Choosing the right Kanji learning tool can make or break your Japanese journey. Here’s an honest comparison of the three most popular options: Kanjijo, WaniKani, and Anki.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Kanjijo | WaniKani | Anki |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (Premium optional) | $9/month or $199 lifetime | Free (iOS app $24.99) |
| Kanji | 2,000+ | 2,000+ | Depends on deck |
| Vocabulary | 6,000+ | 6,000+ | Depends on deck |
| SRS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mnemonics | Built-in for all items | Built-in for all items | Manual / community |
| Writing Practice | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| OCR Scanner | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Lock Screen Widget | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Home Screen Widget | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Native Pronunciation | ✓ | ✓ | Some decks |
| Offline Mode | ✓ | ✗ (web-based) | ✓ |
| JLPT Organized | ✓ | Own order | Depends on deck |
| Proficiency Tests | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Setup Required | None | None | Significant |
WaniKani: The Pioneer
WaniKani pioneered mnemonic-based Kanji learning and has a loyal community. Its strengths:
- Excellent mnemonic stories for every Kanji and Vocabulary
- Clean, well-designed web interface
- Strong community forums
Drawbacks: No free tier (only 3 free levels), no mobile app (web-only), no writing practice, no OCR, no widgets. At $9/month, it’s a significant ongoing cost. Content follows its own order, not JLPT levels.
Anki: The Powerhouse
Anki is the most flexible SRS tool available. You can create decks for literally anything.
- Completely customizable
- Huge library of community-shared decks
- Free on desktop and Android
Drawbacks: Steep learning curve, ugly interface, no built-in content (you need to find or create decks), no mnemonics, no writing practice, no OCR. The iOS app costs $24.99. Getting started requires hours of setup and configuration.
Kanjijo: The Modern All-in-One
Kanjijo combines the best of both worlds: WaniKani’s structured approach with features neither competitor offers:
- Free: Full content access, one lesson per day, no paywall on content
- Ready to go: Zero setup, JLPT-organized from day one
- OCR scanner: Scan Japanese text with your camera to create flashcards
- Lock screen widget: Learn passively from your lock screen
- Writing practice: Interactive stroke-order animations
- Proficiency tests: Prove mastery before advancing
- Beautiful native app: Fast, offline-capable, dark mode
Who Should Use What?
- Choose Kanjijo if you want a free, beautiful, all-in-one Japanese learning experience with modern features like OCR and widgets.
- Choose WaniKani if you prefer a web-based tool, don’t mind paying $9/month, and want an established community.
- Choose Anki if you want maximum customization, already know how to set it up, and don’t need built-in content.
Frequently Asked Questions
For structure, yes: WaniKani gives you a ready-made path with mnemonics, so you never have to design a system. For flexibility and price, Anki wins - it’s free and infinitely customizable, but you must find good decks and tune the settings yourself. Structured learners tend to finish WaniKani; tinkerers tend to stick with Anki.
If you’ll actually do reviews daily for 1–2 years, the subscription buys a proven path to ~2,000 kanji. It’s less worth it if you need JLPT-specific ordering, grammar or listening - WaniKani teaches kanji only, in its own order.
Anki is free on desktop and Android, with free syncing via AnkiWeb. The official iOS app is a one-time paid purchase that funds the project.
Kanjijo is free and covers kanji plus vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening in JLPT order, with an SRS engine, mnemonics, OCR scanning and widgets built in - the closest free equivalent to WaniKani’s guided experience, organized by JLPT level instead of a custom order.
Free tool
Not sure which level you are? Take the free JLPT level test: 25 questions, five per level from N5 to N1, with an instant result and an explanation after every answer.
Take the free JLPT level testEverything in one app: kanji, vocabulary and the full grammar bank with exclusive mnemonics, one SRS engine, OCR scanning, home & lock screen widgets plus an interactive test widget, JLPT reading & listening practice, mock tests, conversation lessons with shadowing and video dictation. No credit card required.