Kana Core

Kana Core trains one skill: reading Japanese kana out loud. You look at a word written in hiragana or katakana, sound it out yourself, then check against Japanese audio.

Most vocabulary apps play the word first and ask you to recognize it in your native language. Kana Core flips that: you decode a word written in kana yourself, the way you will when reading real Japanese.

HOW IT WORKS

Learn the characters first in kana units.

Then move on to word units: sound out vocabulary written in kana, compare your reading against the Japanese audio, and mark whether you got it or want to revisit it.

Spaced repetition keeps reviews efficient — kana and words you know come back less often, while the ones you struggle with return sooner.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Complete hiragana and katakana units
Vocabulary practice in hiragana and katakana
Japanese audio for every word
Tap any kana in a word to hear it by itself and see its reading
Vocabulary translations in 70+ languages
Daily reminder settings
Export and import your progress as a file — back up or move to a new device anytime

NO FLUFF

No romaji in vocabulary drills
No gamification, leagues, or points
No remote accounts, no ads
Works completely offline — all audio is included with the app

WHAT'S FREE

Full hiragana unit
Full katakana unit
100 hiragana words
100 katakana words

A one-time purchase unlocks 2,000+ additional vocabulary words. No subscription, ever.

GOOD TO KNOW

Romaji still appears in help screens and character-learning units, so complete beginners aren't left stranded.
Kanji is not included — Kana Core stays focused on reading kana.

Kana Core is for learners who want to read kana — not just recognize it.