Learn Japanese

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Mondly Japanese App

The Best Alternative to Duolingo

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Students, Travel

Content: Japanese vocabulary trainer (5000 words), playful exercises, grammar

Prices: Free (initial lessons), $12.99
(1 month and 1 language), $59.99
(12 months and all 41 languages)

Discount offer: $99 (Lifetime Access to all 41 Languages)

Overall Value:

The Mondly App lets you learn the Japanese language in a playful way with a series of interactive exercises.

This Japanese learning program contains:

• Japanese vocabulary trainer with 5000 words
• 50 topics and categories to choose from
• 2100 Japanese lessons, including grammar
• Conversation trainer for common situations (speech recognition)
• There is even a virtual reality version of this learning app

Mondly has around 45 million users worldwide. This language course has the advantage of having 41 source languages and 41 target languages.

Summary: Mondly is very similar to the Babbel and Duolingo apps and even better in terms of quality. The cost-benefit ratio for the lifetime access to all 41 languages is unbeatable.

Link: Mondly Japanese App and Online Course

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Japanese Basic Course

Online Language Course App

Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Suitable for: Beginners and Advanced Learners, Students, Professionals

Content: 1300 words (basic course), 5200 words (complete course), complete grammar, verb conjugations, exercises

Prices: $59.95 (Basic Course), $127 (Complete Course)

Overall Value:

The Japanese Basic Course contains a vocabulary trainer for the basic Japanese vocabulary (1300 words), as well as lessons and various exercises. This includes Japanese grammar and conjugations.

All words, phrases and sentences are spoken by native speakers.

This basic course corresponds to the official language levels A1 and A2 (explanation of CEFR language levels).

The Complete Course contains:

• Basic course for beginners (basic vocabulary with 1300 words)
• Intermediate course (1800 more words)
• Advanced course for experts (2100 words)
• Additional specialized vocabulary
• Covers the official CEFR language levels A1 to C2

There are 17 different languages you can use to learn Japanese with this app.

Summary: Much cheaper and even better than the famous Rosetta Stone. There is a free demo version available and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Japanese Basic Course and Complete Course

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Rocket Languages: Japanese

Learn Japanese Without Subscriptions

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, PC and Mac (Download)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, business

Content: Exercises with native speaker audio and speech recognition, writing, grammar, culture

Prices: Free (initial lessons), $89 (basic course), $249 (full course)

Overall Value:

Rocket Languages offers a complete Japanese language course for download, without monthly subscriptions. It covers the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (A1-C2).

This Japanese learning software and app features:

• 6000 Japanese words and characters in the lessons and exercises
• Complete grammar explanations and exercises
• Pronunciation and conversation trainer
• Japanese native speaker audio and speech recognition
• Explanations of cultural differences via audio and video

You can use the Rocket Languages Japanese course completely offline on the computer and on your smartphone after the download.

Summary: Excellent premium Japanese course on par with Rosetta Stone but without a subscription. You pay only once and own the software. There is also a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Rocket Languages Japanese Learning Software

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Rosetta Stone: Japanese

Most Famous Language Learning App

Systems: PC, Mac, Android, iOS Apps

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, experts, professionals, business

Content: Japanese lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition

Prices:
$  36 (3 months)
$145 (12 months)
$299 (Lifetime access)
$349 (Lifetime access for 24 languages)

Overall Value:

How does Japanese learning with Rosetta Stone work?

Rosetta Stone has a different approach to language learning than many other online courses or language apps such as Duolingo, Memrise and others.

The idea behind Rosetta Stone is to learn a language like you did as a child - by using pictures in combination with listening, speaking, and reading.

Each Rosetta Stone lesson includes the following exercises:

• Pronounce the words or phrases correctly (speech recognition)
• When reading or hearing a word, click on the correct picture
• When looking at a picture, click on the correct word
• Type in a spoken word correctly (Japanese keyboard is displayed on the screen), etc.

A possible disadvantage of Rosetta Stone is that there are no grammar explanations or translations of the Japanese vocabulary.

Instead, you are supposed to learn the grammar and the meaning of words from the context or recognize the meaning from the pictures.

Rosetta Stone Apps and Online Version:

The Rosetta Stone Japanese learning software can be used online with a subscription for 3 or 12 months or with a Lifetime Access.

In addition to the online version, there are now also Rosetta Stone apps for iPhones and Android smartphones.

Summary: Time-tested method, but the lack of grammar explanations and translations may make Rosetta Stone not suitable for everyone.

Link: Rosetta Stone App and Online Course

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Skritter Japanese App

Learning to Write Japanese

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC und Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, advanced learners, pupils, students, business

Content: Vocabulary trainer, learn to write Japanese characters

Prices: Free (first week), $14.99 (1 month), $99 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Skritter Japanese App is a popular app that lets you not only expand your vocabulary, but you also learn to write Japanese characters correctly.

You can choose specific topics in the vocabulary lists and practice the corresponding words and Japanese characters.

The Skritter Japanese learning app contains:

• 10.000 Japanese characters including translations and proper writing
• Native-speaker audio for each word or Japanese character
• Traditional and simplified Japanese characters
• Recognition of handwriting and feedback
• Offline-Version is available

The online version for computers offers even more features and options than the app. With the subscription you have access to both the app and the online version for computers.

Summary: Very popular app for learning Japanese and for a good reason. It offers unique and very useful features at an affordable price.

Link: Skritter Japanese App and Online Course

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Lingodeer Japanese App

Includes Grammar and Speech Recognition

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Exercises with native-speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar

Prices: $12 (1 month), $60 (12 months), $99 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Lingodeer App is somewhat similar to Duolingo or Babbel, but has a more extensive list of features:

• Japanese native-speaker audio for each word and speech recognition to practice the correct pronunciation.
• You can even choose between different speakers.
• 200+ lessons, vocabulary trainer, exercises, quizzes.
• Very good grammar explanations, significantly better than in many other apps such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone.
• Suitable for beginners and intermediate level learners (A1-B1).
• User community (native speakers) can give pronunciation feedback.
• You can download the app and use it offline.

The use of playful exercises and "achievements" ("gamification") is supposed to make Japanese learning more interesting and motivating.

Summary: The Lingodeer App impresses with excellent grammar lessons and speech recognition. However, this app has lessons only for beginners and intermediate level learners.

Link: Lingodeer Japanese App and Online Course

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Duolingo Japanese App

Well-Known Language Learning App

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Japanese exercises with native-speaker audio

Prices: Free (with ads), $12.99 (1 month), $60 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Duolingo App offers beginner language courses for 36 languages, including Japanese. Duolingo covers mostly the basics as well as some intermediate level Japanese vocabulary.

The major drawback of Duolingo (just like Rosetta Stone) is that there are no grammar explanations.

The vocabulary learning with Duolingo is "gamified", which means it is structured like a game with levels, experience points, achievements, etc.

The interface is relatively similar to the apps from Babbel and Mondly.

Summary: The vocabulary trainer and the exercises of the program are okay. However, it is not possible to learn Japanese grammar with this app.

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Memrise Japanese App

App with User-Generated Lessons

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Japanese lessons and vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio, grammar

Prices: $22 (1 month), $70 (12 months), $255 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

With the Memrise App you can learn over 90 languages.

This includes even very small languages - however, in such cases the language courses are often limited to just a few lessons.

One special feature of the Memrise learning app is the large number of lessons created by users (native speakers).

The quality of these lessons varies greatly though. For example, only the basic forms of verbs are usually taught, without the conjugations. Some languages also do not have an audio recording of the words at all.

Another good idea of the Memrise app are the user-generated tips and mnemonics for each word to help you memorize them.

Summary: User-generated lessons are a good idea. In practice, the quality of the lessons leaves a lot be desired.

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LingQ Japanese App

Innovative Approach to Learn Japanese

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, professionals

Content: Video and text lessons, browser extension to import any Japanese texts, vocabulary trainer

Price: $15 (1 month), $120 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The LingQ Japanese App is basically a translation program that is combined with a personalized vocabulary trainer.

In addition to the lessons and texts that are included in this app, any Japanese text can be imported. LingQ has its own browser extension for Firefox, Safari and Chrome to import texts (including ebooks).

You can click on any Japanese character in the texts to see a translation and this adds the word to your personal vocabulary trainer.

LingQ also has many videos and podcasts in Japanese, the content of which appears as a text next to the video or podcast — so that any word there can be clicked on and saved as well.

Unfortunately, there are no grammar lessons, meaning that this app will not suffice on its own to learn Japanese.

Summary: Very interesting way to learn Japanese vocabulary on any subject. However, you need other apps for the Japanese grammar.

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Bluebird Japanese App

Japanese Lessons and Exercises

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Japanese lessons and exercises with voice output and speech recognition

Prices: $9.99 (1 month), $100 (12 months), $200 (unlimited), $400 (163 languages)

Overall Value:

The Bluebird App offers 146 source languages and 163 target languages and dialects, including Japanese.

The Japanese language course in this app includes the following:

• Daily video lessons at three difficulty levels.
• Basic Japanese vocabulary on several dozen topics
• Common Japanese verbs with conjugations
• Analysis of your pronunciation (with speech recognition)
• Tests: listening comprehension, filling in word gaps, quizzes

For Japanese, there are about 500 video lessons, each 5 to 60 minutes long. For languages with other scripts, the words can also be displayed trans­lite­rated in the Western script.

The Bluebird App does not have grammar lessons. Instead, you are suppo­sed to understand the grammar "implicitly" from the examples, same as in Rosetta Stone.

Summary: The video lessons and the interface require some getting used to, but the exercises are quite varied. Especially for smaller languages, this app is an acceptable alternative.

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Pimsleur Japanese Course

Most Expensive Software to Learn Japanese

Systems: PC and Mac (incl. Mobile App)

Suitabe for: Beginners, advanced, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Japanese vocabulary, lessons with native-speaker audio and voice recognition

Price: $120 (basic course), $470 (complete download)

Overall Value:

The Pimsleur App is very similar to Rosetta Stone in that it does not give grammar explanations, verb conjugation tables, etc.

Instead, the Pimsleur method is supposed to let you learn the Japanese language intuitively, just like your native language - by combining pictures, reading and speaking (speech recognition).

This Japanese learning course for PCs and Macs also includes a mobile app for Android and iOS systems.

Pimsleur offers 14 course languages you can use to learn Japanese as a second language.

Summary: The most expensive Japanese course, even though it is unlikely that learning with it is much better than with the cheaper apps.

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Lingo Japanese App

Playful Japanese Learning

Systems: Android and iPhone Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Japanese lessons and exercises

Prices: $19.99 (1 month), $40 (3 months), $60 (6 months)

Overall Value:

The Lingo Play App offers language courses for 70 languages. It offers "gamified learning", which means learning vocabulary in a playful way.

Each Japanese lesson offers the following exercises:

• Presentation of new words with translation and image
• Decide whether a Japanese word matches the image
• Select one of four pictures that matches a word
• Type in the Japanese word for a picture
• Correctly type in a spoken Japanese word

In the full version this app offers up to 5000 Japanese words. The interface of the app is similar to Babbel, Duolingo or Mondly.

There is also a multiplayer mode and competitions where you can test your Japanese skills against other people.

Summary: Overpriced Japanese course that does offer some good exercises, but is not better than other similar apps.

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Drops Japanese App

Alternative to Babbel and Duolingo

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Japanese lessons with native speaker audio, vocabulary trainer

Prices: $13 (1 month), $72
(12 months), $164 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Language Drops app is most notable for having 47 target languages and 40 source languages, similar to Mondly.

You can learn about 3000 Japanese words and phrases with this app. However, there are hardly any exercises, except for introducing new Japanese words and matching these words to pictures.

You can choose from which topics you want to learn new Japanese words and at what skill level you want to learn (whether you know the language somewhat).

If you want to try the app for free for two weeks you have to provide your payment information and then cancel it.

The "deal" you get in the app is more than 3 times as expensive as when you click "Get Premium" on the website ($38 per month instead of $13 per month).

Summary: No variety, no grammar and only 3000 words. Does not justify the higher price, even if you get access to all languages.

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Linguashop: Japanese

Educational Software for Download

Systems: PC (Windows 10, 8, 7, XP)

Content: Japanese lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar

Prices: $35 (second language for free)

Overall Value:

The Linguashop educational software ("TeachMe") is available for over 90 languages, including Japanese. It also includes an audio CD.

The native speaker audio and speech recognition are relatively good.

However, the interface of the learning software is quite chaotic and there are no exercises — only lessons where new vocabulary is presented.

It is also unclear how many words are included in this Japanese learning program. There is no information about this on the website.

Some grammar lessons are included — however, these are basically just images with short texts.

Summary: Poor quality for a relatively low price. You get language courses for two languages when you buy, one as a free bonus.