Japanese vocabulary for iPhone and iPad

Grow with every session.

For learners who know some grammar and want the words to stick: more than 1,190 words and 2,100 sentences to read, hear, write and say, a few minutes at a time.

Coming soon to theApp Store

Watch the tree grow

Free. No ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases. In English and Spanish.

A flashcard for 魚, fish: furigana さかな above the kanji and the romaji sakana below.
Wakaba's learning path at Level 1: numbered session stones, with Kitsune pointing to the next one.
A practice question asking for the meaning of みず, with Aka Oni beside the word and three answers below.
The learning path

Ten levels, a few minutes at a time

Each session is short and the path always shows the next one. Kanji and katakana arrive gradually, as you're ready for them.

A new word introduced before any question: みず, water, mizu, with Tengu and a Start exercise button.
A correct answer: “You got it!” over みず, water, mizu, with a Next word button.
The learning path reaching the Level 2 exam, with Kitsune beside the next sessions.
A review of earlier mistakes with Aka Oni, asking for the reading of みず in romaji.
Companions

Four friends, one job each

Four characters from Japanese folklore keep you company, and each one turns up for a reason.

  • Kitsune, a fox in a red scarf, pointing the way.

    Kitsune狐

    The guide

    Points you to the recommended session on the path, studies alongside you and cheers a right answer.

  • Aka Oni, a red oni, holding up a card marked with a cross.

    Aka Oni赤鬼

    The corrector

    Turns up after a wrong answer to explain the right one, and offers a review of earlier mistakes.

  • Tanuki in a straw hat, clapping.

    Tanuki狸

    The cheerleader

    Applauds the effort, celebrates a finished session and offers listening practice with words you know.

  • Tengu, a red-faced teacher in a robe, holding a page.

    Tengu天狗

    The teacher

    Introduces new activities and offers kana practice from the path, reading and tracing.

Flashcards

Every way to write a word, on one card

Swipe through the deck in your own time. Flip a card for its details and, for a verb, its conjugations.

  • Kanji with furigana, hiragana, katakana and romaji
  • The meaning in English or Spanish
  • Pronounced by your device's own Japanese voices
A flashcard for 水, water: furigana みず over the kanji, the meaning and the romaji mizu.
The details of 食べる, to eat: its dictionary form and conjugations such as 食べます and 食べません.
Practice

One word, asked five ways

A session mixes the questions, so you recognise a word, recall it, hear it and use it in a sentence. Mistakes come back until they stop being mistakes.

  • A listening question: a speaker button plays the word and three meanings wait below.
    Listen and chooseHear the word in a Japanese voice and pick its meaning.
  • Speaking practice asking the learner to say みず aloud, with a microphone button.
    Say it aloudOptional, and recognised on your device itself.
  • A sentence to build in Japanese from word tiles, for “I ask the teacher a question.”
    Build the sentencePut a real sentence back together from its words.
  • A conjugation question: write たべる, to eat, in its polite non-past form.
    Conjugate the verbTurn たべる into the form the question asks for.
  • Aka Oni after a wrong answer: the right word みず, water, and a note on how it differs.
    Learn from a mistakeAka Oni shows the right answer and what set it apart.
Writing

Trace kana with Apple Pencil

Write hiragana and katakana with a finger on iPhone or with Apple Pencil on iPad. Each stroke is checked against its stroke order as you draw.

  • Animated stroke order for every kana and kanji
  • Hiragana and katakana tables to look things up
Katakana tracing practice: a stroke drawn over the guide, numbered in stroke order.
The stroke-order guide for 水, its second stroke highlighted and numbered.
The small things

Everything else in your pocket

The references and details you reach for between sessions.

  • The kanji reference, grouped by stroke count: 一, 丁, 七 and the words that use each one.

    Kanji by stroke count

    Every kanji in the reference, grouped by its strokes, with the words that use it.

  • The particle は, the topic marker, explained with two example sentences.

    Particles, explained

    は, が, を and the rest: what each one does, with example sentences.

  • The phrases library: 2,134 sentences such as 水を下さい。, Water, please.

    More than 2,100 sentences

    Real sentences for the words you learn, with the translation in your language.

  • A notification on the Lock Screen: “A little Japanese today? Take a few minutes to practice your vocabulary.”

    One quiet reminder

    Once a day at the hour you pick, morning, noon, afternoon or evening. Or never.

  • The flashcard for 水 in Spanish: agua, mizu.

    In English or Spanish

    Meanings and every screen in either language, and each language keeps its own progress.

  • The Add word form: meaning in English and Spanish, Japanese spellings and the learning level.

    Your own words

    Add a word you met elsewhere and choose the level where practice introduces it.

The bonsai

A tree that only grows

It grows with the days you practise, not with your streak, through ten stages from the first session to a year. Missing a day never shrinks the tree.

Wakaba's bonsai at a year of practice, fully grown, in the same pot it started in.

Practised days, from the first session to a year. Several sessions on one day count once.

Skip the weekend, keep the tree.

The streak counts days in a row and starts over after a gap. The bonsai counts every day you practised, so a busy weekend costs you the streak and nothing else.

Day
Friday
Monday
Streak
23 days
1 day
Practised days
41
42
Bonsai
30-day tree
30-day tree
Widgets

Practice, one glance away

Put the bonsai and a word on your Home Screen. Tap the word to open its flashcard.

The Practice bonsai widget in the iOS widget gallery: a bonsai, a 23-day streak, 36 words learned and “Practiced today”.
Practice bonsaiSmall and mediumYour tree, the streak, whether you practised today and the words you've learned.
The Word of the day widget in the iOS widget gallery: 機, ki, machine (kanji component).
Word of the daySmall, medium and largeIts Japanese spelling, its reading, the meaning and the romaji. Tap it for the flashcard.
Privacy

Your practice stays yours

No account and nothing to sign in to. Wakaba keeps your practice on your device and your progress in your own iCloud. Privacy

  • No ads, analytics or tracking
  • Practice runs on your iPhone or iPad
  • Progress syncs through your private iCloud
  • Speaking practice is recognised on the device
Questions

Before you download

Who is Wakaba for?

People who already know some Japanese grammar and want to remember words, recognise them when they hear them and use them in context. It doesn't teach the whole language from scratch.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Wakaba is free, with no ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases.

Which devices does it run on?

iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. Your progress follows you between them through iCloud.

Which languages does it speak?

The app and every translation come in English and Spanish.

What happens if I miss a day?

Your streak starts over the next time you practise. The bonsai counts every day you've practised, so it stays exactly as it was.

Can I add my own words?

Yes. Add words to your library, edit any entry, and choose the level where practice introduces them.

Plant the tree with one session

Wakaba is free on iPhone and iPad, in English and Spanish.

Coming soon to theApp Store

Questions? Write to support