Japanese Learning Software

Looking to study Japanese or just need extra help with kanji? Got an iPhone/iPod Touch or DS? Then today is your lucky day!

Today I’ll introduce you to some Japanese learning software that will help you Japanese learners out and burn all of your yen. More after the break!


If you’re living in Japan you’re going to need to learn some Japanese. While a textbook and taking Japanese lessons maybe the most effective way of learning, you can’t carry your textbooks around with you all day, nor can your teacher follow you around. You need to have a portable solution that can help you in your daily usage of Japanese. Most people get electronic dictionaries to for this purpose. But what if you don’t have the cash to spare, or are looking for other alternatives? Here are some good, cheap, electronic dictionaries to help you out.

Kanji Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten

Don't judge a DS case by it's cover. This "game" is a powerful dictionary.

Yes, a DS game. However, this is no game. It’s an electronic dictionary for your DS. For around 5,500 yen, you can have most of the functions that would cost around 25,000 yen for a hardware electronic dictionary. You even get hand writing recognition to figure out those difficult kanji. The only requirement is that you have to have a DS or DSi to use it. With DS going for 15,000 yen, it’s shouldn’t be hard to afford one. You know you want to play games on it too.

The top screen shows the results.

The bottom screen is for input via the DS pen, but stroke order is important.

The interface is in Japanese, but it’s not very hard to figure out. On the bottom screen can either type English/romaji, hiragana, katakana or write kanji and it’ll give you the option to select which kanji you were going for. The pages just above will list possible findings and you can search through them by turning the pages. How to completely use the program is out of the scope of this article, but there are plenty of websites and even YouTube videos to explain how to use it. You can just Google “Kanji Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten” for more information. The “game” also features a word list for studying and other study features.
Amazon Japan Purchase Link
Play-Asia Purchase Link

Japanese for the iPhone 3G/iPod Touch

If you bought an iPhone 3G through Softbank, or own an iPod Touch, you can get many apps from Apple’s App Store that can help you with your Japanese studies. Here are some that I found useful. Just make sure your iPhone/iPod Touch software is updated to 2.2 or above. If you click on the “App Store” button following the description, it will take you to the app’s page on iTunes. You must have iTunes installed for this to work.

Japanese – Like the name says, it’s an app to help you with Japanese. It’s actually a very good electronic dictionary with several key features. The app helps with verb conjugation, as well as expressions, proverbs, JLPT word lists and more. It’s the most feature rich Japanese study tool currently available for in the iTunes app store, which is why it’s around $20 USD.

There are many useful features in this program.

Homepage


Human Japanese – For beginners of Japanese, I would recommend Human Japanese. It takes a different approach to learning Japanese than you find in most text books. Using humor and elements of Japanese culture, it not only teaching you Japanese, but why the Japanese language is what it is. There are quizzes and games integrated to make the learning experience fun. You can get for about $10, but you might want to try out the free trial version first before plucking the money down. There is even a PC version you can try before buying that is basically the same thing.

Human Japanese's humor appears often.

Homepage (PC Software Version)



Kanji Flip – The app features a study card system that helps you memorize Japanese kanji. It doesn’t help you remember stroke orders though. The “cards” are separated by JLPT levels and it will keep track of your progress. You can get it for around $6 USD.

Kanji Flip has a nice flashcard interface.

Homepage



Japanese Flip – Like Kanji Flip, Japanese Flip help you study Japanese using the study card system, but his time it’s just Japanese words. The “cards” are separated by JLPT levels and it will keep track of your progress. It’s currently around $7 USD.

Japanese Flip's interface is much like Kanji Flip, good.

Homepage


Kanji LS Touch – This program actually does help you learn kanji strokes. So if you are having a hard time remembering stroke orders, this is the app for you. There is also a test part of the app that you can use to practice your knowledge. Kanji can also be broke down by Japanese school grade level and JLPT level. Kanji LS Touch costs around $12.00. If you haven’t learned hiragana and katakana yet, there is also a Kana LS Touch app available for $3.00.

Your finger becomes a calligraphy pen in Kanji LS touch.

Homepage


There are also many other Japanese learning apps in the iTunes app store, but buyer beware. Some apps are for Japanese learners of English, and you might not be happy with what you purchased. Just be sure to read the description carefully read the “reviews” (with a grain of salt of course). Some apps have a free “Lite” version for you to try before paying for the full version. These are definitely worth the look so you can find an app that works for you.

Conclusion

Don’t be turned off by the high priced electronic dictionaries you see sold in stores electronic stores. No matter your budget, you can find electronic dictionary software that’s right for you, if you have the right hardware for it. Of course, there’s always the Japanese-English dictionary on your Japanese cell phone to help you out in a pinch too.
Prices and applications specifications are current as of the publish date of this article. Prices and feature can change at any time.

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