progress. If you're willing to do work that might not be "fun" but gets results.
Don't download this if you want an app that makes you feel good about doing nothing. If you think learning a language should be "effortless." If you need constant validation and cartoon characters cheering you on. If you're looking for a magic bullet that requires zero effort.
FREE FIRST
Believe it or not, making an app like this is a ton of work, and it only exists due to many long nights, fueled solely by a hate for Anki. While this app is free first (with no ads EVER because I HATE THEM), it costs money to generate sentences and continue to develop new features. Your support is everything to me!
HERE'S THE DEAL
No BS.
Just the tools you need to actually learn Japanese.
Download if you're serious. Skip if you want to play games.
The FSRS model got me through engineering school, so I’m already liking in with this app. Seems to be a great tool so far. The UI is simple and intuitive. My only complaint is the lack of text to speech at the pro tier. I know all of my hiragana and katakana, but I’m struggling with the lack of pronunciation. The expert tier is just too expensive, in my opinion, for what it offers. I really with there was an in between tier at like $75-$85 that included the text to speech (or if it was just included in the Pro tier).
Love this app. Makes learning fun!
2N_4
The best Japanese language learning app I've used. It makes learning vocabulary & grammar feel like a game instead of school work. The spaced repetition is great! It doesn't baby you with weird gamification nonsense, just hopes you get fluent.
Waiting for update with bigger/adjustible fonts
seaferring
This app looks really promising, but currently, when using it on my 12.9 iPad, much of the text is too small for me to enjoy using it, and the contrast isn’t high enough with some instances of dark red Japanese characters against a dark background. The settings section indicates that a font-size update is coming, so I’m looking forward to that.
### Added in 1.7.5
- Text size multiplier for vocab cards (x1-x4)
- Roleplay practice chat: live conversation w/ feedback pills
- 6 formality modes: single/dual sentence display
- Now default to normal only
- Swipe up or down on vocab card to cycle sentence formality
- Numbers Game: Drill counters, days & number kanji with:
- Random answer display modes (kanji/kana/mixed)
- Persistent drill selections saved across sessions
- Sliding reveal animations on answer selection
- Dynamic grid: 2x2 for long kana, 2x3 for compact text
### Changed in 1.7.5
- Core 6000 hint text: visual centering around dots
- Settings: Collapsible sections with smooth animations
- New rating button
### Fixed in 1.7.5
- Offline indicator now sits above bottom navbar on home
- Vocab card overflow at larger text sizes (dynamic padding)
- Culture practice tab: inline Drill/Roleplay cards (matches grammar)
- Session timer now fixed and is tick-based (only counts visible time)
- Weighted accuracy scores: Again=0%, Hard=50%, Good=100%, Easy=125%
Version 1.7.5
The developer, D Everett Hinton, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
D Everett Hinton
Size
312.5 MB
Category
Education
Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
