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Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Pooki – Ready for Japan

Easy Japanese you'll actually use on your trip

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1
    Mainichi▲133

    Learn Japanese, one prefecture at a time.

    Jul 2026 · mainichiapp.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Last minute offline Japanese language survival phrasebook

    Jun 2026 · chipuchipu.notion.site · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Yokoso▲81

    Japanese for the life you're actually living in Japan

    Aug 2026 · yokosoapp.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Learn Japanese hiragana and vocabulary with cute characters

    2023 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    The best place to start learning the Japanese alphabet

    2019 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    Learn Japanese with Anime

    2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7IM

    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 →

  8. 8

    Learn Japanese with 1000 phrases and intelligent flashcards

    2016 · ling-app.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9
    Mainichi▲112

    Learn Japanese each time you open a new tab

    2015 · mainichi.me · its alternatives →

  10. 10
    Douzo▲127

    Free Japanese typing practice organized by JLPT level

    Mar 2026 · typingdouzo.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    LanGo▲140

    Learn Japanese with 1000 phrases and smart flashcards

    2016 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    Read & listen to native Japanese and Chinese, tap any word

    Jul 2026 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Japanese dictionary app for iPhone and iPad with kanji lookup, example sentences, flashcards, OCR photo lookup, and a Safari extension for reading Japanese.

    2015 · nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Hi HN, Just wanted to share a tool i've been working on to help with my own study routine. It’s a browser extension called Lingoku. The idea is simple: we spend hours browsing the web in English every day. This tool replaces some of the english words with Japanese vocabulary based on your japanese level (Similar to Toucan, but with a better user experience). It’s basically an attempt to make the "i+1" method actually passive, you understand the sentence because it's mostly english, but you pick up Japanese words naturally from the context. It uses an LLM in the backend to make sure the…

    Dec 2025 · lingoku.ai · its alternatives →

  15. 15
    WaseiGo▲86

    Learn the 1,000+ Japanese words that only look like English

    Aug 2026 · waseigo.take-lab.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16AF

    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 →

  17. 17GA

    I've been fascinated by the Japanese language and culture for a while now, and I wanted to create a simple, no-fuss way for beginners to get started. So, I built *[Nihongo](https://nihongo.site/)*, a free and open-source web app designed to help you learn the fundamentals of Japanese in about a month. The name of the app, Nihongo (日本語), is the Japanese word for the "Japanese language." You can check it out here: *[https://nihongo.site/](https://nihongo.site/)* And for those who like to tinker, the code is available on GitHub:…

    2025 · nihongo.site · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Learn the Japanese alphabet the easy way

    2019 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Learn to speak Japanese from Day 1

    2025 · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Japanese language learning guides for Bengali and English speakers. JLPT preparation tips, study strategies, kanji mnemonics, and cultural insights.

    2020 · learn-japanese.org · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    LenGaki▲13

    Learn Everything from vocabulary to grammar for Free

    2025 · lengaki.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22
    Dozo▲8

    Learn Japanese N5 to N1 with a real teacher in your corner

    Aug 2026 · nihongodozo.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    I'm both a Japanese learner and an indie developer. Throughout my journey of learning Japanese (currently living in Japan), I've deeply felt the challenge of memorizing words — learning them only to forget, wanting to speak but finding myself tongue-tied. Why I Made This As someone who relies heavily on visual memory, I understand the power of turning abstract concepts into visual forms. You know that feeling when you're walking around and spot something interesting — maybe a beautiful seasonal poster, a curious shop name, or even just a package design that catches your eye? Those little…

    2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    Master Japanese in 3 years, leveraging your native language.

    2021 · japanesecomplete.com · its alternatives →

Also compare

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 →