Are you thinking of giving the Mirai Japanese App a try for learning beginner grammar and vocabulary? If you are already using an SRS flash card system like Scribe for kanji and need something to tackle the grammar basics of Japanese, then Mirai would be a great fit. This is an app aimed at beginners who are looking for N5 level grammar.
The Mirai Japanese app is tool for learning basic grammar and vocabulary points with interactive points that make it a step up from a regular text book. It features a good range of clearly spoken examples and a variety of phrases that are useful in every day life. This app will not be useful as a one stop shop for learning Japanese but the lesson plans make it an engaging place to start.
Of course there are definitely some negatives such as the subscription pricing model, lack of content and testing modules so let’s get going into some more details!
What is the content and pricing of Mirai Japanese like?
The app is a free iPhone download with the first 20 lessons available to trial and the rest available on subscription. The subscription fees start at AU$14.99 a month, $79.99 for 6 months or $139.99 a year. That quite pricy in comparison to a lot of other apps. Luckily, there is an educational discount of 50% which requires no additional proof and seems to be available to anyone. There is also a version for Android but I believe there are fewer available lessons.
The content is currently at 165 Lessons split between Beginner and Elementary 1-3 levels. According to the app, by Lesson 200 you should be able to confidently complete the N5 exam but as the app only has up to Lesson 165 this is just a starting point.
Hiragana, Katakana, some basic Kanji as well as vocabulary words are included in the app. The real strong point is the grammar tutor though, as it gives good real world examples and includes native audio. The audio lessons are not stilted and feel natural in pronunciation. Most of the grammar examples are useful but some of the later lessons can end up quite dry and would be improved with simpler explanations (eg. Resultative Transitive Forms).
How is the app to use?
Mirai Japanese is available on both iPhone and iPad. I used the iPad version so my review is pretty much exclusively based around that format.
Each Chapter is made up of 5 lessons with a 5 question quiz, then a 20 question Super Quiz at the end of the chapter. Within each lesson is the Tutor section, a writing area, vocab list and then the quiz to complete. Each of the lessons has around 5 words of vocabulary along with a hiragana, katakana or kanji character to learn.
Navigating the tutor lessons is easy, you tap to pause or repeat the audio. You can switch the examples given from kana to romaji easily and have the native speakers repeat them. The auto scrolling means you can do the lessons hands free if you prefer. The kana is contained in the Writing section of the lessons and is not guided by the tutor. Other apps are much better for kana memorisation so I suggest Mirai for grammar only.
Outside of the chapters you can get weird sushi badges for completing lessons. In the menu area you can check your vocabulary, see statistics, do flashcards or view kana charts etc. Everything outside of the lessons is pretty pointless.
The tutor format of the lessons is where the app really sets itself apart.
Each lesson appears as scrolling text on the screen as it is read aloud by the English tutor. Two native Japanese speakers read the examples and converse during the lessons. The native speakers vary the politeness levels of the dialog which is helpful to understand context in a variety of situations.
Watching the scrolling text makes the lessons more engaging than a traditional audio only or text book format. With plain audio I tend to zone out and my mind wanders while I miss what’s going on. The message format kept me interested enough that I was able to remember more of the content.
The format is great for people who have trouble focusing on text books such as Genki as it keeps things interesting. I will compare the full content with Genki 1 in a later post but suffice to say that this is really for beginners to inspire you towards further study.
The examples used are mostly around traveling with some friendly work situations thrown in.
What does Mirai Japanese need to improve?
The two biggest issues in the app as I see them are the testing mechanism and the lack of content updates.
Quizzes
Neither the quick quizzes or the super quizzes are a good representation of knowledge learned in the app. The questions are basic multiple choices with a timer function. If you get 10/20 right on the Super Quiz you can download and progress to the next level. Most of the questions are pretty easy to guess even if you haven’t completed the level because they are often vocabulary based. With only 5 words per lesson there is not a lot of variety in the questions and if you already know katakana and hiragana the beginner quizzes will be a breeze. Questions also include character’s number of strokes, which can be tedious if you aren’t learning that.
If you have any previous Japanese knowledge you can easily blast through all of the quizzes to download the rest of the levels and then complete them at your leisure. Once you have downloaded the level, it remains available whether your subscription is active or not.
Updated Content
The Mirai Japanese app hasn’t been updated in quite some time. I paid for 2 years worth of subscription because I took a very long break in the middle but the current number of lessons could easily be completed in a couple of months. The description in the app store says there are monthly updates which is not true as the last update was in October 2017.Their website and social media pages also seem abandoned. I do hope for more updates because while the content is really good, even at 165 lessons there is not enough content to complete the JLPT N5.
Mistakes within the text are also a minor problem in later levels. I didn’t notice mistakes in the first 100 levels but in the update after that there were quite a few small issues with kana not aligning with the spoken text or romaji. Occasionally the voices had sections that had been rerecorded in a different audio situation which was a little jarring.
Is it worth the subscription price?
I found the Mirai Japanese App to be worth the subscription price. The format of listening with the auto scrolling text made the content really easy to digest and enjoyable. The lessons are fairly short so I didn’t get bored and it was easy to set goals of completing 5 lessons per day even when the subjects weren’t interesting. The explanations for grammar are clear and concise. The large number of examples helped to get some concepts to finally click in my brain.
The best way to use the Mirai Japanese is as a basic grammar companion alongside an SRS app for kanji. I recommend first learning hirigana and katakana then doing the free Mirai lessons. When you have a month free, subscribe to the monthly educational rate and aim for 5 lessons a day. This will give a decent grammar foundation before you move on to more complex material!
After searching through hundreds of basic SRS memory apps for learning Japanese, I settled on Scribe Japanese as kanji flash cards. It can be hard to figure out the differences between the many similar apps but this post will help you decide if Scribe works for you.
After using Scribe Japanese for years I definitely recommend it as a great iPhone app for learning vocabulary and kanji, though it’s not perfect for every learning situation as I will explain.
The app and it’s family is made by Guiix who have used this format to make many language apps. It is offered as a free version with an in-app purchase (AU$13.99) to unlock the full content forever. I am reviewing the paid version and would encourage you to download the free version to test before committing.
Before we get too far into it, we should talk about the idea that most generic flash card apps are based off: SRS or Spaced Repetition System.
A quick run down on the SRS method of learning.
SRS is basically a popular scientific set of intervals that your brain processes new information well at. For example if you want to learn a new word, you learn then test it again immediately, then a few minutes later, a few hours later, a few days later, and so on until the intervals are measured in years. Most flash card apps use their own time intervals but the idea is the same. I will include more details on SRS and the ways I’ve used in a later article but for now all you need to know is that this method has been heavily researched and proven to be effective.
Scribe Japanese uses SRS flash cards to teach you Japanese.
The main part of the app is basically using flash cards which show you a vocabulary item to learn. Once you have memorised the item, it goes into the queue for revisions later. When you get it right a percentage of times, it is marked as “learned” and you continue with new items.
During basic flash card revisions you answer “wrong”, “unsure” or “correct”. The unsure option is great for when you know the item but just not as quickly as you’d like to.
Some cards feature a mnemonic and there is space for you to add your own notes. Every item also has spoken pronunciation. The content is broken into 7 levels: 5-1 of the JLPT tests as well as Beginners Grammar and Basic Conversational Phrases. The JLPT levels contain vocabulary (in kanji, kana or romaji if you select those options) as well as some common phases useful for the tests.
Vocabulary revisions are done through flash cards as well as mini games.
Once you have some items to revise the fun begins. There are 12 options/mini games for reviewing including flash cards, multiple choices, memory games and connecting items. Most of these are fairly similar but with different recognition ways eg. the prompt is spoken/written or the item is in English/Japanese.
Any of these games can be used to count towards revisions but correct answers count for different percentages based on difficulty. For example, a correct answer on a flash card is worth more than a multiple choice.
Overall the basic flash card system is pretty much the same as any other app but the customisation options and the games are a big selling point to me. I particularly liked the exam mode which will test you on every item in the level at once so you can get an overall idea of how far you’ve progressed in your level.
Scribe Japanese only has a one time fee.
One of the most annoying things about the current batch of Japanese study apps is that the majority of them are subscription only. Subscriptions are not ideal for casual learners. I life to switch apps regularly to keep my interest levels up, but having 10 apps on subscriptions payments is not budget friendly.
All of the Scribe Japanese apps are offered as one-off purchases in the app store. That allows you to work at your own pace knowing you’re not wasting money by taking a break or switching between apps.
Some of the other features I really like about the app are:
Easy on the eyes The muted sepia colours are soft on the eyes which makes it good for reviewing first thing in the morning and late at night. This isn’t a huge factor but I work with computers a lot so avoiding eye strain is important to me.
Sync across devices This is something that often isn’t included in language apps and it’s SO useful. I use Scribe Japanese on both an iPad and an iPhone. It’s great that I can pick up right where I left off.
Lots of customisation options Want to take a short holiday without revisions piling up? Or to change the percentage of an item for it to be considered learned? Maybe change the review intervals? Even change the font size? All of these are very easily done with the settings. You can toggle romaji, remove the inbuilt mnemonics and all kinds of things without having to code or fiddle.
No need for an internet connection Everything is contained within the app and it’s quick to load and get into.
But there are also some drawbacks…
If you’re looking for fancy graphics, this isn’t the app for you. The user experience is pretty basic, there are no bells or whistles and the general design looks a bit 2007. Personally I found that enjoyable but it’s not for everyone.
There are also plenty of free options that do the same thing. Flash cards aren’t a new concept and many apps out there have just as many features in terms of SRS. There is also no way to add your own flash cards.
The databases that the language library draws from can have errors. I didn’t notice any mistakes in Scribe Japanese so far (halfway through the N3) but as with any app that uses public libraries (JMDict/Edict Project, Tatoeba, Cordova, Howler Library) mistakes may slip through. The app also hasn’t been updated in quite a while so I’m not sure if it’s still in active development.
Additionally, I can’t decide whether to mark down for having an anime girl as the mascot changing outfits daily. Maybe it was her cold dead eyes looking into my soul or the fact that she sometimes wears strappy high heels over socks but something about her just weirded me out. Luckily you have the option to turn her off in the settings as well!
Comparing Scribe to the main competition.
The most often mentioned flash card systems these days for Japanese are Anki and Wanikani. I’ll be reviewing both of them in an in-depth future article but let’s take a quick look at how they stack up against Scribe Japanese.
Anki
With it’s crazy levels of customisation and user made decks, Anki is pretty much the standard for flashcard apps. The benefit that Scribe Japanese has over it is pricing (Anki’s iPhone app is currently AU$38.99 while the desktop and web app are free), and user-friendliness. You can do everything in Anki that Scribe does but Anki requires a heavy learning curve to learn to make those customisations. Scribe is basically pick up and go. If you use the web version you also require an internet connection while Scribe does not.
Wanikani
Wanikani is a really beautiful and well thought out SRS system. The design and mnemonics included are certainly a level above Scribe and the pricing reflects that as a subscription or a US$299 lifetime membership. The revision system forces you to type in answers which really helps with retaining information. On the other hand there is no official app. There are third party apps and the site is a mobile friendly but it requires an internet connection. Additionally you can’t continue to review items indefinitely once you’re through with the spaced ones like you can with Scribe.
What’s the verdict on Scribe Japanese?
Overall my experience with Scribe has been really positive. It’s been a cost effective way to have my Japanese close at hand during the day. As it’s not reliant on the internet, I can jump right into revisions during down time. That’s an easy way to get practice in without feeling drained. Definitely worth checking it out and seeing if you like it!
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