Hiragana & Katakana Trainer

Name: Hiragana & Katakana Trainer
Rating: 4.4 (10 reviews)
Author: Philipp Straub

Learn Japanese characters

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad

10 Ratings
Ages

4+
Years
Category

Education
Developer

Philipp Straub
Language

EN
English
Size

51
MB

Learning Hiragana and Katakana is the essential first step to reading Japanese. These syllabaries appear everywhere: signs, menus, train stations and study materials. Mastering them early makes navigation and further language learning much easier. This app provides a structured approach that focuses on clarity, efficiency and sustainable long-term memory. At the core is an adaptive spaced repetition system that adjusts review intervals according to your real memory performance. If you remember a character after a longer interval than expected, the system increases the next interval. If you hesitate or forget, the interval decreases without resetting your overall progress. This creates a balanced learning path tailored to your abilities. Two learning modes support different needs. Multiple Choice allows quick practice and helps build pattern recognition. Self-Assessment encourages active recall: you view a character, try to remember the reading, then judge whether you knew it, almost knew it or did not know it. This mode strengthens long-term retention by engaging deeper memory processes. All kana categories are included: Hiragana gojūon (46), yōon (21), dakuten and handakuten sets (25 + 12), Katakana gojūon (46), yōon (21), and their dakuten and handakuten sets (25 + 12). In total, 208 characters distributed across clear groups. You can choose the direction of practice, such as Kana → Romaji, Romaji → Kana or pronunciation-based prompts. You may change your configuration at any time without losing progress. Each category has its own test. All characters appear once and results earn a silver or gold medal. Tests offer a transparent way to measure improvement over time. A full card browser is included for free exploration and review.

Ratings & Reviews

4.4

out of 5

10 Ratings

Excellent simple kana learning app
10/05/2024

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I learned hiragana in an afternoon and katakana in two afternoons with help of this app. I am now using it to internalize pronunciation and to maintain memory of the kana I learned. I do not often review apps, but I find this to be excellent. I would recommend an option to change fonts. I find reading kana easy with such a sans serif font, but reading with fonts in a calligraphic style takes getting used to. The best example of this is こ which appears more like a sideways い when written calligraphically. Well done!!
Excellent simple kana learning app
10/05/2024

hhsf butgjgcbjyfcbj

I learned hiragana in an afternoon and katakana in two afternoons with help of this app. I am now using it to internalize pronunciation and to maintain memory of the kana I learned. I do not often review apps, but I find this to be excellent. I would recommend an option to change fonts. I find reading kana easy with such a sans serif font, but reading with fonts in a calligraphic style takes getting used to. The best example of this is こ which appears more like a sideways い when written calligraphically. Well done!!

This update includes minor improvements and bug fixes for better stability.

Version 2.12.5

12/30/2025

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