How we ranked these apps
- Speaking practice: Does the app make you produce Japanese in realistic conversations?
- Grammar explanations: Does it explain particles, conjugations, sentence structure and formality?
- Writing-system support: Does it teach hiragana, katakana and kanji, not just romanised text?
- Feedback: Does it tell you what was wrong and how to improve it?
- Price: What you can use for free and what continued access costs.
What Duolingo does well for Japanese
Duolingo makes Japanese approachable through free, bite-sized lessons. Its game-like format uses streaks, leaderboards, characters, rewards and achievements to encourage a regular habit.
The Japanese course teaches basic vocabulary and introduces hiragana and katakana. Lessons cover reading, listening, writing and some speaking, often in sessions short enough to fit into a spare few minutes.
The problems become clearer once you need explanations. Grammar guidance is almost nonexistent, which matters because Japanese particles, verb conjugations and sentence structure differ fundamentally from English. The audio can sound robotic, and speaking practice is minimal.
Duolingo Max Roleplay isn't available for Japanese. Japanese learners get Video Call instead. Free users must also manage Energy, which lessons consume, and a full recharge takes about a day.
Recent App Store reviews from long-time users say the app feels bloated with quests, chests, outfits and animations. Others mention Energy limits, ads for Super and crashes, and one Max subscriber says the premium tiers don't add enough. Super costs around $13 a month or around $84 a year as of September 2026, while Max pricing varies by region.
1. Lingrow: best overall for speaking Japanese
Lingrow is a voice conversation app for learners who want practical Japanese, offering guided lessons, adaptive roleplays and real-time feedback.
Its 350+ scenarios include restaurants, train stations, workplace conversations and casual chats. You can practise casual, polite and formal Japanese at beginner, intermediate or advanced level. Conversations adapt to your current ability.
More than 100 guided lessons teach words, phrases and grammar on an interactive whiteboard. For Japanese, lessons can explain particles, verb conjugations and formality before moving into a short roleplay. You can ask the tutor questions during the lesson.
Where Duolingo tells you a sentence is wrong, Lingrow tells you why and how to say it better. Feedback appears while you speak, followed by a summary of grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation. The app also includes spaced-repetition flashcards and saves words from your conversations.
Lingrow is the clear first choice if your goal is to hold conversations rather than complete translation exercises. It is currently available only on iOS.
Best for: Japanese learners who want guided teaching, realistic voice practice and specific feedback.
Price: A subscription with a free trial as of September 2026.
2. LingoDeer: best structured Japanese course
LingoDeer is a structured language course for learners who want orderly Japanese study, offering grammar notes, native-speaker audio and writing practice.
LingoDeer describes its curriculum as grammar-based and crafted by language teachers. Its short lessons cover reading, writing, listening and speaking, with tips and notes built into the course. The material is customised for languages with writing systems such as Japanese.
Character Drill adds kanji writing practice, while flashcards, quizzes and Knowledge Cards support review. Its Fluent feature provides real-life conversation practice for Japanese. Studio-recorded audio gives it a more natural listening model than Duolingo's robotic-sounding clips.
Recent App Store reviews mention hitting the paywall after roughly one level or unit, and buttons not working on the opening screen. LingoDeer suits learners who want a conventional course. Lingrow is the better choice for adaptive voice conversations and a summary after every one.
Best for: Learners who want a grammar-led Japanese course with writing-system support.
Price: Around $15 a month, $96 a year or $120 to $160 for lifetime access as of September 2026.
3. Busuu: best for community corrections
Busuu is a language course for learners who value structured study and other users' input, offering expert-made lessons, community feedback and review tools.
Its Japanese course is one of 14 complete language courses. Bite-sized lessons include video flashcards, while Study Plan and Smart Review help organise practice. Busuu also offers specialised material, including a manga course.
The main distinction is feedback from its global community of native speakers. AI Conversations and pronunciation practice are available through Premium Plus. One recent reviewer specifically said Busuu explains why an answer is wrong where Duolingo does not.
Recent App Store reviews also mention advertisements before lessons and some lessons feeling long. Busuu suits learners who value community corrections. Lingrow remains better for frequent voice roleplays, immediate feedback and post-conversation summaries.
Best for: Learners who want structured lessons and corrections from a language-learning community.
Price: Around $23 a month or $139 a year as of September 2026, with some annual promotions around $70 to $80.
4. Speak: best alternative for speaking drills
Speak is a speaking-focused app for learners who want repeated oral practice, offering simulated scenarios, pronunciation assessment and grammar feedback.
Japanese is one of six languages available to English speakers. Its flow combines a lesson, repetition, tutor feedback and conversation. It assesses pronunciation, intonation and fluency while also providing real-time feedback on pronunciation and grammar.
The approach is closer to Lingrow than most apps in this list. However, post-conversation feedback is brief even on the most expensive plan, and content repeats at intermediate levels. Lingrow gives a fuller summary and connects its guided lessons directly to roleplay.
Recent App Store reviews say the price is high and that almost everything requires Premium. Speak is available on iOS and Android, which matters if you're on Android.
Best for: Learners who want speaking drills and simulated Japanese conversations on iOS or Android.
Price: Around $18 a month or $84 a year for Premium as of September 2026. Premium Plus costs around $40 a month or $165 a year, with a seven-day trial.
5. Pimsleur: best for audio-only study
Pimsleur is an audio language course for learners who study while commuting, offering 30-minute lessons, pronunciation feedback and guided roleplay challenges.
The Japanese course contains five levels with 30 lessons each, giving learners 150 audio lessons. Offline and hands-free modes make it practical when looking at a screen isn't convenient. The method avoids grammar tables.
Voice Coach gives pronunciation feedback, and Speak Easy provides roleplay challenges. However, the AI Conversation Coach remains in beta for Spanish and French only. Japanese learners don't receive open conversation practice.
Recent App Store reviews mention unexpected logouts, repeated rating prompts and the paywall after the first lesson. Choose Pimsleur for a long audio course. Choose Lingrow when you want to form your own responses, ask questions and receive detailed conversation feedback.
Best for: Learners who prefer guided Japanese audio lessons during commutes or other hands-free time.
Price: Around $20 a month for Japanese Premium as of September 2026. All Access costs around $21 a month or $132 to $165 a year.
6. Bunpo: best for JLPT grammar
Bunpo is a grammar study app for learners preparing for the JLPT, offering clear explanations, interactive quizzes and spaced-repetition review.
Its Japanese course starts with hiragana and katakana, then covers grammar from N5 to N1. It includes more than 1,800 example sentences, over 8,000 quizzes and a Japanese grammar dictionary. Vocabulary, kanji and speech-recognition exercises broaden the course.
Some recent reviewers praise the explanations. Recent App Store reviews also mention only three or four free lessons, difficulty finding plans without the AI features and cancellation problems. Bunpo is a useful companion to Lingrow, but its structured quizzes don't replace open voice roleplays.
renshuu is the notable free alternative. Its unlimited free version offers learning paths, over 800 grammar expressions, more than 12,000 kanji and 15,000 native-recorded audio files. Its Pro plan costs around $7 a month, $50 to $60 a year or $110 to $130 for lifetime access as of September 2026.
Best for: Learners who want focused Japanese grammar study from N5 through N1.
Price: Around $10 a month, $30 to $40 a year or $40 to $45 for lifetime Plus access as of September 2026. Platinum costs around $20 a month or $80 a year.
7. WaniKani: best for kanji
WaniKani is a kanji learning app for learners who want focused character study, offering radical lessons, vocabulary practice and scheduled reviews.
WaniKani teaches 2,000 kanji and 6,000 vocabulary words. Learners first study radicals, then kanji and finally vocabulary. Each item includes a mnemonic, while its review algorithm adjusts the interval for each item.
The first stages are free, but a subscription is needed to access all content. Progress still follows the normal lesson and review cycle after subscribing. It is web-based, although third-party apps such as Tsurukame exist on iOS.
WaniKani has no speaking practice, pronunciation feedback or conversation lessons. It is a strong addition to Lingrow for kanji study, but it cannot replace Lingrow as a complete speaking app.
Best for: Learners who want a dedicated system for kanji and related vocabulary.
Price: Around $9 a month, $89 a year or $299 for lifetime access as of September 2026.
8. Anki: best for custom flashcards
Anki is a flashcard program for independent learners, offering custom decks, scheduled reviews and free cloud synchronisation.
Its schedulers show material around the time you are likely to forget it. Decks can contain more than 100,000 cards, including offline media. Shared Japanese decks are available, but their quality varies.
Anki gives you more control than Duolingo over what enters your review queue. It also has a steeper learning curve than a course app and provides no pronunciation feedback. The official site recommends starting with the computer version.
Use Anki if you enjoy building or adapting your own study system. Lingrow is the better primary app because its own flashcards connect with lessons, saved conversation words and speaking practice.
Best for: Independent learners who want custom Japanese flashcards and detailed control over review.
Price: Free on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android as of September 2026. AnkiMobile costs around $25 as a one-off iOS purchase.
Quick comparison
| Rank | App | What it replaces from Duolingo | Speaking practice | Price (as of September 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lingrow | Everything, plus real conversations | Voice roleplays across 350+ scenarios with real-time feedback and a summary | Subscription with free trial |
| 2 | LingoDeer | Structured lessons, grammar notes and character practice | Guided exercises and Fluent conversations | Around $15 monthly or $96 yearly |
| 3 | Busuu | Structured study and community corrections | AI Conversations and pronunciation practice with Premium Plus | Around $23 monthly or $139 yearly |
| 4 | Speak | Repeated speaking drills | Simulated scenarios with pronunciation and grammar feedback | Around $18 monthly or $84 yearly |
| 5 | Pimsleur | Listening and hands-free study | Listen-and-repeat audio lessons and Speak Easy challenges | Around $20 monthly |
| 6 | Bunpo | Detailed grammar and JLPT preparation | Speech-recognition exercises | Around $10 monthly or $30 to $40 yearly |
| 7 | WaniKani | Kanji and vocabulary review | None | Around $9 monthly or $89 yearly |
| 8 | Anki | Custom flashcards and scheduled review | None | Free on computers and Android, around $25 once on iOS |
The bottom line
Lingrow is the best Duolingo alternative for Japanese speaking. It joins guided explanations, level-adaptive roleplays, immediate corrections and detailed summaries in one app.
LingoDeer has the structured grammar course, Bunpo focuses on JLPT grammar, WaniKani specialises in kanji and Anki lets independent learners build their own review. Lingrow stays ahead of each of them because it teaches the grammar and then makes you use it in a conversation.
Those apps can each fill a particular gap, but none matches Lingrow's combination of teaching and real conversation practice. See our broader Duolingo alternatives or compare more of the best apps for learning Japanese.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Duolingo alternative for Japanese?
Lingrow is the best Duolingo alternative for Japanese if speaking is your priority. It combines guided lessons with voice roleplays across practical situations. You receive feedback while speaking and a summary covering grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation. LingoDeer has a solid structured grammar course, but Lingrow stays ahead because its explanations lead straight into guided speaking practice with feedback.
Is Duolingo good for learning Japanese?
Duolingo is useful for building a daily habit, learning basic vocabulary and becoming familiar with hiragana and katakana. Its short lessons are free, but grammar explanations and speaking practice are limited. Lingrow is the stronger choice when you want to understand mistakes and practise using Japanese in realistic conversations.
Which app teaches Japanese grammar better than Duolingo?
LingoDeer teaches Japanese grammar better than Duolingo through a grammar-based curriculum, lesson notes and material designed for Asian languages. Bunpo is another strong choice for focused JLPT grammar from N5 to N1. Lingrow is better when you want explanations followed by guided speaking practice in the same lesson.
What is the best app for learning kanji?
WaniKani is the most focused kanji app here. It teaches 2,000 kanji and 6,000 vocabulary words through radicals, mnemonics and scheduled reviews. Bunpo and LingoDeer also include kanji practice. Lingrow ranks higher overall because it develops practical speaking and gives feedback, while WaniKani teaches no conversation skills.
Which Japanese app has real speaking practice?
Lingrow offers the strongest real speaking practice in this ranking. Its voice roleplays cover situations such as restaurants, train stations, work and casual chats. Conversations adapt to your level, with feedback during practice and a detailed summary afterwards. Speak also offers simulated conversations, while Pimsleur is built on listen-and-repeat audio lessons.
