MARU: Learn Japanese Hiragana
Free Beginner Kana Practices
Free · In-App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Hey there! (•u•) Interested in learning Japanese but don't know where to start? You've come to the right place! MARU Japanese Kana, loved by over a million learners worldwide with an average rating of 4.9 (thank you so much!), is just what you need. As a lifelong learner of Japanese myself, I created this app to make Japanese alphabets less intimidating and more enjoyable. It's a simple app that focuses on one thing but does it very well: helping you start learning Japanese. I wish MARU had been around when I started learning Japanese. Lucky you!
Stop learning with those robotic voices and non-native pronunciations. That will impede your learning effectiveness. Dive in and experience authentic Japanese through exercises voiced by a professional voice actress. With 14 different practice varieties, learning Hiragana and Katakana becomes a breeze. Reading, writing, listening, typing, and even building your vocabulary – it's all here, making it the perfect start to your Japanese journey!
What's the catch? You’ll see an ad after every five mistakes. Since MARU's launch in 2017, it’s been downloaded over a million times, yet ad revenue has been modest. But that’s okay! My goal is to spread the joy of learning Japanese.
To fulfill that goal, I try to provide tremendous value for everyone and keep as little as possible behind the Pro Version.
Here’s what you’ll find in the default Free Version:
• All 105 Hiragana and Katakana characters, not just the basic ones.
• A short ad after 5 mistakes. No mistakes = No ads.
• Over 300 everyday words for practice, like "hello" and "thank you."
• Clear voice recordings for all words and characters.
• MARU-kun, our adorable mascot, greets and motivates you each time you practice.
• Date and Time that changes every minute to teach you Japanese words for numbers and calendar.
• A smart feature that identifies your weak spots and helps you improve.
• A fun way to practice Katakana using familiar Hiragana words.
My app is completely free with minimal ads, but if you choose to upgrade to the Pro Version (one-time purchase), you’ll enjoy:
• An ad-free experience.
• Offline practice, anytime, anywhere.
• Writing and typing exercises.
• Timed challenges to test yourself.
• Access to more words for time, date, and Katakana.
Don't just take my word for it. Here’s one of my favorite reviews:
"This is MY #1 app for learning Japanese. I downloaded EVERY Japanese app I could find without paying a single dime. The app does exactly what it promises - nice graphics, great voice acting, and awesome practice methods. I'm in love with this awesome app!" - A happy user
Thanks for reading! If you're interested, just download and start your Japanese learning adventure with MARU! (•u•)
more For those who want to familiarize in a fun and challenging manner. It keeps track of which ones you're still not familiar with and which ones you often mistake. You can't learn new characters unless you've familiarized yourself with previously given ones so I really like this learning style. Plus it's a tap once only drill so you can't exactly cheat your way into checking the sounds of each choices first. Good thing it provides a full chart of each character so you can review what you learned too.
For those who want to familiarize in a fun and challenging manner. It keeps track of which ones you're still not familiar with and which ones you often mistake. You can't learn new characters unless you've familiarized yourself with previously given ones so I really like this learning style. Plus it's a tap once only drill so you can't exactly cheat your way into checking the sounds of each choices first. Good thing it provides a full chart of each character so you can review what you learned too.
I got tired of looking for a cheap app where i can learn Japanese the fastest way. Then i found this one and wanted to try it out. Plus it’s free. Been using this for 3 days now and i havent spotted any ads. Unlocked 2 rows of Hiragana already. Maybe on the third row? 😅😅😅 But this app certainly did not disappoint. To the developers, thank you for this.
I got tired of looking for a cheap app where i can learn Japanese the fastest way. Then i found this one and wanted to try it out. Plus it’s free. Been using this for 3 days now and i havent spotted any ads. Unlocked 2 rows of Hiragana already. Maybe on the third row? 😅😅😅 But this app certainly did not disappoint. To the developers, thank you for this.
I use this app once a week as a supplement to my daily Japanese studies; it’s really helpful for brushing up on Kana. … But it isn’t complete. It extensively includes the voiced and contracted sounds for both Hiragana and Katakana, but I feel it would be even better if the Katakana list also included the approximations for other foreign sounds (like the D, F, T, V, and W sounds). It also doesn’t seem like these are covered in the Pro upgrade. That aside, this is a really good app! Highly recommended as a supplement for mastering Kana.
I use this app once a week as a supplement to my daily Japanese studies; it’s really helpful for brushing up on Kana. … But it isn’t complete. It extensively includes the voiced and contracted sounds for both Hiragana and Katakana, but I feel it would be even better if the Katakana list also included the approximations for other foreign sounds (like the D, F, T, V, and W sounds). It also doesn’t seem like these are covered in the Pro upgrade. That aside, this is a really good app! Highly recommended as a supplement for mastering Kana.
Thank you for making this app free. This is very helpful for everyone who really wants to learn Hiragana and katakana. ♥️There’s no ad while you study, but when you made a mistake an ad will show up. So, study well to avoid ads. ☺️By far the most helpful app.
Thank you for making this app free. This is very helpful for everyone who really wants to learn Hiragana and katakana. ♥️There’s no ad while you study, but when you made a mistake an ad will show up. So, study well to avoid ads. ☺️By far the most helpful app.
やっほー！ Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got an update (•u•):
• New MARU(•u•) Design! I’ve given MARU a new app icon, brighter colors, and some new expressions. MARU’s lip-syncing is smoother now too.
Let me know if you liked it! Thank you for your support! Keep learning with MARU!
2.15 02/08/2024
やっほー！It's August (はちがつ) and your favorite Hiragana learning app just got an update (•u•):
• Kanji: By popular request, I finally added some Kanji, starting from the Words screen. More coming soon, so stay tuned!
• Emojis: Added some emojis where meanings are clear. More to come.
• MARU Speech Optimizations: Adjusted the duration of MARU's speaking time to be more accurate.
• Daily Words Notification: Changed the default from 3 to 1 to reduce spam. Adjust it back if you miss the frequent reminders.
• Crash Fix: Fixed the crash when setting Daily Words Notification to 1. Apologies for the inconvenience! If you're still having issues, please email nolan@overdreamer.com. Worst case, use this quick fix: delete and reinstall the app. Use "Progress Settings" in Settings to restore progress.
Thank you for your support! Keep learning with MARU!
2.14 28/07/2024
やっほー！July しちがつ is here, and your favorite Hiragana learning app just got a big update (•u•):
• Hiragana/Katakana Switcher: Quickly switch between Hiragana and Katakana charts to see the difference.
• Notification Redesign: Daily notifications have been the same every day and that can be dull. Added a variety of Daily Reminders and Daily Words to help you study better.
• FAQ Screen: Added a FAQ screen to answer the many email questions I have compiled over the past year.
Other Updates:
• Long Press to quickly select the whole row of Kana to study.
• A lot of translations fixes based on your feedback.
• Removed Malay, Hindi, Romanian, Hungarian localizations due to very low usage and high maintenance cost.
• MARU's mouth now moves when Date and Time are tapped.
• Word to Meaning question now plays audio automatically.
• Added retry and no internet connection warning when there's a purchase error.
• 2.13.1: Fixed a crash that only affects users who installed the app more than a year ago.
• 2.13.2: Fixed button not updated after toggle selection mode
Thank you for your continuous support and feedback! Keep enjoying your journey to mastering beginner Japanese with MARU! (•u•)
2.13.2 07/07/2024
やっほー！July しちがつ is here, and your favorite Hiragana learning app just got a big update (•u•):
• Hiragana/Katakana Switcher: Quickly switch between Hiragana and Katakana charts to see the difference.
• Notification Redesign: Daily notifications have been the same every day and that can be dull. Added a variety of Daily Reminders and Daily Words to help you study better.
• FAQ Screen: Added a FAQ screen to answer the many email questions I have compiled over the past year.
Other Updates:
• Long Press to quickly select the whole row of Kana to study.
• A lot of translations fixes based on your feedback.
• Removed Malay, Hindi, Romanian, Hungarian localizations due to very low usage and high maintenance cost.
• MARU's mouth now moves when Date and Time are tapped.
• Word to Meaning question now plays audio automatically.
• Added retry and no internet connection warning when there's a purchase error.
• 2.13.1: Fixed a crash that only affects users who installed the app more than a year ago.
Thank you for your continuous support and feedback! Keep enjoying your journey to mastering beginner Japanese with MARU! (•u•)
2.13.1 01/07/2024
やっほー！July しちがつ is here, and your favorite Hiragana learning app just got a big update (•u•):
• Hiragana/Katakana Switcher: Quickly switch between Hiragana and Katakana charts to see the difference.
• Notification Redesign: Daily notifications have been the same every day and that can be dull. Added a variety of Daily Reminders and Daily Words to help you study better.
• FAQ Screen: Added a FAQ screen to answer the many email questions I have compiled over the past year.
Other Updates:
• Long Press to quickly select the whole row of Kana to study.
• A lot of translations fixes based on your feedback.
• Removed Malay, Hindi, Romanian, Hungarian localizations due to very low usage and high maintenance cost.
• MARU's mouth now moves when Date and Time are tapped.
• Word to Meaning question now plays audio automatically.
• Added retry and no internet connection warning when there's a purchase error.
Thank you for your continuous support and feedback! Keep enjoying your journey to mastering beginner Japanese with MARU! (•u•)
2.13 29/06/2024
やっほー！May 2024 be the year to become so so good at Japanese! Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• iPad Optimization: Hi my 12% iPad users, I finally spent some time to enlarge the font sizes for some areas in iPad. I also adjusted MARU's face a bit. Bye bye Fat MARU, hello Big MARU!
• Sound Optimization: Based on your feedback, I increased the volume of all the pronunciation files. Hopefully that makes them clearer!
• Detail View Optimization: I enlarged the Kana in the detail screen and added a cool scroll effect to make it prettier.
• Hide Romaji: Tap top right toggle again to hide romaji to review Kanas
• Dark Mode Fix: Fixed bug where sometimes borders disappear in practices when you first purchase Pro and switch to Dark Mode.
2.12 29/01/2024
メアリークリスマス (Merry Christmas)!! And... あけましておめでとう (Happy New Year)!!
Thank you for choosing to learn Japanese with my app this year. Well done, you!!
Lazy me have implemented 11 major updates since July. Great job, me!!
(•u•)!!
This will be the last update for this year (finger crossed). Here are the updates for v2.11:
• Sokuon confusion: Sokuon ("っ") must be practiced with words and has caused confusion for some users. For now, I've changed it so that the next section, Youon ("ざじずぜぞ"), will unlock without the need to master Sokuon. I've also fixed the bug where you couldn't select "っ" for practice.
• Removed the scenario when MARU says Wo Ai Ni ("I love you" in Chinese) in a Japanese accent for non-Mandarin speakers to avoid any learning confusion. "I love you" and "How are you" in a Japanese accent are still available. What? You never heard them before? Hint: they only appear on certain days of the week! Cute cute!
• Kana Detail Page Pronunciation: MARU now pronounces the Kana when you tap on the Kana header or turn a page.
• Fixed a bug where Selected Kanas aren't properly displayed after reselecting the Selection Mode toggle.
• Fixed a bug where selecting "っ" for practice would crash the app because it must be practiced with words that contain other Kanas, which I turned off in v2.10 based on your feedback. Now, when you select "っ", it will include words like "きっと" for practice even though "き""と" were not selected. This is a special treatment for "っ" only.
2.11 24/12/2023
Your favorite Hiragana just reached 1 million downloading users over the past 7 years. Couldn't have reached this milestone without your support. Super ありがとうございました！(•u•)
Version v2.10 Update:
• Selection Mode Optimization: Based on your feedback, I now only include words containing the selected Kana in practices, as opposed to selecting "あ、お" but seeing the word"あき".
• I added some recent reviews from all over the world to the purchase screen so that new learners are aware of how awesome my app is, and might buy buy buy (jk).
• Some minor optimizations on timing of alerts and advanced settings to improve user experience.
2.10 30/11/2023
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• 2.9.1: Fixed crash in typing exercises when a mistake was made. Sorry my Pro version users. Also changed the new "Silent Mode" such that it doesn't lower the volume of other apps, allowing you to listen to music in its original volume while practicing in Silent Mode.
2.9 updates:
• Slower Unlock Speed: I made the speed of unlocking new Kanas slower by default based on your feedback.
• Customizable Unlock Speeds: I added settings that allow you to adjust the unlock speed based on your learning pace.
• Silent Mode: I've added a Silent Mode toggle that lets you switch off all sounds and practices that requires listening/sound. This way you can practice in silent when needed. (MARU: Am I too loud?)
• Other Updates:
• I've translated the unlock row tutorial to all languages.
• UI Improvements to the launch screen: MARU's eye height finally matches after launch.
2.9.1 22/10/2023
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• Slower Unlock Speed: I made the speed of unlocking new Kanas slower by default based on your feedback.
• Customizable Unlock Speeds: I added settings that allow you to adjust the unlock speed based on your learning pace.
• Silent Mode: I've added a Silent Mode toggle that lets you switch off all sounds and practices that requires listening/sound. This way you can practice in silent when needed. (MARU: Am I too loud?)
• Other Updates:
• I've translated the unlock row tutorial to all languages.
• UI Improvements to the launch screen: MARU's eye height finally matches after launch.
2.9 19/10/2023
This version continues to fix the new selection mode (•u•)
It has too many edge cases that I have not anticipated and has been buggy / causing crashes to my otherwise very stable app. :'(
I rewrote the question/answer selection logic from scratch and tested more thoroughly.
It, probably, should be much better this time. Finger crossed...
Please let me know if you encounter any problem through the In-App feedback button.
2.8.2 26/09/2023
I introduced too many big changes in the previous version which caused a few crashes. Sorry! (•u•) This minor version update fixes them. If you didn't encounter any crash like the 99% of other users, good for you! Hopefully I have addressed them all. If not I will follow up with another update. Thanks for your patience!
2.8.1 25/09/2023
For a long time, I wanted this app to take care of everything for you automatically through "The Algorithm™," also known as MARU, so that you can just click on the "Drill" button without thinking too much. If you are weak with some Kana or words, MARU will automatically adjust and make you practice more of them until you become confident. Basically, learn from your mistakes.
However, you guys (especially the free users) don't trust MARU enough and seem reluctant to make any mistakes, probably due to the Ads Punishment™. So in this update, I added the long-requested feature - MANUAL SELECTION MODE. You can now choose the exact Kana you want to practice with. There are also some other cool features in this update. So... be sure to update! (•u•)
Here are the details of the update:
• MANUAL SELECTION MODE - Choose the Kana you want to study! This has been asked A LOT, and I finally added it. Yay.
• Improved meaning exercises - now you can practice with word meanings in spelling, typing, and writing drills.
• Dark Mode for Pro Users!
• Allow music from other apps to play with a lower volume in the background.
• Added word meaning after checking answer for all word-related drills.
• Adjusted game weights so that you can focus on one practice - e.g. Only listening or only writing, etc.
• Changed the app name again to try to optimize for search.
• Customized drill ratios are more accurate now.
Additionally, I fixed some bugs:
• Fixed a bug where the writing icon shows up in the Review Word screen and does nothing.
• Fixed a bug where Katakana hyphens are not included in drills when the unlocked word count is too low.
Huge applause to lazy me for doing so much. Huge win for the humankind! しんぞうをささげよ！
Thank you for your support and feedback! Feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button if you have any more suggestions or encounter any issues.
2.8 20/09/2023
This update is kinda big and I hope you will like it (•u•):
• Stroke Orders! You can now learn stroke orders for both Hiragana and Katakana. Pro users gain a new feature in Writing Practice that gives you hints on how to write that Kana.
• You can now understand what MARU says on the Menu Screen because I translated all of them! MARU will also speak when you tap on the cloud word labels.
• UX Improvement: Sound and animation when unlocking new row
• UX Improvement: Meaning Practices are set to OFF by default to make the app more beginner-friendly
• UX Improvement: Lower volume for sound effects
• UX Improvement: Updated algorithm to make rare Kanas such as を appear more often
• Fix: Practice Day Count now increases instead of staying at 1
• Fix: Progress involving っ and ッ now are correctly recorded
As always, thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. Feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button.
2.7 29/08/2023
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• In Multiple Choice Practice, kana/romaji now shows up after checking the answer.
• Fixed bug where っ shows up in answers and multiple translation errors (thanks for the feedback)
• Added more languages
If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button.
2.6 08/08/2023
v2.5.1 fixes a crash that happens after tapping the Date, introduced in v2.5.
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• Fixed incorrect spellings for the dates 14th, 17th, 24th, and 27th. Goes to show Japanese Dates are HARD (even for an N1 like me). Sorry for the stupid mistake, my Pro users.
• Adjusted the frequency of "を" to appear more when it's weak. This way, ん can be unlocked faster to provide better unlocking experience. "を" has always been treated specially because it has no associated words and sounds the same as "お".
• Added Advanced Settings where you can unlock rows according to your preference. This way, you can "manually sync" between devices to match the progress.
If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button.
2.5.1 29/07/2023
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• Fixed incorrect spellings for the dates 14th, 17th, 24th, and 27th. Goes to show Japanese Dates are HARD (even for an N1 like me). Sorry for the stupid mistake, my Pro users.
• Adjusted the frequency of "を" to appear more when it's weak. This way, ん can be unlocked faster to provide better unlocking experience. "を" has always been treated specially because it has no associated words and sounds the same as "お".
• Added Advanced Settings where you can unlock rows according to your preference. This way, you can "manually sync" between devices to match the progress.
If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button.
2.5 27/07/2023
Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got even better (•u•):
• I've listened to you! Again! In Multiple Choice Practice, all answers now are tappable and have audio.
• You can now reset your Hiragana and Katakana progress to start afresh. (Challenge: How quickly can you unlock everything?)
• Usage data can now be reset.
• The "Auto Continue when Correct" setting is now turned off by default to avoid confusion. You can enable it in the Drill Settings.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some users from purchasing the Pro Version.
If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out via the In-App feedback button.
2.4 20/07/2023
Your favorite app just got cooler (•u•):
• I heard you!! In Multiple Choice Practice, word meanings now show up in answers.
• MARU-kun greets you every time you open the app - with subtitles. You can turn him off in Settings if you prefer quiet.
• Implemented a Language Switcher in Settings with heaps of language options. More languages, more fun!
• I decided to rebrand the App to MARU because "Drill" was too hard to translate.
• And bug fixes as usual
Can't wait for you to see these updates. Let's keep learning together!
2.3 17/07/2023
Thank you for your invaluable input! This speedy little update is based on your feedback:
• Landscape Mode now available for iPad!
• Typing Practice Demo works again.
• Simplified 'Ad Punishment' setting label to 'Turn Off Ad Penalties'.
• Improved readability for certain words.
I will have to work on the harder and less urgent feedback later (maybe 5 more years? XD).
Your contributions make this app better. Keep the feedback coming!
2.2 07/07/2023
My first In-App Purchase (IAP) earnings from the App Store as an iOS developer! Unbelievable! Thank you for the support—it truly means the world. Here's what's new in this version:
New Features:
• More personalization! Set your practice preference for Word vs. Kana in practices—you're in control. (e.g. You can practice with 100% words or 100% kana.)
• Progress more smoothly as Meaning practices no longer influence Kana row progression.
Bug Fixes:
• Fixed crash when tapping the Menu Time at the 0 minute mark.
• Corrected the Purchase Screen demos to prevent unintentional unlocks and stat changes.
• No more Early Termination Alerts after going Pro.
Thanks for your valuable feedback and continued support. Keep practicing that Japanese!
2.1 04/07/2023
Detailed update list for this super big update:
• Kana: 46 → 105 (Added voiced sounds "っ", voiced consonants "がぎぐげご", and digraphs "きゃきゅきょ")
• Words: 81 → 215
• Types of exercises: 4 → 14
• Paid for a professional Japanese female voice actor to re-record all audio files
• Strengthened the algorithm:
• Multiple-choice questions will confuse you with more similar options
• The number of choices in multiple-choice questions has changed from a fixed 4 to a variable 2-10, which can be adjusted freely
• Added the pronunciation of date and time on the homepage (I am extremely satisfied with it myself)
• Added a ton of new exercises:
• Multiple-choice questions
• Listening comprehension exercises
• Handwriting exercises
• Typing exercises
• Timed exercises
• Our homepage mascot Maru-chan can talk now (!)
• Now you can click on the word clouds on the homepage to hear the pronunciation
• Added sound effects and haptic feedback
• Added usage data
• Added some introductions to the kana
• Fixed many bugs:
• Fixed an issue where an inexplicable prompt to copy your clipboard appeared due to the old version
• Fixed an interface issue where long words were cut off
• Because of the use of some new stuff, the system requirement has been raised to iOS 16
Short version:
Thank you for your support. I spent some time doing a major update. This update should make the APP much harder. Please keep on answering correctly, to help me earn less money.
Long version:
Kana Drill was an APP I wrote for an interview. Because I was lazy and had a job, I didn't update it for five years. But it has always been well received. Perhaps there really are very few apps out there that show an ad only after you make 5 mistakes (laughs). When I'm not in a good mood, I often come back to read the reviews and feel a little accomplished. And many people said they wanted to pay me, really?
Kana Drill has been downloaded over 800,000 times worldwide and has nearly 50,000 reviews with a 4.92 star rating. I really appreciate everyone's love. Over the past few months, I've gathered your feedback, like:
"I want voiced sounds!"
"I want more words!"
"I want better pronunciation!"
"I want more different exercises!"
"I want handwriting practice!"
"Hu is clearly Fu!"
"I want to pay to remove ads!"
"I want to pay to support!" (Really laughs)
I was too lazy to add because they were troublesome.
But! I think it's time to update! So I added them all. To balance my greed and the need to make a living, I've also added the evil paid version. Those who once said they wanted to support with money probably are not learning kana anymore (laughs). But don't worry! Guilty me only locked a small part of the functions. The new free version outperforms the old version, so even without paying, you can still enjoy the experience that surpasses 4.92 star rating. Looking at the kana learning apps on the market now, nobody really spends so much time on learning kana. With this much effort, it would be better to do Kanji, JLPT, etc. I can only say I'm bored. Also, a good start is half the success. I hope more and more people can master kana easily and start their journey to learning Japanese.
Thanks again for your support. I hope you will like this update of mine, despite my laziness. I've added a lot of stuff, so there might be some errors after the update. I will fix them as soon as possible.
2.0 03/07/2023
This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.
Minor Bug Fix
1.2.1 27/02/2018
Thanks for the overwhelmingly nice reviews. I really appreciate them!
• Now you can turn off Listening Drills in Settings
• Now you can turn on Word Meaning Drills in Settings
• Chinese Localization
• iOS 11 Layout and iPhone X optimization
• Crash fixes
1.2.0 16/01/2018
• Fixed a critical bug where you cannot get pass やゆよ or ヤユヨ. Sorry if you encountered that. It should be fixed now!
• Fixed iPad and iPhone 5 layout issues for the new Audio game.
1.1.1 05/03/2017
やっほー！ Your favorite Hiragana learning app just got an update (•u•):
• New MARU(•u•) Design! I’ve given MARU a new app icon, brighter colors, and some new expressions. MARU’s lip-syncing is smoother now too.
Let me know if you liked it! Thank you for your support! Keep learning with MARU!
more Version 2.15 02/08/2024
Data Used to Track You The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
Location Identifiers Usage Data Diagnostics Data Linked to You The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
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