Learn Japanese in a Flash with the Best Japanese Learning Apps.
I personally am not much a anime/manga guy, but I do have friends who are capable of binge-watching entire seasons in a single night. This leads me to believe there must be something there, so one night I decided to give it a go. I watched a couple of episodes of a certain anime and actually thought it was quite fun. This gave me an idea to do a little research on the best way to learn Japanese. First I browsed some of the classic lessons, but later I decided to check out how you can learn a language all by yourself and this brought me to a list of supposedly top 10 Japanese Learning apps.
Here’s the list in case you want to check it out.
Best 10 Apps for Learning Japanese by AppGrooves
In order to make your possible choice even easier, I decided to pick a few of them and give my short review.
Short, effective lessons with Drops
Now, keep in mind I have no knowledge of the Japanese language. WI first downloaded Drops I got a bit anxious as I started thinking where to start, grammar, vocabulary, reading? This is where I started to appreciate Drops design. The app provides daily 5-minute lessons so even if you’re not interested into a specific lesson, it doesn’t waste your time. The app uses Flashcard lessons show images next to words which made me feel like a kid that just started kindergarten, but it turned out to be an effective learning experience for someone who knows nothing. Just like a kid who’s starting to learn a language, you don’t need translations because you will directly associate words with their meaning.
Unfortunately, a couple of hours in the app I realize I need to pay if I want to go deeper into the lessons. This probably won’t be a problem if you’re really determined to learn Japanese as it will have value, but for me who’s just “browsing”, I didn’t want to continue. Still, based on the free version, I think if you pay for further lessons, you won’t be sorry. Just make sure you genuinely want to learn Japanese.
Interactive lessons and fun quizzes with Learn Japanese
This app is great if you’re in a hurry, especially if you’re the type of a person who’s constantly on the go. The reason is it provides tinny lessons that are snappy and on the point. I like how it also offers something for more advanced learners as you can also learn diacritics and digraphs! At one point I did get a bit bored with repetitive lessons, but then I realized you can also design your own lesson plan, by selecting what you want to learn next. So, overall, I recommend this one if you know what you want to focus on and not waste time on what you already know.
Now, similar to the previous one, at one point you’ll hit the infamous paywall if you want more lesson. So I don’t completely repeat myself I’ll just say this isn’t a bad thing – app developers need to earn as well. But from the customer’s point of view, it simply comes down how much you want it. You wouldn’t pay for a shirt you don’t like, but you’ll pay for a shirt you do like, correct? Same here, if you like what the app offers, it will likely be worth your money.
Conquer the Japanese language with LingoDeer
Let me start with the main advantage of LingoDeer – you don’t need a Internet Connection. Although this certainly isn’t a big deal as it was 5 years ago, it’s still a great perk. I can imagine this coming in handy taking with you on your plane ride to Japan and practice your speaking skills on the way there. So if you’re here reading this just a few days before taking the trip, I recommend LingoDeer. When it comes to lessons, I found LingoDeer to excel at teaching you a bit of everything – from reading and writing to speaking. As I said, if you need a quick way to master the basics of basics just the moments before you hit Japanese soil, try this one.
As I do feel I need to mention flaws as well, I want to mention LingoDeer app can’t be used on desktop or laptop. But, I’ll take a wild guess you’re reading this article on a mobile device, at least a great number of you. So you probably were thinking of using a phone or tablet anyway. I just want to give you heads up.
So, those were my 3 apps for learning Japanese. If you have any other app you’d want to mention and believe it’s worth reviewing, do let me know and I’ll do my best to give my honest opinion.
Thanks for reading and good luck.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
