rakugaki : write kanji
write & read 2,000+ kanji
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
NEW: the 読む notebook to learn to read kanji, as an RPG. 2,381 kanji, 12,000 words, JLPT-style tests and your own 組 groups. 7-day free trial.
you don't remember a kanji by looking at it. you remember it by writing it — and by reading it.
rakugaki teaches you to write japanese by hand, stroke by stroke, in the correct order — with your finger or an Apple Pencil. every stroke is checked: direction, position, order. get it wrong, start over. get it right, remember it.
two notebooks: 書く to write, 読む to read
the 読む notebook teaches you to read: a kanji with its meaning and readings, then the real words it appears in. 2,381 kanji, 12,000 words with example sentences, JLPT-style tests with their traps, and reviews that turn into RPG battles: a hero to dress up, a boss for every region, a shop and quests.
a schoolgirl's notebook, not just another app
grid paper, a genkō sheet to write on, kanji circled in red pen when you get them right, よくできました stamps, washi tape and stickers: rakugaki looks like the notebook kids carry to school in Japan, crossed with an old Windows 95. several color themes, and the original clean look is still one setting away.
from the kana all the way to N1
• all 142 hiragana and katakana, free, with a write-from-memory quiz
• over 2,100 kanji to write, every JLPT level plus the jōyō — N5 is free
• all 182 radicals 部首: a short lesson when one shows up, and an encyclopedia to fill in
• japanese counters (一つ、二人、三本…) explained and drilled
• every kanji: animated stroke order, color-coded radicals, readings, vocabulary, a translated example sentence — and your own notes
mnemonics that stick
every kanji comes with a story built from its radicals. 猫, the cat that "hunts in the field's grass — then sleeps sixteen hours." and when two kanji look alike (未/末, 人/入), the app warns you and drills you on telling them apart.
a memory that works for you (SRS)
spaced repetition brings each kanji back right before you'd forget it. ten mastery levels, from apprentice to the engraved 永 rank. reviews are free-form writing, from memory — no soft multiple-choice. the kanji that resist you become your enemies 敵, with a drill just for them. your groups 組 gather the kanji and words you pick. set your JLPT goal: the app knows the real exam dates and computes your pace.
playful, not childish
• an RPG-style oni fight: write your due kanji to strike it down
• a calligraphy grade (S to D) on every successful character
• six games: speed, dictation, look-alikes, copying, flashcards and guided tracing
• challenges, streaks, omamori charms, 100 player levels and 番付 leaderboards
• retro 8-bit sound effects — shameless, but mutable
a real dictionary
every kanji, free to browse. search by meaning, by reading — or draw the kanji you're looking at and the app recognizes it.
also in the box
• full JLPT vocabulary that unlocks as your kanji level up
• lock screen and home screen widgets
• iPhone, iPad and Apple Pencil, and even on Mac with a mouse
• iCloud sync
• fully bilingual: english / french
free and subscriptions
the kana, the counters, N5 and the first 2 levels of 読む are free forever. two plans, monthly or yearly, with a 7-day free trial: rakugaki plus opens the 書く notebook from N4 to N1; plus 書く+読む also opens the whole 読む notebook. your progress is always saved.
rakugaki is built by one person. no studio, no investors — your subscription directly funds what comes next. thank you for the support.
頑張って — good luck on the kanji road.
terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
NEW: the 読む notebook, to learn to read kanji
rakugaki now has two notebooks. 書く to write, as before. 読む to read: learn a kanji with its meaning and readings, then the real words it appears in. a door on each home screen takes you from one to the other, and each notebook has its own reviews.
a reading notebook that plays like an RPG
• your reviews become battles, and a boss guards every region of the world map
• a pixel hero to dress up, a companion that grows with you, gold, a shop, chests, quests, titles and a bestiary
• 2,381 kanji from N5 to N1 plus the jōyō, in levels of 20: the parts first, then the kanji they build
• 12,000 words that unlock as you master each kanji, with example sentences and a reading memo for every kanji
• type the meaning and reading from memory (romaji turns into kana by itself), and you're never asked a reading you haven't met yet
• phonetic families (you know 青 セイ? guess 晴) and readings that change inside a word (一 + 緒 = いっしょ) are explained
• a placement test if you already have some basics
しけん: JLPT-style practice
multiple choice like the real exam, at the level you pick: how is this word read, which kanji writes it. with the real JLPT traps (long vowels, a missing っ, voicing, look-alike kanji), each one explained afterwards.
番付: reading leaderboards
kanji read, words read and best JLPT test, this week or all time (Game Center, if you turn it on).
組: your own kanji and word groups
make your own lists — the kanji from a textbook, the ones you mix up, the vocabulary of a text — and review them as a drill or when they're due. add from a kanji's card, or with a long press on a word.
in the 書く notebook too
• 166 new jōyō kanji, and a 常用 level after N1
free and Plus
the first 2 levels of 読む are free forever, and so is the JLPT test at N5. the rest opens with Plus 書く+読む, which includes all of Plus. Plus keeps its price for anyone who only wants writing, and a Plus subscriber who moves to 書く+読む is refunded pro rata.
The developer, Zoe GALBOIS, 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 Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Zoe GALBOIS
- Size
- 260.5 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 18.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 18.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 15.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 2.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Rakugaki Plus 書く+読む — Yearly $39.99
- Rakugaki Plus 書く+読む — Monthly $4.99
- rakugaki plus - yearly $22.99
- rakugaki plus - monthly $2.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 sappy

