Learning kanji, the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing, can be a challenging task for beginners. Fortunately, there are several Android apps available to help learners improve their kanji skills. These apps offer a variety of features, such as flashcard drills, quizzes, and games, to make the learning process fun and engaging.
One of the key benefits of using an Android app for learning kanji is the convenience it provides. Users can access the app from their mobile device and practice anytime, anywhere. Many apps also offer personalized learning paths, which adapt to the user’s progress and focus on areas that need improvement.
Another advantage of using an Android app for learning kanji is the ability to track one’s progress. Most apps offer metrics, such as the number of kanji learned and the percentage of correct answers, to give users a sense of their achievements. This can help motivate learners to continue practicing and learning.
We have compiled a list of 8 Best Android App For Learning Kanji for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
8 Best Android App For Learning Kanji
1. Learn Japanese Language, Kanji
Drops is a language learning app that uses mini-games and illustrated pictures to help users memorize practical vocabulary in Japanese, among other languages. The app limits practice time to five minutes per day, but the addictive nature of the games helps users stay engaged. Drops solely focuses on vocabulary and does not teach grammar. The app also seeks to help users establish a language learning habit. Drops is free for casual learners and includes over 2500 words in 100+ topics, while premium subscribers have unlimited learning time. The aim of the app is to empower people worldwide with language knowledge, using pictures as a universal language.
2. AnkiDroid Flashcards
AnkiDroid is a tool that helps users learn flashcards efficiently through spaced repetition. It is compatible with Anki software and available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS. Users can utilize idle time to study anywhere, anytime. AnkiDroid has over 6000 free decks available for download in various languages and topics. Users may add material through the desktop application or directly through AnkiDroid, which even supports automatic addition from a dictionary. For support, there is a help page available instead of relying on comments in reviews.
The key features of AnkiDroid include support for text, images, sounds, and LaTeX; spaced repetition with the supermemo 2 algorithm; text-to-speech integration; more than 6000 premade decks; progress widget; detailed statistics; syncing with AnkiWeb; and open source. Additional features include the option to write answers, whiteboard, card editor/adder, card browser, tablet layout, import existing collection files through Anki Desktop, dictionary integration, custom font support, full backup system, navigation by swipe, tap, shake, fully customizable interface, dynamic deck handling, night mode, and 27 localizations. All previous AnkiDroid versions can be downloaded from the website.
3. Duolingo: language lessons
Duolingo is an education app that offers over 35 language courses through short, entertaining lessons for free. The app is designed to provide practice in reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, and is suitable for those learning a language for travel, school, career, or personal enrichment. Duolingo is created by language experts and loved by millions of learners worldwide. The app offers playful rewards and achievements to motivate users to make practicing a daily habit.
Duolingo is fun and effective, with game-like lessons and lively characters to help learners build solid language skills. The app is designed by language experts, and features a science-based teaching methodology that has been proven to foster long-term language retention. Duolingo tracks progress so learners can work towards their goals and offers a community of over 300 million users. The app offers free courses for languages including Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more, with no hidden costs.
Duolingo has received accolades, including being named Google Play’s Editor’s Choice and Best of the Best. The Wall Street Journal has called it far and away the best language-learning app, and The New York Times has said that it is among the most effective language-learning methods they’ve tried. TIME Magazine has even suggested that Duolingo may hold the secret to the future of education. Forbes has described it as cheerful, lighthearted and fun.
4. 漢字検定・漢検漢字トレーニング
The definitive app for preparing for the Kanji Aptitude Test and Kanji Kentei exam, with all 5038 questions across 9 categories covered. It offers practice in writing and reading all 1494 Kanji characters that appear in Grade 2, Pre-2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 levels of the exam.
The app covers up to 9 categories per level, including writing, reading, radicals, radical names, okurigana, antonyms/synonyms, homophones/homographs, idioms, and spelling corrections. Each practice set consists of 5 questions, while the skill test has 10 questions per set.
Additionally, the app offers a list display function for each level’s Kanji. Users can select any Kanji character they would like to study and review its readings, stroke order, and idioms.
The app is free of charge, and all of its features and problems are available for free. It is supported by an advertising network and will display ads during use.
For users under 12 years old and institutions such as schools, after-school programs, or cram schools, they are recommended to use the paid app Kanji Kentei Kanji Training DX instead of this app.
The app was developed by Gakko Net Corporation, rather than the Japan Kanji Aptitude Test Association.
5. FluentU: Learn Languages with authentic videos
FluentU is a language learning platform that uses real-world videos to make the process more engaging. It offers courses in Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Japanese, English, Italian, Russian, and Korean, and includes content such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks. Regardless of skill level or interest, FluentU offers a variety of options to choose from. The platform uses entertaining videos to create immersive language learning experiences.
6. Japanese Dictionary Takoboto
Takoboto is a Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary app that can be used offline. It also serves as a language learning tool that displays example sentences, kanji information, and conjugated forms for each word. It has translations of some words in French, German, and Russian. Users can search for words using kanji, kana, romaji, or Latin alphabets. Kanji can be searched by selecting multiple radicals. The app features over 200,000 Japanese entries with English translations and example phrases to understand word usage.
The app offers a dark theme for studying Japanese at night, voice audio using text-to-speech, and an export feature for AnkiDroid. It also includes a favorites section, history, and custom lists of words for review, as well as flashcards, ready-made study lists, and kana tables. The app provides Japanese grammar links to external websites and displays pitch accent.
The data used in the app is from the JMdict project, created by the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, with the help of Jim Breen and others. The app requires permission to access USB storage/photos/media/files to export and import word lists, and network connection permission is used to send contributions to takoboto.jp or download language translations.
For users who want to receive more frequent updates and experimental features, they can subscribe to the beta versions by following the provided link.
7. Google Translate
Google Translate is a tool that allows users to translate text between 108 different languages through typing. It also offers the Tap to Translate feature, which permits users to copy text from any app and translate it by tapping the Google Translate icon. The app supports translation without an internet connection for 59 languages. Another feature is the Instant camera translation, where users can translate text in images instantly by pointing the camera at it.
Users can also translate text in photos by taking or importing pictures. The app provides translation for bilingual conversations on the fly for 70 languages. Additionally, users can draw text characters instead of typing through the Handwriting feature, which supports 96 languages. The app includes a Phrasebook feature that enables users to star and save translated words and phrases for future reference in all languages. Login is required to sync the Phrasebook between the app and desktop. Finally, the Transcribe feature translates spoken words in near real-time for eight languages.
Google Translate supports translations between 108 different languages, including languages such as English, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Users can grant Google Translate permission to access the microphone for speech translation, camera for text translation via the camera, SMS for text message translation, external storage for offline translation data, and accounts and credentials for signing in and syncing across devices.
8. Japanese Kanji Study
Kanji Study is an app designed to assist users in learning Japanese kanji. The app comes equipped with features such as flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes, writing challenges, kanji and word searches, custom sets, and more. The aim of the app is to become an essential tool for users to master kanji.
Although the app is not entirely free, the free version offers unlimited study of beginner kanji, radicals, hiragana, and katakana. The dictionary and all information screens are free and unrestricted. Users can upgrade to unlock the remaining kanji levels and create custom sets. The one-time upgrade also supports the continued development of the project.
The app features several notable components, such as flashcard study, multiple-choice quizzes, writing challenges, quick kanji and word search, and detailed info screens. Additionally, users can study kanji in various sequences, receive custom study reminders, add shortcuts to their home screen, and save progress using Google Drive or local storage.
The app also offers additional features such as Outlier Essentials, a Kanji Dictionary for learners, and volunteer translation projects in over 30 languages. The app requires permissions for in-app purchases, external drive access, installing shortcuts, running at startup, and full network access.