2025-05-19
5 days in
Great so far
Updating
iPhone Screenshots
iPad Screenshots
Description
A cute, ad-free, and enjoyable learning experience is waiting for you in the Renshuu community! The free version is unlimited: there’s no timer before you are forced to pay!
- A path for every learning style and every goal -
Whether you are getting started with the alphabets or have been studying for years, jump in exactly where you belong! Don’t waste time going through what you already know.
Renshuu maintains learning paths for most textbooks, the JLPT, Kanji Kentei, and for those who just want to learn. You can also carve out your own path! Our community has over 10,000 user-made lessons for even more focused learning.
- Cute, relaxing, and fun -
Our mascot Kao-chan is here to let you enjoy learning Japanese, whether it’s through collectible coins every time you quiz, a character that evolves as you learn, manga pages that you unlock, or hundreds of hand-made illustrations.
Additionally, we have both single and multiplayer games to help you keep your learning and reviewing fresh!
- Personal service -
We are just a two-person company - and we don’t use chat bots. That means that every question you have gets an answer directly from us.
- Rich, in-depth materials -
> Vocabulary: over 15,000 native-recorded audio files, 17,000 hand-picked images, and 160,000 example sentences make understanding vocabulary a breeze. Our growing library of accent/pitch data can even help you with accent reduction.
> Kanji: 12,000+ kanji, with no limits on what you can study! Over 2,000 colorful mnemonics help you to understand and retain the meanings.
> Grammar: Over 800 different expressions, each complete with native-written model sentences, construction diagrams, audio, and over 7,500 hand-made quiz questions.
> Sentences: Thousands of sentences complete with audio, divided by theme and difficulty levels.
- A superior quiz system designed around Japanese -
Our SRS-for-Japanese system doesn’t treat Japanese materials like flashcards to be memorized, and breaks every item down into individual components so you can understand, and not just memorize. Mastery schedules keep you studying only what you need to, pushing weaker materials to the front for you to focus on.
Dozens of different question styles keep things fresh, while a flexible input system (multiple choice, typing, or writing) lets you answer the way that you want to.
- Customizable down to the last character -
Renshuu doesn’t believe that there is a single way of studying that everyone should adhere to. Our expansive settings and customizations let you adjust the learning environment to what works best for you.
End user license agreement can be viewed here: https://www.renshuu.org/eula
What's New in Version 1.15.17
Better handling of the "grey screen" issue when returning to renshuu after using other apps, and new code to handle regional servers that are coming later this year!
Information
Developer
Categories
Version
1.15.17
Size
62.8 MB
Game Center
No
VPP Device Licensing
Yes
Rating
Rated: 4+
Compatibility
iOS 13.0 or later
Devices
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro, iPad Pro (Cellular), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) (Cellular), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air (Cellular), iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 (Cellular), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini Retina, iPad mini Retina (Cellular), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 (Cellular), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 (Cellular), iPad mini (5th Generation), iPad mini (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi), iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th Generation), iPad (9th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th Generation), iPad mini (6th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPod touch (6th Generation), iPod touch (7th generation)
Languages
English
App Store: Customer Ratings
Ratings & Reviews
4.5 of 5 (134 Ratings)
App Store: Customer Reviews
2025-05-13
SO UNDERRATED!?!? :0
i havent been using this app for long however this is definitely one of the most underrated apps i have ever seen for studying japanese. not only are the mnemonics amazing for memorising when writing but their teaching of grammar is incredible! i feel like im learning so much in so little and ive only started around a week ago!
ill definitely write a further review but so far everything is amazing! definitely download! 💕
p.s. the games are super fun too!
2025-05-07
Amazing!!
This has been such a wonderful app & it has been excellent in actually teaching the grammar and structure. I’m really happy I switched over from Duo to renshuu 🤗
2025-04-27
Best free app for learning japanese!
I’m a japanese learner. One day on pinterest, i saw someone recommending this app so i thought why not give it a try. To my surprise, it teaches pretty much everything. Kana, vocabulary, grammar & kanji. For free! It even has a community, games, useful tools & resources. Its high quality and really well made. This has helped me a lot with learning japanese, i don’t know what i’d do without this app. 5 stars, a really underrated app.
2025-04-17
HOW IS THIS APP SO GOOD AND COMPLETELY FREE
Ok so I have been trying to learn 日本人 for a while now with Duolingo (frick you duo) and I’m on the second unit thing and I can only say a few sentences but OMG RENSHUU?! Ok I love this app for many reasons
1.Its accessibility for people who can’t afford expensive apps(*stares at lingodeer and babbel*)
2.THE WORD GARDEN IS FANTASTIC I love the word garden bc I don’t usually like writing stuff but omg this is amazing
3.KAO-CHAN IS SO CUTEEE (unlike a certain green owl who threatens people)
4. The lessons are soo fun and if you get a question wrong do u loose a life? NOPE <3
But seriously this is better than any app I have tried. If u know someone or you want to learn 日本人 renshuu is the way to go
ありがとうございます^ - ^
2025-03-19
Amazing
I think this may be the only Japanese learning app I have found in the App Store that teaches Japanese for completely free! I am surprised and honestly thankful that I can finally learn Japanese without having to pay. The app acts more like a website but it is honestly amazing and there are so many opportunities to learn everyday words and also many grammar lessons. So far I have learnt to build basic sentences and understand sentence structures. It’s really good at explaining and is really fun most of all! Thanks so much for this amazing app
2025-03-11
Amazing
I’ve just started learning Japanese and renshuu is so helpful, loads of resources and games. Also great for if you have any questions. Highly recommend
2025-01-30
Amazing for learning Japanese as a beginner
I’ve only started learning very recently but this app has helped me progress so much. By turning things into a game or competition it helps me learn and motivates me to continue. The tools are incredibly useful and I’m grateful for this app
2025-01-23
🦋🥳Amazing…but a problem…
So, Everybody here knows this Casually good Japanese beginner game, but there is a few bugs that annoy me.
1. When it kinda gets ads or not!
2. When I can’t learn The Japanese
3. When it won’t let me click something!
4. When sometimes adverts come up already!
(Just to annoy me!)
5. It’s not doing anything!
6. When the game is sometimes frozen!
Byeeee my strawberry cakes! 🍰
2024-11-22
Very nice
Great art style, easy to follow and kind community
2024-11-04
Bugs out on the last question of the first test
Seems alright at first but is very slow. Appears to be a web app, bugged out on question 20 of my first test and now the app displays nothing but white screens. Internet connection is fine.
2024-10-21
Fantastic app 🤩
Renshuu is fantastic so far. Developer has put a lot of thought into the app itself, and the learning journey. I appreciate the early emphasis on the writing systems, which have been my weak point so far - because almost all the other ‘big’ apps I’ve been using really let you down around Hiranga & Katakana. Thanks Michael!
2024-10-11
Best Japanese Learning app!!
I’ve picked Renshuu up after a long hiatus from learning Japanese, and I have to say it’s the best app for learning Japanese. I’ve tried many, MANY others, but none have kept me as interested as Renshuu.
Renshuu’s games and community are amazing and always have you coming back for more!
While Renshuu has a pro version, it isn’t necessary at all and you can learn perfectly fine without it. It is still a great addition, though.
2024-10-10
Great app
Been using for a few months and has been a great help. Was struggling to learn hiragana and katakana until I downloaded and then speed through it having daily schedules and being able to make loads of mistakes and review them straight away is great. Would recommend to everyone trying to learn!
2024-09-09
Genuinely so impressed!
I actually was so impressed how much better this app is than so many language apps I’ve tried before. As a complete beginner, I love how it actually teaches and explains, it’s not just for practicing. And there’s a good mix of activities and customisable settings that feels like it helps structure your learning and you could genuinely make lots of progress just with this app alone. I love the characters and drawings, and how it’s been built by just two people who care about making something good. And that’s just the free version!
2024-09-03
I LOVE IT
If you are looking for a free Japanese learning app, THIS IS THE ONE! It explains everything in so much detail and actually makes it a fun experience rather than making it just a boring lesson. Also I can’t forget how cute the drawing are ☺️☺️. I don’t know why, but that just makes it a bit easier! A long time a go I used Duolingo but this is just on a different level. Sure, it was good but it only provided help for how to write the letters and how to speak a bit of it. This provides Help on how to remember the letter and what sound it makes and the pitches you need to use! You even get gachas after every lesson which is a nice surprise for the end.
2024-08-16
Cool
Cool app
2024-08-15
SO CUTE
i was looking for an app to help progress my Japanese skills and i saw renshuu, i downloaded for the cute design but stayed for the easy learning. renshuu has such a relaxed fun way to learn and i love evolving my little kao chan ^^
2024-08-03
Amazing app to learn japanese
I started using this app two days ago and i’m very satisfied about the progress and how much i learned. The best part is that it’s finally free to learn kanji step by step and there are examples with kanji that helps a lot !
2024-06-28
Fantastic App
This app is filled with great material in an easy and fun to way learn that has me hooked. The free version has enough functionality to learn the Kanji and has games that make learning fun.
It’s very customisable in terms of new words per day and quiz size so you can tweak it to be perfect for you.
2024-06-18
:)
It’s genuinely such a cute app and it really helps my progress in learning Japanese. With all sorts of games and challenges it helps me keep my motivation up :D
2024-05-06
Really well made and full of content app
I find diversity of content and depth of material available very helpful in deepening my understanding of Japanese.
2024-04-10
Best Japanese learning app avaliable!
Loads of quizzes, games, community posts etc. to help your learning and the developer is super kind and always responds to questions. 10/10!
2024-04-02
Fun and easy to learn
Very fun while learning and a lot easier than other apps
2024-03-12
すごい！
Recommend ٩( ᐛ )و
2024-01-24
absolutely worth it
just started using it but there is so many options and other things to use, so much detail in this app great work
2024-01-22
An excellent learning application.
I really liked this app so I think it deserves my review. There are so many good features about this app, and I wish more people knew of it. I could name a few reasons as to why I’d prefer this app over another app. Such as the game play to make language learning interesting, writing poems, the community, useful information for grammar that you wouldn’t tend to get with an app like Duolingo ETC. However, there are some downfalls to this app. For example, in the game mode for writing, it can be laggy, and the writing will go off course making it harder to win. The same with shiritori cat. The answers aren’t always sent and that can be annoying, but aside from the negatives, I would heavily recommend this app to anyone looking to learn Japanese.
2024-01-13
Incredible and built with love
Following Duolingos change to AI and dismissal of around 50% of their translators I was looking for a much more ethical way to learn Japanese. And I found such a gem in Renshuu. If you’re considering downloading I would encourage you very much, as this app has so much to give and is of incredibly high quality. Not to mention it’s made by a small 2 person team! Thank you Micheal and Saki for all your hard work.
2024-01-11
Finally the Japanese learning platform for me
I’ve been learning Japanese for about 3 years at this point, having tried a number of different apps and websites. I’ve picked up a decent bit in that time, however I often find myself struggling with a particular system. Renshuu, however, seems perfectly suited to my style of learning, it’s not overbearing nor does it assume you can dedicate all your time to it. The inclusion of little games and community contributions really enhances it. I’m happy to call this the best platform for learning Japanese
2024-01-11
A Really underrated Japanese Learning tool
If your looking for an app for learning Japanese after you’ve deleted your Duolingo account then this might be what your looking for.
Wether your a beginner, intermediate or experienced in Japanese already this a wonderful option with a rather sweet and helpful community of fellow Japanese learners.
2023-12-31
Fantastic learning app
I’ve been studying Japanese on and off for ages and I’ve found it very difficult to find good learning resources that aren’t expensive. This is the exception! There is a premium version that I haven’t tried yet but the free version is amazing. Well integrated lessons on words, grammar and writing. A great dictionary that links through to everything, timed repeats of practice to help with long term memory, excellent spoken Japanese with pitch accent included and games to do too.
It is very adaptable so you can set it up to suit your style and available time and the developers seem very easy to contact - not that I have had a need to contact them yet.
If your looking for a Japanese learning tool look no further!
2023-12-29
A really awesome app!!
I wanted to start learning languages after the new year in 2024.
However, this app has been in my phone since months previous. I was bored one day and picked it up, and I can’t stop playing and, in turn, learning.
I wasn’t going to leave a review, but this app is much too good not to.
100% the BEST language app I have ever used. Hands down.
2023-11-25
Great
Really nice app to learn japanese, has various different modes to make learning more engaging and also has rewards which makes it fun. Explains things really well. I would recommend. The only downside I’d say is that the UI is slightly cluttered, i don’t have any other complaints.
2023-09-12
I recommend it!
Really helpful!!! <33
2023-08-30
A Wondeful App
This is the #1 app I’d recommend to beginner Japanese learners like myself (along with Shirabe Jisho). It has a great range of SRS packs, organised into grades and categories (words, kanji, grammar, etc) with a lesson-like structure. Beyond this there are a seemingly endless range of useful and fun features, which really reflects the creator’s joy for education. The illustrations also add a lot of character to the experience and complement the playful nature of the app perfectly. I haven’t been using it long, but I am finding it really useful and accessible, and I’m looking to seeing how it develops in future and how it benefits as the user community grows.
2023-08-10
Super helpful and easy to follow!!!
Would recommend to everyone trying to learn Japanese from zero.
2023-07-16
great recommend
ive been using this app to learn japanese for a few weeks and its really good! its very underrated and its a good way to learn japanese consistently:D! definitely recommend
2023-06-30
Great for beginners
I’ve only began learning Japanese but this app makes it both easy and fun, has a crazy amount of resources and ways to learn. When I sent a question, I received a prompt and personalised reply. Honestly would recommend to others for learning!
2023-06-08
THIS APP IS AMAZING!!! GO GET IT NOWWWWW :D
Having tried to learn Japanese several times when I was younger (and failed), I always found myself unable to progress beyond the basic "a, i, u, e, o" hiragana (no, that isn't an understatement: my Japanese learning pursuits were most definitely in vain back then) However, renshuu has managed to gamify the experience of learning Japanese for me; with its extensive vocab range and grammar resources, I no longer have to worry about sounding like an illiterate kindergartener when I try to have a basic conversation with someone! As somebody who started from scratch, this app has been amazing in helping me to memorise alphabets in as little as a few days with approx. 1 hour of training a day.
In conclusion, I would urge you to get this app. The main bulk of the app is free, and absolutely no learning opportunities are gatekept behind a paywall (which is something I really appreciate!)
The dev team generally seems amazing, and the renshuu community is a positive one with an healthy attitude towards learning and improvent. :)
2023-05-18
This app is rad and will get you to fluency
I always come back to this one, as it’s the perfect way to study across different comprehension vectors and has near infinite customization.
2023-02-23
Best app
Tried a few and this is the one that made me keep at it, love the simple structure and especially the cute drawings and games!!
2023-02-07
Game Changing for New Learners
I’ve been a person to learn languages, specifically Japanese on and off, since a lot of other apps never kept my interest or I felt that it got too hard too quickly. Reshuu has fixed that issue for me—it doesn’t pressure me to learn every day, it lets me learn at my own pace, and makes my learning fun, even as a beginner. It studies through mnemonics and games, as well as flash card studying, which become less intimidating not only to learn through the app, but aid the learning with other sources.
2023-01-30
Good app once you’ve worked out the UI
Overwhelming at first, the UI could be simplified, but a good learning system with fun parts
2023-01-23
Cute
Cute bit complicated format but overall lovely plenty of resources and options this app has exactly what I need. Great app would recommend
2023-01-03
really happy with it
I downloaded renshuu mostly to study japanese grammar and I find every lesson really well explained and super useful. I noticed that there’s only N5 level grammar for now and that’s a shame! But maybe that’s because I’m using the free version? I still hope this app can grow more because it looks like an amazing project so far.
2022-11-27
Thanks devs :)
Refreshingly kind attitude to monetisation that I really appreciate - I know renshuu pro is available and there’s a demo of the features, but there’s no pressure and it’s a totally usable app even without the pro features. If I continue learning Japanese, I’ll for sure sign up!
2022-09-16
best tool for learning japanese i’ve come across
this is an amazing app and i’m so lucky to have come across it by chance cos i can’t imagine where i’d be without it! it doesn't force you to pay money to learn, which is a huge off-put for me, and you can tell it has your best interests in mind! every so often there is a question corner where a new question is posted for people to answer in japanese, which can help you to grow accustomed to conversation! it teaches you lots of vocabulary and kanji, and you can unlock manga pages that tell a story the further you progress! this app is much better than ones like duolingo and i’m surprised at how underrated it is considering its quality! i can’t recommend this enough to anyone wanting to learn japanese. the only critique i have is to have slightly less vocabulary to learn all in one go as it can be a lot to remember in such a short space of time, but apart from that i love it! :) not to mention only two people are behind this app,, really well done ong
2022-09-13
Perfect app
I’ve tried to learn hiragana a few times now but it my memory is bad so I could never remember any of them. This app is amazing because the community posts mnemonics to help you remember it and they’re all really useful. The community is very nice and helpful in both the app and the discord so any questions I had about Japanese would be answered quickly. The Manga pages are a great idea because it gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that I can read and understand the pages. Perfect app and fantastic community 👍
2022-08-16
Great app
I am new to learning Japanese and I am very happy that I found this app. It’s easy to navigate, not overwhelming and has a great community. You have a character that evolves as you progress with your studies and it’s cute and motivating.
ありがとう
2022-07-30
Great app
I’m really enjoying this app, I like the way its set out and there’s so much to do, the example sentences with audio are awesome. This feels like a very comprehensive fun app and I’m looking forward to using it more.
2022-05-31
Awesome app for learning Japanese
This app is a great way to start learning or to supplement your learning in Japanese regardless of what other sources you use. It’s got a great range of games and lessons for complete beginners up to higher intermediate level and a fantastic community of learners you can talk toand ask questions of both in the app and on their discord.
You don’t need to subscribe to get a decent amount from the app but subscribing does give you access to a lot of additional content that adds to the already great selection of content for free learners. Would recommend this over any of the other apps like Duolingo, Lingodeer etc.
I like that they have quizzes on the stuff you’ve learned, use an SRS system for mistakes and also have many different settings you can change for the quizzes etc so you can tailor them to your own learning style. It’s also the only free apl I’ve found with info on pitch accent that isn’t a dictionary.
2021-11-14
I learned all of the hiragana kana in a week
Lately my hobby, which is drawing, turned into my work so I was thinking of picking up a new hobby which is now learning Japanese. This app is literally amazing. I have never tried to learn Japanese before, however now that I’m using this app I can read all of the hiragana and also write and say it. I must say it’s quite fun to play the games on there aswell. Also if I have any questions I need to ask I know I can ask them as the app owners have a direct message system. I think this app is splendid and will be continuing using it. Thank you so much :) ありがとう!
2021-10-24
Love it!
I love that Renshuu can run along other learning resources. It’s like having a tutor in ur pocket.
ありがと