Dcard Japanese vocabulary app recommendations: 5 options compared
Looking for a Japanese vocabulary app for a commute or study break? MOJiTest focuses on exams, i-Sokki on vocabulary quizzes, GraspJPN on ready-made drills, Anki on custom cards, and Maho on learning from original material. Start with the comparison, then read about each app.
In this article
Five vocabulary apps to consider
Compare the main features, platforms and purchase models below, then read the individual app sections.
Filter the platforms covered here. All app reviews remain below.
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| App | Main feature | Best fit | Cost / platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOJiTest | Exam books and mistake review | JLPT preparation | Free + purchases; iPhone / iPad |
| i-Sokki | Reading, meaning and reverse quizzes | Short vocabulary quizzes | Free + purchases; iPhone |
| GraspJPN | Kana and graded practice | Ready-made exercises | Free + purchases; iOS / Android |
| Anki | Custom cards and scheduling | Your own vocabulary list | Free desktop / Android; paid iOS |
| Maho | Sentence analysis and AI questions | Learning from your material | Web / iOS; AI plans and points |
1. MOJiTest: an exam-focused option
MOJiTest is worth considering when your next JLPT is the main goal. Vocabulary books, subject practice and mistake review let you keep exam work together.
Best for: learners who know which level they are preparing for. Choose the material for that level before paying; more books are not automatically more useful.
Free limits: the US iPhone / iPad listing is free to download with purchases. Check the book or question-set access included in a purchase. View MOJiTest.
2. i-Sokki: practise readings and meanings through quizzes
i-Sokki offers Japanese-to-meaning, kanji-to-kana and meaning-to-Japanese quiz modes, with pronunciation and familiarity stars. That makes it an option for a short round of word practice.
Best for: learners checking the connection between spelling, reading and meaning. Add example sentences when you need to understand how a word is used, rather than judging progress solely by correct choices.
Free limits: the US iPhone listing is free with purchases and includes an N5 collection. Check access to other levels in the app rather than relying on old review prices. Store metadata checked on 8 October 2026 lists the latest version update as 9 January 2018; we have not tested compatibility with current iPhones. View i-Sokki.
3. GraspJPN: graded practice without building a deck
GraspJPN brings kana and graded vocabulary exercises into one app. It is a practical candidate if you want something ready to practise without preparing a collection first.
Best for: learners moving from kana into vocabulary, or those who want listening and spelling practice alongside word cards.
Cost and platforms: free download with purchases, on iOS and Android. Check the content on your own platform. App Store · Google Play.
4. Anki: make cards from your books and notes
Anki is a good candidate when you already know what you want to remember: the words in one chapter, difficult readings from a lesson, or sentences from a comic. You choose the content and use scheduling to keep reviewing it.
Best for: learners willing to organise their own material. That control is useful, but card preparation takes time too.
Cost and platforms: desktop and Android AnkiDroid are free; official iOS AnkiMobile is paid. Use the official download links to identify the correct app.
5. Maho: ask about the sentence after looking up the word
Maho analyses Japanese images and text, explains vocabulary in context, and lets you ask AI about the material you are viewing. You can save words to a notebook for review.
Best for: learners who want to understand a book, comic or article and ask follow-up questions about grammar or usage. For example, ask why a particular particle appears in the sentence.
Cost and platforms: web and iOS, with AI plan and point rules. This is our own product, added by the Maho team; it is not a recommendation attributed to the Dcard reviewer. Check generated explanations. See the AI tutor demo.
Which one should you download first?
Preparing for an exam: start with MOJiTest. For shorter vocabulary quizzes, consider i-Sokki.
Ready-made drills: consider GraspJPN. If you already collect your own sentences, consider Anki.
Your own reading material: try Maho with a passage you want to understand and see whether the explanation answers your actual question.
Older Dcard reviews and current versions
Hitomi_jp’s nine-app Dcard review is a personal iOS review from 2019. Product information here was checked on 7 October 2026. We have not reused old prices or bugs as current findings, or scored all five apps in an equal-condition test.