Hiragana is your first step to learning Japanese but which hiragana study apps are the best? The app store is absolutely packed with hiragana content and it can be difficult to figure out which ones are worth looking at.
My criteria for a good app is something with includes a good way to learn and review hiragana with a clean design. You want to get through kana as fast as possible so these aren’t apps you are going to keep forever, they just need to be engaging enough to get the job done!
Ideally you will want an app that can follow through and do katakana too but for these reviews I’m focusing on the hiragana side. Unfortunately a lot of them have very similar names so make sure you check the links and grab the right ones!
These guides will change over time as I update them with new apps I’ve tried. If you’re looking for an idea of how long it will take to learn hiragana check out my earlier post.
Best Free Apps To Learn Hiragana.
These apps are completely and totally free, no upgrades in sight! Japanese is a long journey so even if you plan on using paid resources later it’s a good plan to check out the free hiragana apps. Ideally you would learn hiragana and katakana for free then upgrade to a paid app for kanji when you know you’re committed.
This app is put out by the Japan Language Institute in Kansai so it’s got some street cred behind it. It’s divided into memory hints, quizzes and revision tables. The memory hints are visual mnemonics drawn on the character with short animations. There is a native speaker voice for pronunciation but not to read the mnemonic. You can view the character inside the illustration or flip it to see them side by side.
The quiz includes reading, listening or reversed multiple choices with a quick review period after each. There is also an option for “similar hiragana” which will quiz you on characters that look the same. This is great for improving reading comprehension. One funny aspect is that for a correct answer you are shown a red O with a blue X for incorrect. In Japan that’s common but in my brain red always means “wrong” so it took a moment to figure that out!
The Institute also puts out a larger family of free apps including katakana and basic kanji. If you like this way of learning you have room to grow with the apps.
Covers: Hiragana Design: Nice design, coloured backgrounds with black and white illustrations that stand out. Learning style:Review the mnemonics at your own pace then review with quizzes. Mnemonics included: Yes, illustrated.
Good:Clean modern design. Bad: Some of the mnemonics are a bit of a stretch, it would be nice having a voice over to read the captions.
This is the best free option out there! It’s nicely designed, includes mnemonics and has decent quizzes. I absolutely recommend Hiragana Hint Memory if you are sticking to free apps, you can’t get better.
This is a great app for revising and tracking your learning. It features detailed statistics on your time learning and reviewing so you can adjust your study. The downside is that there are no mnemonics or ways to learn outside of staring at the kana table. Within the kana table you can select a character for more information, try drawing it and listen to pronunciation.
The app features a variety of tests including multiple choices, type in answers and drawing. Like most apps, the drawing tests are self marked against the guides. I find the most useful tests to be the typed in answers, it’s a nice middle ground between multiple choice and writing. It also helps link the character in your brain with how you will usually be using it.
Covers: Hiragana and katakana Design: Clean, modern and simple. Easy to read. Learning style:Learn via a kana chart, then various quizzes. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Great design, lots of statistics about your learning. Reminders and written answers available. Bad: No mnemonics or interesting ways of learning the characters.
This app proves that free resources can be just as good as the paid ones! The app is set out between learning, kana tables and infinite quizzes. In the learning section you can view the characters, try them out in mini quizzes or do the full test to advance to the next character set. Each set has 5 characters and you need to complete the previous ones before the next is unlocked. The tests are simple multiple choices and you have 3 lives for incorrect answers. There is a text to speech voice that reads the characters as you go.
Covers: Hiragana and katakana Design: Clean and simple. Learning style:Learn via looking at the characters, trial quiz, then test to unlock the next set. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Clean modern design, 3 heart system for wrong answers during the test. Bad: No mnemonics or interesting ways of learning the characters.
While this one is not full featured for learning, it’s fantastic for reviewing. The design is pleasant and it does exactly what it promises.
Best paid apps to study hiragana.
While there’s a number of free resources around online, sometimes it’s worth paying a bit to get really GOOD resources. These apps have great design and features but on average they will set you back around AU$15 to unlock fully. Many of these also include katakana so the price is shared across both alphabets.
Dr Moku’s learning system is one of the bigger players in terms of learning apps so the name comes up often. The teaching is based on clever mnemonics which include pictures to help you remember. In learning mode, you view the picture with the hiragana over the top and then listen to Dr Moku read the mnemonic to you. His voice and pronunciation is quite distinctive so it helps things stick in your memory. You can also toggle to see an animation of how each character is written.
There are quizzes for reading, listening and writing. The reading and listening are standard multiple choice questions while the writing is a self graded test.
Additional quick reference and audio charts are included along with some common words and phrases. The company has other apps for katakana, basic kanji and phrases. If you like the style of mnemonics then this is something to consider.
Covers: Hiragana (25% included in free app, the rest unlocked with paid upgrade) Design: Clean and simple. Easy to see each item for review. Fun drawings. Learning style: Review at your own pace, then timed multiple choice quiz. Mnemonics included: Yes.
Good: Good mnemonics, written practice included. Family of apps available if you like the style. Bad:Lots of upgrade banners and ads for the other apps. The app design can get tedious with several selection screens before you start most options.
Price:Free download, AU$7.99 upgrade to unlock all hiragana. Bundle in the app store with the katakana and phrases apps for $12.99
A great system for mnemonics and reviews. Free version is not worth it but if you don’t mind the price then the bundle of kana and phrases is good value for learning and revising.
With a very basic name you would be forgiven for thinking this is a basic app. There are 6 lessons that cover hiragana, katakana, some vocabulary, kanji and basic grammar points. The lessons are broken into sections and focus on repetition in different formats. There are no mnemonics to help you but each character is shown a variety of ways and then you must select it in multiple choice. The reviews are given in an SRS style but I’m not sure on the frequencies.
The questions also have a writing option which you can toggle during reviews. The writing practice starts with you tracing the character with coloured dots showing the start and end points of each stroke. The character gradually fades through each quiz until you are writing completely on your own which is a great approach.
Covers: Basic hiragana (5 items available free per lesson, others unlocked via paid upgrade) Design: Dark, clean and simple. Easy to see each item in quiz. Learning style:Learn via repetition, writing and quizzes. Review with the same methods. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Clean, modern design. Writing reviews are useful. Bad: No mnemonics or learning options other than repetition.
Price:Free download, AU$2.99 upgrade for hiragana only or $12.99 for all lessons (hiragana, katakana, some kanji, vocabulary and grammar)
Worth it for the smooth design and writing practice. Nice that it has more than just hiragana for the price but if you want to learn with mnemonics then you’ll have to look elsewhere.
This app is pricey compared to the features of other apps but the design is great and the speed that you can review is very useful. The main part of the app is revising kana via timed multiple choice questions. It features a self study kana chart but does not include mnemonics or pronunciation there. This is definitely not an app that will help you learn hiragana to begin with but the super quick quizzes are great for making sure your recall and reading skills are on point.
Covers: Basic hiragana (hiragana with modifiers and katakana available via paid upgrade) Design: Clean and simple. Easy to see each item in quiz. Learning style:Learn at your own pace, then timed multiple choice quiz. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Clean modern design, fast pace for improving reading. Bad: High unlock price, no spoken pronunciation during learning, no mnemonics.
Price:Free download, AU$7.99 upgrade to unlock hiragana with modifiers and katakana.
Worth it for nice design and speed but only if you are focused on reviewing rather than learning and you don’t mind spending for the upgrade.
This one is a literal flash card study app for hiragana. It won’t teach you anything about the characters or help you learn them with mnemonics etc but it is a quick and easy way for no fuss reviews. There’s not much else to say about it because that’s all it is: hiragana flash cards!
Covers: Hiragana Design: Clean and simple. Learning style:Flash cards only, no customisation. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Clean design, quickly and easily get through lots of flash cards. Bad: No mnemonics or interesting ways of learning the characters. No flash card customisation.
Now this is something different from boring flash cards! Hiragana pixel party is one part review and one part rhythm game. You play as Mihiro who is running through various cities and landscapes while jumping over kana obstacles to the beat. As Mihiro calls out a hiragana character, you need to press the correct character on the screen to make her jump in time to the beat and clear the obstacle. The better you do, the higher your score. Each level unlocks a couple of hiragana at a time so you can breeze through. There’s not really much actual teaching though so I would recommend using this once you have a basic grasp. It’s a really fun way to review though!
Covers: Hiragana (12 levels free, 100 more plus katakana unlocked through paid upgrade) Design: Pixel game style. Learning style:There isn’t a whole lot of learning here, just reviewing through the mini game. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Clean modern design, fast pace for improving reading. Bad: Obviously requires sound to use so you can hear the beat.
Price:Free download, 12 levels free AU$2.99 upgrade to unlock 100 extra levels, song etc.
Great way to get some kana practice in without feeling like you’re studying, definitely download.
Hiragana study apps not to waste time with.
There are a LOT of apps for hiragana study in the app store and a lot of them are really good. Unfortunately a lot of them are also not so good. These are some apps that came up in my searches that I didn’t find helpful. While they aren’t necessarily bad, there are better options in the apps I’ve already listed so try one of those instead of wasting your time!
This app has great reviews on the app store but I couldn’t figure out why. When I opened it, I was greeted with an advertisement for a Japanese ebook. Fairly standard except I couldn’t find a way to close it without clicking to sign up on the ebook. The design of the app is busy and like looking at a 2002 Geocities page which is distracting.
Beyond that, the app is sectioned into study and test areas. The actual study information is useful but to get to each item takes several clicks. There are a lot of vocabulary items included as examples of hiragana use. Quizzes included are standard multiple choice options.
Covers: Hiragana, katakana and vocabulary. Design: Cluttered and hard to do anything. Learning style:Review at your own pace, then multiple choice quiz. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Lots of information. Bad: Hard to use design, annoying to get to information, no mnemonics.
Price:Free download, ad supported or $1.49 to remove ads.
Don’t bother, just get one of the other apps that has both good information and good user experience!
This app has a lot of potential but falls down in design again. There is a LOT of text to read through which some people may enjoy but I found it distracting. It covers everything you would need for hiragana and katakana. While being heavy on information, it’s sparce on helpful things like memory aids etc or learning tools.
Covers: Hiragana, katakana and some vocabulary. Design: Minimal, many menu systems to get to the content. Content is mostly plain text. Learning style:Learn at your own pace with included lessons, some characters have additional information on style or pronunciation. Mnemonics included: No.
Good:Lots of information included. Bad: Hard to use design, hard to get to information, no mnemonics.
Price:Free download, ad supported, contribute $1-3 to remove ads.
The information included is good but the clunky navigation make it not worth the time to navigate to each item.
My favorite hiragana app study plan of attack
If you’re just starting out with hiragana then I recommend that you begin with either Hiragana Memory Hint or Dr Moku to get the full benefit of mnemonics.
The biggest tip for hiragana study apps is to do your reviews often throughout the day until you can recognise the characters easily and read along words even if you don’t know their actual meanings!
Asking how long it takes to learn katakana is a difficult question as there a lot of variables. It really depends on how effective you are at studying and how fast you want it to go.
On average, a beginner takes around a month to learn Hiragana and Katakana together. If you study efficiently and don’t slack off, you can easily learn katakana in a few days. As some characters just resemble pointy hiragana, you might even end up finishing katakana more quickly!
Katakana is the next stop in the Japanese alphabet after hiragana. It follows the same syllables as hiragana but the characters are different and more pointy. Like hiragana, the base alphabet comes with 46 characters plus modifiers to change the sounds.
Some people liken it to being capital letters where as hiragana is lowercase. While there are some similarities that’s not a totally apt comparison. Katakana is generally used for foreign loan words, emphasis and improving visual readability.
So let’s get into the most effective ways to learn katakana while avoiding the common mistakes.
What is the best way to learn katakana?
Follow these 4 easy steps to learn katakana right now!
Like hiragana, visual mnemonics are the most effective way to learn katakana. Mnemonics are made up stories to remind you what the character looks and sounds like. Because katakana is a visual alphabet we use visual mnemonics to remember it. To come up with a mnemonic you need to look at the shape of the katakana and think of a story about what it looks and sounds like.
The mnemonic I always remember from school was “Sew? Sew button!” for the katakana character So. You picture a button with a long needle and thread sitting next to it. It looks a little like a smile so it seems like I’m enjoying sewing… which is very far from the truth in real life!
The reason that has stuck with me for so long is because it contains several important elements:
An easy picture in your head of what the katakana looks like (thread and a button)
Short and catchy sentence
Emphasis on how the character is supposed to be pronounced (Sew/so)
The key to mnemonics is by using as many senses as possible so it links the new information to old information and sticks. Of course, the weirder and more memorable things you can think of the better!
You can find katakana mnemonics in pretty much every learning app but I think the best ones are personal. I usually make crazy ones up about places, people or things that are in my real life.
How often should you study?
Spending this much time colour coding your notes may push the time estimate out slightly.
Like hiragana, katakana has 46 basic characters so if you wanted to learn 10 of them a day it would only take you 5 days to finish them all!
It can be tempting for a lot of people to just learn all 46 on the first day but you won’t remember them effectively if you do that. For the best results, learn a few characters every day. During your study you should also make sure to revise the characters that you previously learned and make sure they really stick!
When you’re starting out, study can get overwhelming so try to aim for around 40 minutes of katakana a day.
Of course if you have already finished learning hiragana you might have a great routine down by now and be quicker!
Should you study katakana and hiragana at once?
Some study guides say you should study hiragana and katakana together at the same time. While it works for some people, I think it’s better to keep them separate to avoid confusion.
Learn katakana after you’ve finished hiragana. That will give you a jump start to understanding the correct sounds and how the character grid works before you move into katakana.
Doing hiragana first also gives you the benefit of having a study routine in place. As several of the katakana characters just look like pointy hiragana, you can blast through characters quickly!
What are common mistakes people make when studying katakana?
Learning a new language is hard, especially one that’s so different than English. Don’t get discouraged, the top mistakes I see people making with katakana are similar to hiragana. If you can avoid them, that’s half the battle so let’s take a look:
Learning everything immediately. If you get in over your head you might burn out and not remember anything you’ve spent time on. It’s better to think of these goals as long term and try to space things out. By giving your brain a break between sets you will recall a lot more.
With a little practice, you too can write awkwardly about all of the fruits you eat.
Not revising the old characters. Set aside time to test yourself at the beginning of each lesson so you can check your progress. Then if you can’t remember the characters, revise them again. Make sure to continue revising your hiragana too so you don’t forget it!
Using digital flash cards and never writing anything down. It’s not often we use paper and pen these days but writing is important for learning. When you write the character, your brain makes connections with the shapes. If you can see the character in more ways it will be easier to recall.
Mixing up hiragana and katakana. Some of the kana characters look very different and some look very similar. It’s easy to confuse them if you’re not familiar. As a rule, katakana tends to look more pointy while hiragana is rounder. It’s best to revise them together at this point so you don’t mix them up later when reading or writing. Words are not generally a mixture of hiragana and katakana so you don’t want to get confused.
Stopping after kana. So you finished hiragana and katakana? Well done! Now is the time to start right away with kanji! You have mastered the basic Japanese writing system but there are so many more characters to learn. It’s not often that kana is used completely on it’s own without kanji so keep up your momentum and get started on the kanji as soon as you can!
If you want to see if kanji is something useful for your study goals, read my post here on whether you really need it.
What are good resources to learn katakana?
Soon, you too will be able to discuss your love of melons.
Now you’re ready to get down to learning, here are some good apps and resources for learning hiragana!
The question of how long it takes to learn hiragana is a bit like asking how long a piece of string is. It really depends on how good you are at learning and how quickly you want to go.
The average beginner takes around 1 month to learn both Hiragana and Katakana combined. If you study diligently though, you could definitely learn hiragana in just a couple of days.
Hiragana is the starting point of the Japanese alphabet. It’s a character system where each shape corresponds to a sound. If you understand hiragana, you can spell and say any Japanese word. The base alphabet comes with 46 characters along with some modifiers that change the sounds a bit.
So how can you learn hiragana in the most effective way and avoid the pitfalls? Let’s take a look further into it and I’ll give you my best tips so you don’t waste any time!
The first step to study is to put down that gigantic clock and open a book.
What is the best way to learn hiragana?
The most effective way to learn hiragana is to use visual mnemonics. Mnemonics are stories that stick in your mind and remind you what the character is supposed to look like and mean. Hiragana is a visual alphabet so we use visual mnemonics to remember them. That means looking at the shape of the hiragana and coming up with a story about something that it kind of looks like.
When I was learning Japanese in highschool, our teacher was really fond of using the mnemonic “She brushes her long hair.” for the hiragana character “shi”. You can picture the shi character as the long hair of a pretty girl with a flick at the end. The girl is brushing her hair in time with the way the sentence is said and it makes a shhh sound as she goes.
The reason that has stuck with me for close to 20 years is because it contains several important elements:
An easy picture in your head of what the hiragana looks like (a girl’s long hair with a flicked end)
Short and catchy sentence
Emphasis on how the character is supposed to be pronounced (she/shi)
Mnemonics work by linking the new information (character shape and name) to as many senses as possible so it sticks. The weirder the mnemonic is, the more likely it is to stick in your brain.
Lots of learning apps have their own mnemonics and they are great resources. That said, I’ve found the most effective ones are the ones I make up about things, places and people in my every day life. Still, the crazier the better!
How often should you study?
There are 46 basic characters in the hiragana alphabet, if you were to learn 10 of them per day it would only take you 5 days to memorise them all!
For some beginners, it can be tempting to just learn them all at once but that’s not a good way to retain information. Ideally you want to learn a few characters every day, revise them, then revise the ones you learned the day before. This will make sure they stick in your memory.
At the beginning you don’t want to be overwhelmed so it’s best to only study for around 40 minutes per day.
This should give you plenty of time to get through 10 hiragana and test yourself on the previous ones you’ve learned.
Should you study hiragana and katakana at the same time?
Hiragana knowledge is only a few steps away!
Some study methods recommend studying both hiragana and katakana together at once. This is definitely an interesting approach but I think it’s better to do them separately so you don’t get them confused.
I recommend starting with hiragana and then progressing to katakana. Hiragana is used more often in Japanese and has (arguably) more easy to recognise shapes in the characters.
The benefit of studying hiragana first is that you will have a solid understanding of the character sets and sounds before tackling katakana.
What are common mistakes people make when studying hiragana?
It’s easy to make mistakes and get discouraged when you’re learning a new language so here are the top mistakes I see people making and how to avoid them:
Learning everything all at once. This is a quick way to burn out and not actually retain any information. As much as you want to dive right in and learn EVERYTHING, set some realistic goals and save some for tomorrow!
Not revising the characters they learned before. You will need time to test yourself and make sure you can remember the previously learned characters. Make sure to set aside time at the beginning of each lesson to check your progress.
Using digital flash cards and never writing anything down.
Another common mistake is the crumple all of your study papers into balls and throw them away.
These days we don’t use old fashioned pens and paper much but writing things down can be a really important part of learning. Writing the characters helps your brain make connections with the shape. The more ways you can see the character, the more easy it will be to recall.
Pronouncing using your native tones. Self study has lots of advantages but one of the disadvantages is that there’s no one there to tell you if you’re pronouncing things incorrectly! To help this you should make sure to include listening sources from native speakers in your study. Listen to the character being pronounced and then do your best to mimic the speaker. Don’t just assume the syllables sound the same in your native language!
Stopping after hiragana. You finished hiragana? Start on katakana right away and then kanji after that! Japanese is a massive undertaking and if you stop right after hiragana it’s hard to get the study momentum going again. Hiragana is the first step on the way to Japanese fluency so keep up the good work!
What are good resources to learn hiragana?
Now you’re ready to get down to learning, here are some good apps and resources for learning hiragana!
A lot of beginners are scared off by the idea of kanji, but do you need to learn kanji to know Japanese? 2 x 46 kana alphabets are hard enough but kanji has more than 2000 characters! So is it necessary and really worth the effort?
Whether you really need to learn kanji or not depends on your goals in Japanese. If your aim is to be able to take holidays, chat with people or watch anime then the time sink is probably not worth it. If you are looking to read manga or live in Japan then you will definitely need to tackle it. Of course there are some grey areas so let’s have a look in more detail!
First let’s take a look at some scenarios that might apply to you and rank them in terms of real world kanji usage.
You are planning a short one off trip to Japan and plan to stick to large cities.
Japan’s large cities are very tourist friendly and most major signs have English language versions. Before I started learning kanji I visited Tokyo several times and hand no problems navigating at all. Many places offer English menus or information. If you can access basic translation software to cover any extra information you need, you’ll be good to go!
Verdict: Maybe learn a few useful ones (train signs, exit/entry, menu items) if you like but focus on spoken language and vocabulary.
You want to listen to Japanese podcasts.
Listening skills don’t require kanji. You might find it easier to acquire all of the vocabulary you need for this if you cross learn them with kanji but that’s a personal choice. To be able to listen to a podcast successfully you will need a wide variety of vocabulary and grammar knowledge as there aren’t the visual cues that usually come in a tv show.
Of course it might be difficult to find or read the descriptions of many great podcasts if you can’t search using kanji!
Verdict: Not required for listening but good for reading descriptions or finding podcasts.
You want to chat to friends.
It was then Katie realised that the amount of kanji she needed was zero.
Making friends is a great way to practice your Japanese. Whether they are native speakers or fellow students, it’s an easy way to get in the habit of using Japanese naturally in real life situations. If you don’t have the kanji skill yet then irl meet ups and Skype calls are your friend!
On the other hand, if you are more interested in texting then things get iffy. Texting using only kana is possible but can take up a lot of space and isn’t really how people talk in Japanese. It’s certainly doable and it’s better than nothing but your friends might have a harder time reading and understanding your messages. Kanji helps to convey context and intent to words that might sound similar in kana. I would suggest trying to incorporate kanji if you’re planning on long term texting!
Verdict: Voice chat and in person meetings need no kanji! Text chat will depend on your friends and their preferences.
You want to read Japanese children’s picture books.
Children’s books are generally written using Hiragana and Katakana. I’m talking about picture books aimed at the under 6 year old market. These are useful for learning low level vocabulary and practicing your kana recognition. Obviously you aren’t going to find any page turners here but they are useful for beginners.
Verdict: No kanji required, only hiragana and katakana!
You want watch anime.
This is a tricky one. You don’t really need to know any kanji to watch anime but it can really help. Anime has a lot of visual cues so you can get away with having less vocabulary skills to fill in the blanks.
Kanji can be helpful watching anime as there are often signs or subtitles on screen. Of course if you are learning kanji you can also watch the shows with Japanese subtitles on to get a deeper view. Having subtitles can help you to re-enforce word connections and understand context better so I definitely recommend it while you’re learning. Similar to podcasts, you also aren’t going to be able to read descriptions in Netflix or anything without some kanji!
Verdict: Not really required but very helpful!
You want to play video games in Japanese
This one will depend on the kind of video game and the intended audience. For example many games with a younger target audience will have options for kana/kanji in the settings. Pokemon gameboy games are an example of that and are very easy to come by. If you’re after games aimed at adults like the Persona series then you will need to know kanji to understand the text options.
The genre will also effect how text heavy the game is so my advice is to check the kana settings before you start anything.
Verdict: Depends on the game. If you want to avoid kanji, pick something aimed at younger people or that isn’t text heavy.
You won’t need much kanji for that trip to Greenland…
You want to travel around Japan in less populated areas.
Traveling to tourist areas is great but it’s always fun to get off the beaten track. Outside of the major cities in Japan the English signs and menus become more sparse. Of course if you know kana then you will have a leg up but kanji is everywhere.
Verdict: It’s not strictly needed but it’s a good idea to try to pick up some basics.
You want to watch Japanese TV shows or Youtubers.
If you’ve seen a Japanese variety tv show then you’ve seen that half the time the screen is often covered in text. The text gives context clues and other information for viewers. Sometimes the text is just silly sound effects or instructions for the games. While most of the time you can get the general idea of things without it, the text really adds another layer to things that is helpful for understanding what’s going on. Game and variety shows are often so fast paced that you need the extra hints!
News and morning shows are similar in that the screens will always be covered in text. It can be subtitles, information about the current story or what’s coming up next. News shows often use formal speech so the kanji is helpful for context if you’re used to informal speech.
Youtubers on the other hand, don’t tend to use as much text at all. So if you can understand spoken Japanese you will be fairly good to go. The caveat to this is that you probably won’t be able to read the video descriptions or comments. Youtube comments are usually a dumpster fire so you’re probably not missing much there.
Verdict: Not totally required but really helpful for understanding context in tv shows!
While Carol couldn’t actually read any of the books, she did find it oddly comforting to hide behind them
You want to read manga or books.
Reading anything aimed at ages 6 or over will be difficult if you don’t have any kanji knowledge. Even manga for younger viewers include a lot of kanji. Some have furigana on text they think might be too difficult but they all expect that you have a basic knowledge of kanji at the appropriate age level. While manga does have the artwork to clue you in on what’s going on, you won’t get a full understanding unless you know some kanji.
Verdict: You will need to know kanji at the age level that your manga or book is aimed at.
You want to fully understand Japanese
Well this is a no-brainer. If you want to fully understand every facet of Japanese of course you will need kanji! By cutting out kanji you miss out on a big chunk of what’s going on around you. Speaking and listening skills are great but you won’t get very far with kana only in every day Japanese.
Verdict: You definitely need a good grasp on kanji!
You want to move to Japan.
Absolutely. If you want to move to Japan then you should definitely learn kanji. While it’s possible to survive, you will give yourself a big head start if you can read well. Signing a lease, getting a bank account, filling out forms, doctors appointments, transport, all of these day to day things require reading kanji. Navigating life in Japan is possible without kanji but it makes things very hard!
The caveat to this is if you are moving within an English teaching organisation. Often the English teaching companies don’t require you to have any knowledge of Japanese before you start with them. They don’t generally care about your Japanese level because everything you do with them will be in English. These companies have experience with working with foreigners and accomodate various language skills. Of course this varies wildly based on the program and it’s still always a better idea to have more knowledge to make things smoother for yourself.
Verdict: Definitely better to know kanji when moving to Japan!
So do you really need to learn kanji?
Really, there are very few situations where some of the more common kanji aren’t useful to know. If your interest in Japanese is casual and you don’t see yourself doing long term study then skipping the kanji and focusing on kana and spoken skills is fine. Kana is still important as it can bridge the gap in situations where something written is required for context and it helps with understanding pronunciation.
If your interest in Japanese goes beyond a single trip then kanji is something you will need to tackle sooner or later. In my experience, the sooner you start the sooner you can make cross connections to vocabulary in your brain and the easier it is to make lasting memories!
As a native English speaker, Kanji can seem crazy intimidating. With thousands of characters it looks like it never ends! It’s a big reason that students drag their feet because learning can be tedious and repetitive. If you focus, does it really take that long though?
Most people who want to learn the 2000 Jouyou Kanji take around 1-1.5 years if they are going at a steady pace. The timing is similar for N1 kanji lists. This of course depends on a lot of factors so let’s take a look at how fast you could learn the kanji and get it out of the way!
The first thing that will effect how fast your kanji speed is which kanji you’re actually learning! The common lists like Jouyou and JLPT all have different numbers so it’s important to base your plans off the right one.
How long does it take to learn the JTLP kanji lists?
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency test) is an exam run by the Japanese government for foreigners to test language skills. It is held around the world at various locations in December and July. There are 5 levels of the test ranging in difficult with N1 being the hardest and the level required for fluency.
It’s a popular measure because passing the N1 effectively means you are considered fluent enough to conduct business in Japan. It’s what employers look for when hiring overseas staff and it looks great on a resume or transcript.
While there are guide books for the JLPT here is no official list of kanji required for each level. Most study guides and apps use lists which have been compiled through previous tests and from lists of the most used kanji.
Here is a table showing on average how many kanji is required for each level and how long it would take to learn.
JLPT Level
Difficulty
Approximate
Number of Kanji
Study days
(if learning 10 per day)
Study days
(if learning 5 per day)
JLPT 5
Easiest
~100
10
20
JLPT 4
~300
30
60
JLPT 3
Medium
~650
65
130
JLPT 2
~1000
100
200
JLPT 1
Hardest
~2000
200
400
How long does it take to learn the Jouyou kanji list?
The Jouyou kanji is a list of 2136 characters set out by the Japanese government. In simple terms, it is a list of kanji that students are expected to know by the time they finish high school for basic literacy. It also includes some additional kanji for use in government documents and names etc that you might come across in every day Japanese life. This is not a complete list of kanji and it’s not even a list of every kanji you would need to read but it’s an easy entry point.
If you were to learn 10 kanji a day, completing the Jouyou character list would take you around 214 days. So less than a year!
If you were only learning 5 kanji a day it would take you 428 days.
You can find a nice easy list of the Jouyou kanji and their levels here on the Monash University website.
How long does it take to complete Wanikani for kanji?
Wanikani is a kanji and vocabulary website that uses an SRS system for memorisation. Wanikani is a great system because it mixes learning straight up kanji with vocabulary at the same time. This means you can make connections to words a lot quicker and retain things.
Wanikani contains around 2000 Kanji and 6000 vocabulary words.
According to their website, the quickest you can complete their system is 368 days. This assumes that you are doing reviews the moment they come up though which is often not realistic.
Their website suggests that average person completing Wanikani takes around 1.5-2 years.
How much kanji do you need to read manga?
The amount of kanji you need to read a manga will depend a lot on the age level the manga is aimed at and whether it has a lot of content specific words. For example, you might be reading at the level of a 13yr old but if the manga you want to read is about wizards and contains a lot of complex lore you may struggle.
The best way to estimate is to check the recommended age group for the manga and judge it against the level you are currently at. To easily compare you level to the age range, use the Jouyou guide or practice tests.
To cement your kanji knowledge you should start reading outside of your learning system as soon as you possibly can. Pick content that is appropriate to your level and work your way up. If you find yourself looking up more than a few kanji per page then downgrade until you can comfortably read it.
How much kanji do you need to learn to be fluent in Japanese?
The short answer is that it really depends on how you judge fluency. You don’t need any kanji to speak or listen well in Japanese and many people would describe that as being fluent!
Around 2000 kanji is the requirement for the JLPT 1 test which is how the Japanese government judges fluency.
The Jouyou kanji list contains 2136 characters (slightly different from the JLPT 1 list) which represent basic high school level fluency.
An average Japanese person would know the Jouyou kanji list and then some depending on their person interests and life experiences. That said, on Japanese morning tv shows there are sometimes segments where they ask people on the street if they can recognise obscure kanji and the answer is often no! I think that would give you the feeling that while kanji is important to learn, so long as you have the basic ~2000 down you will be fine.
How much time should I spend studying kanji every day?
If you want to learn 10 new kanji per day then you would probably need to study around 15 minutes. The problem with this math is that it doesn’t take into account the fact that you need to revise the kanji you have previously learnt too. If you spend a few minutes revising each kanji every day this quickly adds up.
This is why most people use Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) to learn kanji. These systems calculate when the most effective time for each revision is and only show you the character then. There is a lot of science behind it and they are proven to work well so I recommend them.
By spacing the reviews out you can safely learn your 10 new words a day and then leave 20-30 minutes for reviews. Keep in mind that reviews snowball quickly and after a few months of new words things can pile up. The key is to review items as soon as they come up so you aren’t left with a massive queue.
Leave room to learn vocabulary and grammar too!
It’s easy to see these numbers and think “Great! I’ll be fluent in a year!” when that’s just not the case. Kanji doesn’t give you fluency. I would go so far as to say that kanji alone is pretty useless as it doesn’t even give you much vocabulary. You need to learn the kanji, also the context and where it fits into actual words to be fluent. That takes more time. You need to study grammar and vocabulary separately to achieve real fluency and have success on test like the JLPT.
Some tips for speeding learning kanji up.
So the real answer to how long kanji takes to learn is: however long you want it to… but if you are determined then probably 1-2 years. You can speed things up by being methodical and consistent with your study. A few years for a whole new writing system isn’t that bad in the long run!
Learning kanji is pretty boring. It’s a huge task that involves lot of self study and memorisation. Even if you’re in a classroom setting you are often just given lists of kanji to study between classes. Unfortunately, kanji is something most Japanese learners have to tackle eventually so how can you get through it the least horrible way possible?
To make kanji less boring you need to understand the way you learn and how to mix your own interests into the content. Allowing yourself to take breaks and setting small manageable goals is key. It’s also important to understand that this is a long term project and manage your expectations so don’t burn out early. The best way to do that is to celebrate your achievements along the way!
I failed at studying kanji in several attempts over the years, it wasn’t until I started tailoring my study habits that I managed to find a routine that I could stick to long term. Here are the tips that helped me the most!
1. Start learning kanji as soon as possible, don’t avoid it!
It’s easy to want to just stick kana once you’ve got that down. Don’t do it. The longer you rely on your kana knowledge the harder it will be to switch to kanji. The moment you’re comfortable in kana get started in kanji. To begin with, work on small things which you will use often in your every day life like days of the week, entrance/exit or items you would find on a menu.
Most of the methods mentioned in this post are SRS systems. By design they take quite a while to complete when you have thousands of kanji to get through. As an example, Wanikani suggests that if you were to go as fast as humanly possible through the levels it would still take 368 days to get through their content!
So… the sooner you start the sooner you finish!!
2. Decide what you want to learn.
Before you start you need to figure out which parts of the kanji you want to learn. This will depend on your goals but if you don’t think you will do much physical writing then there’s no point wasting time being bored to tears on stroke order. Similarly, if you don’t find that learning radicals actually helps you in remembering full kanji then don’t waste the time on it.
If you are studying for a specific test like the JLPT then it’s a lot easier to decide what to learn. There are several helpful lists around the web which rank kanji based on JLPT level. Most apps also teach you in the order of most popular. If you’re not studying with a specific test in mind then you can tailor your approach to be more interesting. Pick topics and vocabulary that you like by theme from the Jouyou Kanji list or let your app decide for you.
3. Tailor the kanji around your other hobbies and interests.
Kaitlin knew that her hobby was having over priced coffee in tall buildings so she combined that with learning kanji for easy success!
Learning kanji is less boring if you can study things that you already have an interest in. It’s also much more likely to stick in your brain if you already have knowledge relating to it. I always recommend trying to learn based around things you enjoy talking about in real life. Learning this way is more fun and you will find it easier to find words in other contexts. For example, if you like mountain biking, start with any bike or riding related kanji. If your hobby is sewing, then look for crafting related terms.
To find interesting and relevant kanji to learn, look for Japanese social media accounts in your interests. I’ll be posting my top 10 social media accounts for self study soon.
4. Trial kanji memorisation techniques before you commit.
Everyone learns differently. Some people learn visually and do well with graphics based programs that show kanji with photos or drawings, others prefer thought story mnemonics, others still can memorise straight from the text books with little issue. Personally, I find flash cards to be mind numbingly boring so I try to use the weirdest possible thought mnemonics to liven things up. The crazier the stories that go with the kanji, the easier they are to remember.
The key to happy learning is finding which of those techniques works for you without making it more tedious.
My biggest tip is to spend a week trialing different systems. Most SRS kanji apps like Wanikani, Scribe Japanese and Anki have free trial options. I suggest finding your top 3 systems then learning a few kanji with each over the space of a week. At the end of the week see which ones you remember (and which you didn’t find boring) and commit to that system.
Rob and Tracey had only 3 weeks left to finish learning kanji or this huge clock would explode and kill them all!
What to look for in a kanji memorisation system:
Clear levels and small goals so you can see yourself progressing
The ability to pause so revisions don’t pile up while you take a break
A layout and design that you won’t hate staring at for the next few years
Ideally a mixture of kanji and related vocabulary items so you can understand context
The weirdest mnemonics possible. The weirder they are the better they stick!
Customisation of content. Ideally you want to be able to add your own words
Versatile testing, you want to be able to test yourself based on the kanji, the meaning, words using it and listening
Also keep in mind that the lists included in most of these apps are not exhaustive. Just because you have finished an N5 list doesn’t mean that there won’t be other kanji included in an actual N5 practice test.
If you’re stuck for some systems to test, here are some popular ones:
Most of the above systems are variations of SRS learning which is very effective, stay tuned for the the mega post comparing kanji systems soon.
5. Find a learning system and stick to it.
I learn casually and get bored easily. After a few months I want to quit whatever method I’ve chosen and try a new one to keep it interesting. The problem with doing this is that you lose your progress and start from scratch. Most kanji memorisation apps and SRS system use roughly the same lists of words and order of learning. So if you quit one app after completing the N5 kanji and start another, you will generally be starting the same kanji over again. That’s great for a refresher but you are wasting time that you could be using for acquiring new kanji.
Instead of quitting so easily, try making your study into a positive habit. I like having afternoon snacks at a certain time every day. During that time I now do my kanji revisions daily. Having the snack I like helps make it a positive thing and doing it daily reenforces the good habit. I only do revisions for as long as my break lasts, so there’s a clear time frame and it doesn’t drag on to boredom.
6. Have easy goals and celebrate your progress
Morgan’s goal was the carry as many kanji related books as possible and she was succeeding!
There are a LOT of kanji. Even if you’re only aiming for the ~2000 on the Jouyou list each still has several readings and is used differently in various vocabulary. That’s a lot of learning. If you only celebrate your progress as the entire list being complete you will burn out early. If your app doesn’t do it for you, break your list down into several smaller levels and milestones so you can see your progress. I like the way that Wanikani does this because with 60 levels it’s easy to see how far I’ve come and how many items I’ve learned in each category.
If you feel like you’re making headway you are a lot more likely to continue happily!
7. Don’t learn kanji in a vacuum.
SRS systems and flash cards are great but using them exclusively makes learning kanji repetitive. If you only ever see the kanji within the app you will have a hard time recognising it being used in every day life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve learned a character and can recognise it easily on the flash cards but when it comes up in a manga, my mind is completely blank. Once I look it up my brain makes the connection with the manga story and next time I can remember it easily.
The point is that you need to put your new found knowledge to use outside of your system. This will strengthen the connections in your brain and help you recall it in all kinds of situations.
Some great ways to do that are reading manga, watching tv or movies with Japanese subtitles on or reading social media.
8. If you are getting bored, don’t force it
I have run out of funny captions now.
Every few months I put my apps on “holiday mode” so the reviews don’t pile up and do something else to clear my mind. The quickest way for you to hate kanji is to force yourself to do it when you don’t want to. For my break week, instead of doing kanji revisions I read manga, watch tv, write to my friends or practice grammar. Anything that still refreshes your Japanese without looking at flash cards!
Set a time limit for the break and then go back to your kanji as normal refreshed!
Conclusion
So the main take away from this is that while kanji is hard and there’s no way to get around the sheer number of them, there are ways to make it more interesting. By being selective about the systems you use, tailoring the content and giving yourself breaks, you stand a much higher chance of not burning out.
It’s true that learning kanji the traditional way can be boring but if you are smart about how to tackle it, it doesn’t have to be anymore!
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