Best Apps to Learn Kanji in 2026

A quick disclosure first: Moji is our app, and this guide is published on Moji's website. We have tried to be fair anyway. Every fact about the other apps below comes from their official websites, help centers or store listings, linked at the bottom of the page, and we say plainly where another app is the better choice. Prices are as of October 2026 and in US dollars, and they can change.

Before you pick an app, it helps to know what good kanji study looks like: learn kana first, study a few kanji at a time inside real words, learn the recurring parts called radicals, and review with spaced repetition. Our guide on how to learn kanji covers this in detail. Every app here supports some of that method. They differ in how much they decide for you, what they cost and where they run.

Kanji apps at a glance

Moji: kanji on your Lock Screen, with writing checks

Moji is a kanji app for iPhone, iPad and Android. It includes an offline library of 2,140 kanji from JLPT N5 to N1, each with on'yomi and kun'yomi, meanings, components, example words, a translated sentence and pronunciation audio. You choose an exam goal or a casual path, a starting level and a daily pace of 1 to 20 new kanji, and you can mark kanji you already know so they stay out of your queue.

Its distinctive features are widgets and writing. Lock Screen widgets on iPhone and Home Screen widgets keep a kanji in view, and the medium Quick Quiz widget lets you rate a review without opening the app. Guided writing checks stroke order, start point, direction, shape and length as you draw, then moves you on to outline practice and recall writing from memory. Radical Builder and the Confusables Drill cover the parts of kanji and look-alike characters, and adaptive spaced repetition schedules your reviews.

Who it is for: learners who study mostly on a phone, want to handwrite kanji, or want a clear JLPT N5-N1 path. Who should look elsewhere: anyone who wants a free tool, a web or Windows version, or grammar lessons. Moji teaches kanji only.

WaniKani: a fixed curriculum built on mnemonics

WaniKani teaches radicals first, then the kanji built from them, then vocabulary that uses those kanji, with a mnemonic for every item and spaced repetition for reviews. Its 60 levels unlock in a set order, and WaniKani says the course covers about 2,000 kanji and 6,000 vocabulary words. It is a web app. Its help center says there is no official iOS or Android app, though users have built third-party ones, and it does not teach stroke order or handwriting.

Who it is for: learners who want someone else to decide the order and who are happy studying in a browser. Levels 1 to 3 are free, so you can try the method before paying. Read our full Moji vs WaniKani comparison. If it is not quite right for you, our guide to WaniKani alternatives is sorted by what you might want instead.

Anki: free and endlessly customizable

Anki is a general flashcard app with spaced repetition. It does not include a kanji course: you download shared decks from other users or make your own. In return you can customize card layouts and review timing, and use it for anything you want to remember. Anki is free on Windows, Mac and Linux, AnkiDroid is free on Android, and AnkiWeb sync is free. The official iPhone and iPad app, AnkiMobile Flashcards, costs $24.99 once.

Who it is for: budget-conscious learners and anyone who enjoys building their own system. It is also a natural home for vocabulary you collect from reading. See Moji vs Anki.

renshuu: a broad free toolkit

renshuu covers vocabulary, kanji, grammar and sentences in one place, on the web and on iOS and Android. Its App Store listing describes over 12,000 kanji, over 2,000 mnemonics, over 800 grammar expressions and a spaced repetition system that breaks items into components. It also offers lessons aligned with textbooks such as Genki and Minna no Nihongo. The free version is described as unlimited, with no timer and no ads, and renshuu pro is an optional purchase.

Who it is for: learners who want one free tool for most of their Japanese study, including grammar. See Moji vs renshuu.

Kanji Study: a powerful Android toolkit

Kanji Study, listed on Google Play as Japanese Kanji Study by Chase Colburn, offers flashcards, adaptive multiple-choice quizzes, writing challenges with stroke detection, and fast offline search across over 6,000 kanji and 180,000 words. You can study by JLPT level, school grade or custom set. The free version has no ads and covers beginner kanji, radicals, hiragana and katakana. A one-time upgrade unlocks the remaining levels, and add-ons such as Guided Study, which adds unlimited use of its SRS module, are sold separately. We did not find a current version of it on the US App Store.

Who it is for: Android users who want depth, customization and no subscription. See Moji vs Kanji Study.

Duolingo: the whole language, with some kanji

Duolingo is a general language course, not a kanji app. Its Japanese course starts with hiragana, adds katakana, and introduces kanji gradually inside words, with character lessons that include tracing and, for kanji, freehand writing and component puzzles. Duolingo says every course is free, with an optional Super subscription.

Who it is for: complete beginners who want grammar, listening and sentences alongside their first kanji. If kanji become a priority, pair it with a dedicated kanji app. See Moji vs Duolingo.

How to choose

• Want it free? Start with Anki, renshuu or Duolingo, or try WaniKani's free levels.
• Want someone else to set the order? WaniKani, or Moji if you prefer a JLPT N5-N1 path.
• Want to handwrite kanji with feedback? Moji or Kanji Study.
• Study mostly on a phone and like glanceable widgets? Moji.
• Need grammar too? renshuu or Duolingo, optionally alongside a kanji app.

Many learners use two apps: one for kanji and one for vocabulary or grammar. That works well as long as each kanji lives in only one review queue. If you are just starting, our JLPT N5 kanji study plan and kanji radicals guide work with any app on this list.