Japanese DeckLearn Japanese
the beautiful way.
An original illustration for every kanji, every word spoken aloud, hiragana in a native speaker’s real voice, and study piles that remember what you missed.
One unlock for everything, paid once.
No ads, no account, no subscription.
A picture for every kanji
No stock icons, no clip art: an original illustration for each of the 2,136 kanji on Japan’s official list, so the meaning sticks. Tap a card to flip it.
Hear a real voice
Every hiragana sound in the app is recorded by Kimmie, a native Japanese speaker. Every word and sentence also has clear HD Japanese voices, a man and a woman.
Kimmie is recording more of the deck, so her voice will reach more cards in future updates.
Tap a card to hear her. Turn your sound on.
Inside the app
Real screens from the iPhone app.
The whole path to Japanese
Not just flashcards: everything from your first hiragana to the kanji in a newspaper, in one app.
Kanji you’ll actually remember
All 2,136 kanji on Japan’s official Jōyō list, each with an original illustration, its readings, an example word, stroke order and finger-drawing practice.
8,000+ word cards, sorted by real life
More than 100 everyday categories, from survival phrases to the izakaya, the onsen and sumo, plus the 1,000 most common words in order.
Hear everything
Kimmie’s real voice for every hiragana sound, plus HD Japanese voices for every word and example sentence, with care for pitch accent. English is optional.
Sixty real conversations
The konbini, the ramen shop, the doctor, making plans. Read along with furigana, romaji or English, then practise your half.
Study piles that remember for you
Sort any card red, yellow or green, then drill just the pile you need. A card you know comes back for a quick re-check a week, a month, three and six months later.
Read real stories
Twelve short stories, easiest first, from a cat named Tama to Momotarō, read aloud one sentence at a time.
Also: Sound Rush · 98 radicals · 1,500+ kanji compounds · 1,110 newspaper kanji · printable worksheets · 16 card fonts · light and dark mode · works offline.
Start free. Unlock everything once.
Download the app for free and learn to read hiragana and katakana with no time limit. When you want the rest, one purchase opens it all for good.
Free
- Hiragana and katakana, with picture memory aids
- 544 illustrated Beginner words
- Writing practice and worksheets for kana
- Study piles and the quiz for these cards
- Sound Rush with Beginner words and kana
- Every voice, including Kimmie
Full Unlock
- All 2,136 kanji, illustrated, with writing practice
- 8,000+ word cards and the Top 1000 words
- 60 conversations and 12 stories
- Kanji compounds, radicals and newspaper kanji
- Kanji and word worksheets
- Story Time and every deck in the app
No ads, no account, no tracking. Your progress stays on your iPhone.
Built card by card
Japanese Deck started as one learner’s own study deck, built card by card and checked character by character. Every picture in it is an original illustration made for this deck. It’s the app I wanted on my first trip to Tokyo.
Download on theApp StoreQuestions?
A question, a reading that sounds wrong, an idea? Write to us. A real person reads every email.
✉️ hello@japanesedeck.comPlease tell us which card or screen you mean. A screenshot helps.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Every word, recording, picture and stroke-order guide is inside the app, so once it has downloaded you can study on a plane or in the subway with no connection at all.
What is free, and what does the unlock add?
Hiragana, katakana, the 544 Beginner words, study piles, the quiz for those cards, kana writing practice and every voice are free, with no time limit. The one-time Full Unlock adds all the kanji, the 8,000+ word cards, conversations, stories, radicals, compounds and the rest.
How do I restore my purchase on a new iPhone?
Tap any tile with a lock, then Restore purchase. Use the same Apple Account you bought it with.
Who is speaking?
Kimmie, a native Japanese speaker, recorded every hiragana sound in the app, and she is recording more of the deck for future updates. The words and example sentences are read by high-quality AI voices made for this app, a Japanese man and a Japanese woman. Word accents are set from a pitch-accent dictionary and the standard Tokyo rules, so words that sound alike, such as 箸 (chopsticks) and 橋 (bridge), each get their own accent. If a word sounds wrong to you, email us the card and we will fix it in an update.
How do I change the voices?
On any card, tap the small face button next to the speaker 🔊. Switch on any mix of Kimmie, the Japanese woman, the Japanese man and English, or choose None for silence. A new install starts with Kimmie and the Japanese man. Your choice is remembered from deck to deck.
Why is the app so big?
It takes more than 500 MB, because more than 40,000 voice recordings live inside the app. That is what lets it work offline. Download it on Wi-Fi, and keep a little free space on your iPhone.
How do I reset my progress?
On the home screen, tap ⚙️ (top right), then Reset all progress & stars, then Erase everything. That clears quiz scores, stars, your study streak, every card’s pile, and your place in Story Time and Conversations. Your settings and card font stay. It cannot be undone.
To take just one card out of a pile, tap its colour again.
Will an update erase my progress?
No. Your progress is saved on your iPhone and stays through updates. It is only removed if you delete the app.
What do you do with my data?
Nothing, because the app collects none. There is no account, no sign-in, no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and your progress never leaves your iPhone. Read the privacy policy.
Is there an iPad or Android version?
Yes, Japanese Deck runs on iPad, sized for the big screen, and on iPhone Duo, on both screens. There is no Android version.