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The best free apps for learning Japanese (honest comparison)
The short answer
There is no single best app. The strongest free setup for most beginners is one app for daily habit, one tool for review (Anki is free on desktop and Android), and one source of real Japanese you enjoy. Below, every free option is listed with what it is actually good for and what you would pay later.
Free Japanese apps, compared
Duolingo
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Short, game-like daily lessons that make showing up every day easy.
Price: Free. Optional Super Duolingo subscription (App Store lists in-app prices from $9.99), 14-day free trial. (source)
Fits: Total beginners who want a free daily habit.
Watch out: Mostly app-made sentences; add real listening alongside it.
Anki
Any languageFree optionGood for: Spaced-repetition flashcards that bring each card back right before you would forget it.
Price: Free on computer and Android (AnkiDroid). The official iPhone app, AnkiMobile, is a one-time $24.99. (source)
Fits: Anyone who wants to keep the sentences they meet in shows and songs.
Watch out: You bring the content (your own cards or shared decks); it is a tool, not a course.
WaniKani
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Kanji and vocabulary through mnemonics and spaced review (about 2,000 kanji and 6,000 words, per its site).
Price: Levels 1-3 free. Then $9/month, $89/year or $299 lifetime. (source) (free tier source)
Fits: Japanese learners who want a structured path through kanji.
Watch out: Kanji and vocabulary only: no grammar, listening or speaking.
Bunpro
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Japanese grammar points drilled with spaced review, plus a grammar library and reading practice.
Price: Free tier. Premium $5/month or $150 lifetime; 30-day free Premium trial. (source)
Fits: Learners who want grammar to stick, often next to a textbook.
Watch out: Grammar-focused, not a full course.
Renshuu
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Kanji, vocabulary, grammar and listening practice with games and packs matched to textbooks and JLPT levels.
Price: Free to start. Premium price not shown on its public pages when we checked. (source)
Fits: Japanese learners who like varied, game-like practice.
Watch out: Lots of game elements; some can be switched off.
Busuu
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Short expert-made lessons plus corrections from native speakers in its community.
Price: Free tier. Premium price is not shown publicly; its site says it varies by region and platform. (source)
Fits: Learners who want a course plus feedback from native speakers.
Watch out: You only see the price at checkout.
HelloTalk
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Chat with native speakers who want to learn your language, with built-in translation and corrections.
Price: Free. Optional VIP $12.99/month or $79.99/year (App Store). (source)
Fits: Learners who want real people to practise with.
Watch out: The free version has daily limits that VIP removes.
Tandem
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Find a language-exchange partner and chat by text, voice or video.
Price: Free to join. Tandem Pro is an in-app purchase; the App Store lists several regional prices. (source)
Fits: Learners who want conversation partners by interest or location.
Watch out: Pro price depends on your region and the offer shown.
Satori Reader
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Graded Japanese stories with audio, grammar notes and your choice of kanji, kana or furigana.
Price: Free selected episodes forever. Pro $9/month or $89/year. (source)
Fits: Learners past the basics who want lots of reading and listening.
Watch out: Most of the library needs Pro.
Language Reactor
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Dual subtitles, a pop-up dictionary and playback controls on Netflix and YouTube.
Price: Free Chrome extension; offers in-app purchases (prices not shown on its listing). (source)
Fits: Learners who train with Netflix and YouTube on a computer.
Watch out: Desktop Chrome only, not a phone app.
JapanesePod101
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Lessons built on real conversations, with slowed-down native audio and line-by-line breakdowns.
Price: Free lifetime account. Paid from $4/month (Basic, 24-month plan) to $23/month (Premium PLUS); shorter terms cost more per month. (source)
Fits: Learners who like a podcast-style format.
Watch out: The low monthly prices assume a long prepaid plan.
Tofugu
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Free kana guides and quiz tool, grammar articles and honest reviews of other Japanese tools.
Price: Free to read. (source)
Fits: Beginners starting kana, and anyone researching tools.
Watch out: A resource site, not a structured course.
Memrise
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: Videos of native speakers, spaced review and AI conversation practice.
Price: Free to start. Paid plan price was not shown on its site when we checked. (source)
Fits: Learners who want natural phrases from real speakers.
Watch out: Check the price in the app before paying.
Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar
JapaneseFree optionGood for: A free grammar guide that explains why Japanese forms work the way they do.
Price: Free online. (source)
Fits: Learners who want a grammar reference to look things up.
Watch out: A reference to support your practice, not a full course.
Refold
Any languageFree optionGood for: An immersion-first roadmap: a step-by-step path built around watching and reading real content.
Price: Free roadmap, tracker and 10-day starter course; paid decks, courses and coaching (prices on its pricing page). (source)
Fits: Self-starters who like a content-first method.
Watch out: A method, not a language course by itself.
Jisho.org
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Fast Japanese-English dictionary: words, kanji, example sentences, handwriting and radical search.
Price: Free; no paid plan shown. (source)
Fits: Anyone reading Japanese.
Watch out: A dictionary, not a course.
Takoboto
JapaneseFree optionGood for: Japanese-English dictionary with example sentences, kanji details and word lists.
Price: Free; no paid plan shown. (source)
Fits: Learners who want a dictionary app with word lists.
Watch out: Japanese only.
Papago
JapaneseKoreanFree optionGood for: NAVER's translator for Korean, Japanese, English and more: text, image, document and voice.
Price: Free on the web; a paid Papago Plus is also offered. (source)
Fits: Checking what a Korean or Japanese line means.
Watch out: A translator, not a teacher; use it to check, not to learn grammar.
Prices and free tiers were read on each app's own website in October 2026. They change; the link next to each price is the page we read.
How to combine them
- Habit: one app you open every day without thinking (a short streak app, for example).
- Memory: a spaced-repetition deck for the sentences you meet.
- Real Japanese: anime, YouTube, songs. This is where most of your hours should go.
Three tools is enough. More apps feels like progress and is usually the opposite.
The full directory
Paid tools, methods and textbooks are in the app and method directory, with the same honest format.
“And as you're learning from YouTube and Netflix, you know, just take the sentences that you learn and put them into Anki, get them into Anki, so you can get spaced repetition with that.”Languy · from a recorded lesson
Questions people also ask
Is there a completely free way to learn Japanese?
Yes. Free kana guides, Anki on desktop or Android, free grammar guides like Tae Kim's, a dictionary like Jisho, and anime or YouTube for listening cover a full beginner path at no cost.
Which free app should a total beginner start with?
Start with kana (hiragana first), using any free kana app or guide, then add a daily habit app and a review deck. Do not install five apps on day one.
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