ひらがな・カタカナ
Learn to read Japanese, one game at a time.
Short, repetitive lessons that introduce each kana, say it out loud, drill it through mini-games, and remember exactly where you struggle.
Meet each character
Big textbook-style glyph, animated stroke order, a memory hook, and its sound.
Hear it every time
Every answer plays the pronunciation, so reading and listening grow together.
Six mini-games
Read it, Find it, Listen, Type it, Match pairs and Kana rain keep repetition fun.
Spaced repetition
FSRS schedules reviews right before you'd forget, and misses come back sooner.
Find your weak spots
Accuracy, speed and mix-ups per character and per skill, all tracked.
AI coach
Claude reads your stats, tells you what to drill next and invents new mnemonics.
Questions
What are hiragana and katakana?
They are the two Japanese kana scripts, each with 46 basic characters plus voiced and combined forms. Hiragana writes native words and grammar; katakana writes loanwords, names and much of what you see on menus and signs.
Which should I learn first?
Start with hiragana, since almost every Japanese sentence uses it, then move on to katakana. Nijikana has a separate lesson path for each, so you can also switch between them.
How long does it take to learn the kana?
With 10 to 15 minutes a day, many learners can read the basic hiragana within a couple of weeks. Each script is split into 15 short lessons, and spaced repetition brings characters back just before you would forget them.
Does Nijikana teach Japanese words too?
Yes. 118 travel words (food, directions, greetings and more) unlock as soon as you know their kana, with pictures, audio and a speaking exercise that scores your pronunciation.
Is Nijikana free?
Yes. Create an account and every lesson, game and review is free.
Free kana charts
Every character with its sound, stroke order and a memory trick. No account needed.