Hiragana Quest

Learn how to read & write the Japanese characters known as Hiragana & Katakana.

Install

Hiragana Quest is an engaging Chrome extension designed to help you learn the foundational Japanese alphabets: Hiragana and Katakana. By integrating charming mascots, Hirako and Katato, the app transforms the often complex task of learning Japanese characters into an enjoyable journey filled with simple mnemonic stories and interactive lessons.

This unique learning tool offers step-by-step stroke guides and allows learners to trace characters directly on the screen, ensuring proper writing techniques. Users can test their knowledge, earn experience points, and level up their skills as they progress. Suitable for beginners, Hiragana Quest enables you to learn over a hundred characters within hours, making the process efficient and memorable. The extension is free to try with the first seven hiragana characters, with with full access available through a small in-app purchase. Developed in Tokyo by the Go! Go! Nihon studios, Hiragana Quest offers an intuitive and effective way to kickstart your Japanese language journey.

By:: Go! Go! World - Live & Study Abroad
Downloads:: 177,390+ 824
Rating:: 4.38
(1,452) 8 new ratings
Version:: 0.5.5 (Last updated: 2024-08-25)
Version code:: 42
Creation date:: 2018-08-05
Permissions:: android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
android.permission.INTERNET
com.android.vending.BILLING
Size:: 48.83M
Email:: in*****@gogonihon.com
URLs:: Website ,Privacy policy
Full description:: See detailed description
Source:: Google Play Store
Updated:: 11 hours ago

Ranking

# 149,110 ▲ 110

User reviews

Hiragana Quest is praised for its effective mnemonic-based teaching and user-friendly design that helps learners memorize Hiragana and Katakana characters and improve stroke order better than some competitors. However, users frequently mention issues such as the unconventional character order without option to switch, inconsistent fonts, and limited free access. The drawing recognition can be inconsistent, and the app lacks adaptive testing or spaced repetition features. Additionally, the absence of multi-device syncing and the paywall after a small free trial limit its appeal. Overall, it is valued for its unique approach but has notable areas needing improvement.

Pros

Effective for learning and memorizing Hiragana and Katakana characters using mnemonics and storytelling.
User-friendly and simple interface that facilitates practice and repetition.
Helps improve writing and stroke order better than some other apps like Duolingo.
Affordable one-time fee providing good value compared to free apps.
Teaches characters in an order meant to aid memory retention rather than alphabetical order.

Cons

The app uses a non-standard or 'weird' order for teaching characters without an option to switch.
Character fonts and stroke styles sometimes differ from standard Japanese writing, causing confusion.
Limited free trial with only 7 characters before payment is required; no free tier with extended content.
Character recognition for drawing practice can be overly forgiving or overly strict, affecting learning and causing frustration.
No adaptive testing or spaced repetition features to reinforce learning efficiently.
Does not support multiple devices or data synchronization well, risking lost progress upon reinstall.
Some mnemonics or stories are hit or miss; some users find them less helpful than memorizing shapes directly.

Recent reviews

While the functionality might be great, I don't get why it teaches you Hiragana letters in the weird order and not allowing to switch to the normal one. Please fix this and it will be a great app.

Mikhail Konovalov, 2024-10-07

Very easy to use. Memorized all the hiragana and katakana characters using this app. Although some characters have a different way of being written here, versus some Japanese scripts I see everywhere. However, the differences aren't major. Some examples I've spotted so far are the "a" in katakana and "ki" in hiragana. But as I said, it's not a major deviation.