Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Lala – Learning Japanese App launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Lala - Study English Japanese▲6

   Lala is training app to improve conversation.

   2020 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

2. 2IM
   I'm making an open-source platform for learning Japanese▲288

   The idea is actually quite simple. As a Japanese learner and a coder, I've always wanted there to be an open-source, 100% free for learning Japanese, similar to Monkeytype in the typing community. Unfortunately, pretty much all language learning apps are closed-sourced and paid these days, and the ones that are free have unfortunately been abandoned. But of course, just creating yet another language learning app was not enough - there has to be a unique selling point. And then I thought to myself: why not make it crazy and do what no other language learning app ever did by adding a gazillion…

   2025 · kanadojo.com · its alternatives →

3. 3SJ
   Say Japanese – Android App to improve your Japanese pronunciation▲6

   2020 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

4. 4T
   Tori▲84

   Japanese listening practice built from your own sentences

   18d ago · play.google.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   A Japanese learning app focused on efficient vocab/grammar acquisition▲161

   Hey HN, it’s been 8 years since I posted on here about the launch of my Japanese dictionary app Nihongo [0] and I’m finally back with a new app: Nihongo Lessons! Think of Nihongo Lessons as the textbook to Nihongo’s dictionary. It’s an app for learning Japanese, specifically made for learners who are serious about becoming fluent, and want a guided set of content that will help them efficiently acquire vocabulary and grammar. The project came about when Adam Shapiro of Japanese Level Up (Jalup) [1] announced last April that he was shutting Jalup down. As a fan of Adam’s work I was bummed to…

   2022 · lessons.nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →

6. 6AF
   App for learning how to write Japanese▲55

   I'm a long time lurker that recently quit my job to work on my own projects, a lot due to the inspiration from Hacker News. Now I have published my first serious project, an app for learning how to write Japanese characters. It's the app I always wanted but couldn't find when I was studying. It tries to be simple to use, you just start the quiz and go with the flow. There's no need to plan and manage your studies, and it uses spaced repetition for better retention. There's a promo page with more details up at http://www.kanjibyhand.com. It's only for Android so far. The free version includes…

   2012 · kanjibyhand.com. · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Fujiyama▲192

   Practice natural Japanese conversation in real-time with AI

   2024 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Hiragana Easy▲67

   Learn the Japanese alphabet the easy way

   2019 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   ELSA▲199

   A virtual pronunciation coach

   2016 · elsaspeak.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Kann for Android▲171

    Learn Japanese vocabulary you care about!

    2025 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Brainyoo▲71

    Easy cross-platform learning with flashcards.

    2016 · brainyoo.de · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Kana Trainer▲65

    An iOS application to learn Japanese, the easy way.

    2019 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    iTalki▲73

    Online Language Learning via Skype

    2014 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    JapaneseTab▲144

    Learn Japanese with every new tab

    2019 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Kanaji▲95

    Learn Japanese Kanji

    Nov 2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Kana Words▲76

    Study Japanese hiragana and katakana with this simply game

    2023 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Get Kana▲7

    A simple app for learning Japanese writing on the go

    2016 · getkana.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    I built the literal Duolingo Killer▲11

    Hi Everyone, I recently wanted to learn Japanese with duolingo but it kept giving me repetitive lessons. So I built an app that gives a variety of lessons from anime. You can try it out here:https://kanjieight.vercel.app/ Thanks everyone.

    Nov 2025 · kanjieight.vercel.app · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Learning Japanese▲9

    A Japanese guide to learning Japanese grammar

    2015 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Yomiwa▲11

    Recognize and translate kanjis in realtime

    2016 · yomiwa.net · its alternatives →

21. 21
    flowhale▲6

    a korean learning app,&beyond translation.

    Oct 2025 · agent-68faf267cedcc0158e--visionary-jelly-16e701.netlify.app · its alternatives →

22. 22SB
    Shorts based learning app for programming concepts▲5

    2021 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Professional android learning▲3

    Learning

    2018 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Japanese Writing & Speaking▲14

    Japanese Writing & Speaking App

    Nov 2025 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →