All Language Resources is an independent review site. If you click a product link, we may earn money from a seller at no cost to you. Writing and analyses are author opinions. Learn More

Japanese

Takoboto Mini-Review: Dictionary App With Conjugations

Takoboto

Rating 4.0
Price:

Free

Summary

Takoboto is a free dictionary app and study tool. It has flashcards, study lists, kana tables, and links to external sites for detailed grammar explanations. Takoboto differs from other dictionary apps, like Kanji Study, in that it offers a section for conjugated forms. Like other high-rated apps, it also includes example phrases, kanji with stroke order diagrams, and a breakdown of definitions. You can seamlessly transfer words from the app into AnkiDroid. Although Takoboto’s in-app flashcards are not as interactive as those in Kanji Study, Takoboto has a slightly smoother flashcard transfer to AnkiDroid; while Kanji Study transfers oddly formatted definitions, Takoboto transfers well-formatted definitions with an example sentence.  Although Kanji Study seems to be more thorough with its breakdowns and explanations, both apps have their strengths — and luckily, these two apps can be used together! If you tap on any kanji under the kanji section in Takoboto, you can link directly to further explanations in the Kanji Study app.

Takoboto Mini-Review: Dictionary App With Conjugations Read More »

TODAI Mini-Review: Decent, but Not Perfect

TODAI

Rating 3.6
Price:

$ 0.00

Summary

TODAI creates interactive articles from news websites such as Forbes, CNN, Google, and BBC. You can listen to text-to-voice audio as you read along, and even download the file to listen to offline. The colour-coded text will help you identify N1-N5 JLPT vocabulary that you can convert into flashcards within the app. When you look up a word in the app’s dictionary, you can see example sentences, Kanji strokes, grammar explanations, and related images. Also, you can practice dozens of mock JLPT exams. TODAI has an extensive Japanese-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionary with example sentences, analyses of each sentence, and dozens of phrases that contain your chosen word. Although the app identifies grammar structures within the articles and lists them at the bottom of each page, the grammar explanations are hit and miss — some are clear and concise, while others lack formatting, punctuation, and coherency. Overall, TODAI seems to be a decent app for reading comprehension practice. You can also try Readlang to define words and create flashcards from any website in any language, or Human Japanese and Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese for more concise grammar explanations. 

TODAI Mini-Review: Decent, but Not Perfect Read More »

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese Mini-Review: Very Thorough

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese is a helpful guide for anyone learning Japanese and struggling with grammar. Here’s why…

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese

Rating 3.5
Price:

Free

Summary

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese is not a phrasebook or an app that will get you speaking from day one. Instead, it is a guide that was made with the intention that learners would refer to it only when they don’t understand Japanese grammar. If you love grammar, technically you could read it from start to finish, but the guide seems most helpful as a supportive tool during your studies. That being said, learners have complained about oversimplifications and mistakes throughout the guide. Tae Kim will explain everything from scratch, breaking down sentence constructions so you can make sentences on your own. The English translations reflect the Japanese sense of the meaning, so you will be reading the literal translation of each sentence. Japanese words are typically displayed using kanji, but if you tap on a word, you can get a popup of the pronunciation in hiragana. You should already know hiragana and katakana before using the guide, as Tae Kim doesn’t use romaji at any point (Write It! Is a simple, free app that can introduce you to kana, or you can subscribe to Skritter for kana and kanji practice).

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese Mini-Review: Very Thorough Read More »

Japanese (Renzo Inc.) Mini Review: Excellent Organized Word Lists

Japanese (renzo inc)

Rating 3.5
Price:

Free

Summary

Although other apps offer more example phrases and verb forms, Japanese by Renzo Inc. excels in the organization of its contents. It offers a simple, free reference guide for kanji, katakana, and hiragana with tables of diacritics, digraphs, and stroke order animations. The kanji section divides about 2000 kanji into levels by school grade (which kanji are learned by Grade 1 children, then Grade 2, etc.) and frequency. You can see examples of compound words that use the selected kanji, more complicated kanji that use the selected kanji (a little bit of inception there), and example sentences that use the kanji in context. You can also sort kanji by their radicals, or sort words by parts of speech, adjectives, nouns, verbs, suffixes, expressions, idiomatic phrases, proverbs, dozens of topics, and more. Although there is a flashcard section, you are probably better off using Kanji Study or Anki, as they offer more interactive flashcard activities and have better formatting. Japanese is free, but you can pay to have advertisements removed. Another option is Takoboto, which is also free and includes lists of word forms.

Japanese (Renzo Inc.) Mini Review: Excellent Organized Word Lists Read More »

Kanji Study Mini-Review: Comprehensive Dictionary and Flashcards

Kanji Study

Rating 4.5
Price:

Freemium, $12.99 for full access

Summary

Kanji Study’s user interface for Android is simple and intuitive. It will help you study hiragana, katakana, and over 4000 kanji with interactive flashcards. You can race the clock with multiple-choice questions, study through rote memorization, or physically write out the characters on your screen. It also includes an extensive dictionary of characters. Each character page includes stroke order animations, writing practice, definitions, On-yomi, Kun-yomi, notes for mnemonics, and a unique visual decomposition of radicals that make up the kanji. The pages also identify the JLPT level of each kanji and provide a list of example sentences. Some of this information may be overwhelming for a beginner, but the beginner Kanji, katakana, and hiragana are free, so try it out! Kanji Study extends its support beyond the app to help you learn new words. Although you can’t study compound words within the app, you can add words you want to learn to AnkiDroid with two taps. At any point during your Anki review, you can tap on the word to link back to Kanji Study for a more detailed explanation. For intermediate to advanced learners, the flashcard part of the app will require a one-time purchase — however, it is affordable and can definitely support you in mastering your writing skills. Another great, free dictionary app is Takoboto, which has a slightly more organized interface, but less interactive flashcards.

Kanji Study Mini-Review: Comprehensive Dictionary and Flashcards Read More »

SuperMemo Mini-Review: Not to Be Confused With Super-Memo

Supermemo

Rating 3.0
Price:

Free trial, $9.90/mo

Summary

*The app SuperMemo is often confused with Super-Memo SuperMemo seems to advertise its courses and their efficacy by emphasizing the SuperMemo Method. The website states that it is the only scientifically-proven computer-aided learning method — however, the method is a typical Spaced Repetition System that Brainscape, Anki, Pleco, Skritter, SpanishDict, and countless other resources use. If SuperMemo made any special improvements, they do not stand out. SuperMemo’s courses can be accessed through a monthly membership or through purchasing individual courses. Each course contains a series of flashcards with some interactive activities (such as fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice questions, and dropdown menus). In some beginner courses, like Hungarian and Dutch, you can learn basic pronunciation with the International Phonetic Alphabet; this can support you in both understanding and producing the sounds of the language later one. They also use native speaker pronunciation to train your ear. The Fast Track courses may have potential, but there do not seem to be many grammar explanations, and it may be up to you to understand your errors. Additionally, you may find that you are suddenly reading translations from your target language in Polish, whether or not you speak Polish. Overall, Supermemo seems okay, but there are probably other resources that will help you learn a language more effectively.

SuperMemo Mini-Review: Not to Be Confused With Super-Memo Read More »

MyTest Migii Mini-Review: Thorough and organized JLPT Prep

MyTest Migii

Rating 4.5
Price:

Freemium, Quarterly subscriptions start at $27

Summary

MyTest Migii helps you practice for the N5-N2 JLPT tests. It provides a comprehensive explanation of the JLPT test, in addition to 40 mock exams that provide specific recommendations for how to improve your weaknesses at the end. The practice sections are organized to train specific skills — the vocabulary section includes Kanji reading, orthography, and contextually-defined expressions, while the grammar section will improve your sentence composition. You can read passages of Japanese texts with reading comprehension or thematic comprehension activities, or test your listening comprehension with a variety of different tasks. The app’s SRS flashcards will support your studies, dividing grammar and vocabulary into separate flashcard sets. Furthermore, there are detailed explanations about sentence structure, which are accompanied by audio pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and a link to the dictionary with stroke order and example sentences. The app seems to have a couple of bugs, and you may find that some of the tests contain vocabulary or grammar not suitable to your chosen level. Furthermore, it seems to use text-to-voice instead of native speakers for its listening activities, and the flashcards are not as developed as Anki or other SRS apps. Nevertheless, it’s worth checking out, and there is a lot of free content to explore before deciding whether to dive into an annual or semi-annual membership.

MyTest Migii Mini-Review: Thorough and organized JLPT Prep Read More »

Eggbun Mini-Review: Excellent for Understanding Hangul

Eggbun

Rating 4.0
Price:

Freemium, Premium subscriptions cost $17.99/mo, $30.99/quarter, $94.99/year

Summary

Learning with Eggbun is like text messaging a very enthusiastic friend. The 2-minute lessons take place in a chat box with a character named Lanny (who might literally be an egg bun). This review will focus on the Korean app, but the Japanese version has a similar lesson style (and the Chinese version is still under development). Lanny clearly explains the different sounds that Korean consonants can make depending on where they are located in a word. You will receive practical pronunciation tips for each new jamo, and you will be typing out your first words on a Korean keyboard before the end of the first lesson. After the writing lessons, you can explore both casual and formal language through cultural notes, dialogues, dictations, multiple-choice questions, fill in the blanks, role plays, and more. There are even entire sections dedicated to special topics, such as pronunciation, borrowed words, and verb conjugations. Whether you want to learn survival Korean, business Korean, or real-life conversations, Eggbun seems like an effective app for beginners to build their confidence in basic Korean conversation.

Eggbun Mini-Review: Excellent for Understanding Hangul Read More »

Speekoo Mini-Review: Dip Your Toes in a Language and Culture

Speekoo

Rating 2.5
Price:

Classes start at $15/hour

Summary

Learning with Speekoo is more of a cultural journey than an intensive language learning app. With every lesson, you will explore some tourist attractions, unusual aspects, and funny anecdotes about different cities that speak the language you are studying. With each correct answer, you “walk” a kilometre further on your journey and gradually unlock videos and articles. Unfortunately, all of these features are in English (or French if you are learning from French). Speekoo’s free lessons build on one another, and you can easily apply new words to your everyday life. Unfortunately, although you will effectively learn what the app teaches you, the extent of the material will only give you the absolute basics of each language. You will not be able to have even simple conversations once you have finished all the levels. The app also doesn’t introduce new scripts, so you won’t learn how to read Japanese or Chinese; instead, you will write the sounds using the English alphabet. Despite its simplicity, Speekoo is a fun, free option for the extremely casual learner who wants to dip their toes in a language. Hopefully, the developers will take the levels further.

Speekoo Mini-Review: Dip Your Toes in a Language and Culture Read More »

WordReference Mini-Review: Thorough and Professionally Translated

Wordreference

Rating 4.5
Price:

Free

Summary

WordReference is one of the best websites for single-word translations. It uses a combination of its own dictionaries and Collins’, depending on the language, and relies on professional translations rather than machine-translations. With each word you look up, you will receive multiple examples of how to use it, nuances of each meaning, and a list of how to incorporate it into multiple phrases. Whereas sites like Bab.la seem to have machine-translated examples that sound quite random at times, WordReference’s examples can be applied directly to your everyday conversation. You can also find conjugation tables and the Collins COBUILD English Usage dictionary, which shows you how to use individual English words correctly — through its explanations, English learners will be able to differentiate between words that are easily confused (such as ‘current’ and ‘currant’). If the explanations don’t make sense, you can ask questions in the WordReference Language Forum — there you will find an active community of language learners discussing language learning topics. Unfortunately, not all words have audio pronunciation, but those that do can be played back at different speeds and with different accents (depending on the language). Although WordReference is a thorough resource, SpanishDict is probably a better option for Spanish learners, and Pleco is the only dictionary you will ever need for Chinese. Linguee is also similar to WordReference but specializes in formal language, and Forvo has millions of words pronounced by native speakers in hundreds of languages.

WordReference Mini-Review: Thorough and Professionally Translated Read More »