The app for learning Japanese with your textbook

Learn Japanese until you can read it without furigana.

Furigone follows your Japanese textbook lesson by lesson: kanji, vocabulary, grammar and JLPT, all with one button. And the reading aids disappear as you learn each word.

Try the beta See how it works

No account and no ads
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play

Three screens of the app for learning Japanese. In the sentence 日本の映画を見ます, the word 日本, which you know, has no furigana; the word 映画, which you don’t yet, keeps it.

24,000+ Japanese words
2,300+ kanji
120,000+ Japanese sentences
8 Japanese textbooks
100 JLPT mock exams

Why learn Japanese with Furigone

The app’s “Study now” card, with today’s Japanese kanji and words to review.

You know what to study every day

There’s nothing to plan. Press “Study now” and the app takes you through the kanji and words due today, then through your Japanese lesson.

A Japanese sentence with furigana and its translation, in one of the app’s particle exercises.

Japanese in sentences, not lists

Every word appears in Japanese sentences that only use what your textbook has already covered, so you learn to read it in context.

A card for the Japanese word 映画 with its reading, its meaning and a button to listen to it.

Explained in plain English

Meanings and Japanese grammar written for people studying Japanese, not for linguists. Also available in Spanish.

Stop relying on furigana to read Japanese

Furigana is the small text that shows how a kanji is read. It helps a lot at first, but if it’s always there, you never really read Japanese. In Furigone each word loses its furigana once your reviews show you know it.

When you start

Furigana everywhere, so you can read Japanese from your first lesson.
As you progress

日本 is yours now, so it loses the aid. 映画 and 見ます keep it until you master them.
When you’ve mastered it

The same Japanese sentence with no help at all. That’s reading.

Prefer something else? In the settings you can keep furigana always on or turn it off completely.

How to study Japanese with Furigone

Choose your Japanese textbook and lesson

GENKI, Quartet or Minna no Nihongo. Your stacks fill up with what you saw in earlier lessons, so you don’t start from zero if you’ve been studying Japanese for a while. No textbook? Follow our path. Can’t read Japanese yet? We teach you hiragana and katakana first.

The app’s screen for choosing your Japanese textbook: GENKI, Quartet or Minna no Nihongo.

Press “Study now”

First you review the Japanese kanji and words due today. Then you move on to the lesson: new material five at a time, with a practice round, followed by its grammar. After each block you choose to keep going or stop.

The Japanese app’s home screen with the “Study now” button enlarged: 7 kanji and 23 words to review.

Review Japanese right before you forget it

Spaced repetition (FSRS) works out when to show you each card again based on how well you remember it. What you find hard comes back soon and what you’ve mastered takes longer and longer, so you remember more Japanese with less review time.

A Japanese vocabulary flashcard with four rating buttons showing when each word comes back: 10 minutes, or 17, 23 or 37 days.

Everything you need to learn Japanese

Japanese kanji with the words you already know

Every kanji comes with its meaning, its on and kun readings and the words in your vocabulary that use it. Add your own notes and mnemonics to any word or kanji and check them as you review.

A card for the Japanese kanji 語 with its readings and the words that use it, such as 日本語 and 英語.

Japanese grammar, clearly explained

Original explanations with tables and Japanese examples, plus particle, conjugation, word-order and translation exercises to make each point stick. All in your textbook’s order.

Two screens: a Japanese grammar explanation and a particle exercise.

Prepare for the JLPT with Japanese mock exams from N5 to N1

Vocabulary and kanji stacks per level and 20 mock exams per level in the official format: the same parts, question types, number of questions and timing. Take it whole or by section and see your estimated score on the official scale. The questions are original.

Two screens of a JLPT N5 mock exam: a kanji reading question and the result, 84% and a pass.

A Japanese dictionary that searches in English

Over 24,000 words and 2,300 kanji. Search in Japanese, rōmaji, English or Spanish, browse by JLPT level and add whatever you like to your study stack.

The app’s Japanese dictionary with the results of searching for the word “Japanese”.

See how much Japanese you study

Study minutes per day and per activity, so you can see your consistency at a glance. No streaks to make you feel bad: just your study time, kept on your phone.

A chart of Japanese study minutes over the last 7 days, by activity.

Works with your Japanese textbooks

Furigone arranges vocabulary, kanji and grammar in the same sequence as your textbook, so you review exactly what you’re covering in class. It includes no content from the books: it complements them.

Compatible Japanese textbooks and what each one has in Furigone
Japanese textbook	Words	Kanji	Grammar
GENKI IBeginner · lessons 0 to 12	657	145	71
GENKI IIUpper beginner · lessons 13 to 23	584	172	62
Quartet IIntermediate · lessons 1 to 6	589	327	55
Quartet IIUpper intermediate · lessons 7 to 12	884	330	65
Minna no Nihongo Beginner IBeginner · lessons 0 to 25	951	226	82
Minna no Nihongo Beginner IIUpper beginner · lessons 26 to 50	971	306	66
Minna no Nihongo Intermediate IIntermediate · lessons 1 to 12	829	283	83
Minna no Nihongo Intermediate IIUpper intermediate · lessons 13 to 24	2,353	360	112

Furigone is an independent app and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the publishers of those books, The Japan Times Publishing and 3A Corporation. Book names are trademarks of their owners and only indicate which lesson each piece of content matches. It is not affiliated with the JLPT’s organizers either.

Start studying Japanese for free

No account and no ads. Your progress is saved on your phone and there’s no tracking. For now it doesn’t sync between devices.

Free

Hiragana and katakana, from zero
The first lessons of your Japanese path
The first lesson of each of the other books
The Japanese dictionary
One mock exam a week

Premium

Every lesson of every book
JLPT N5 to N1 vocabulary and kanji stacks
Study any word or kanji from the dictionary
Unlimited mock exams

Yearly with a 7-day trial, monthly or lifetime. You’ll see the price in your currency in the store before you pay.

Frequently asked questions about learning Japanese with Furigone

Can I learn Japanese from scratch with Furigone?

Yes. If you can’t read Japanese yet, the app first teaches you hiragana and katakana with flashcards, spaced repetition and your phone’s Japanese voice, free on every plan. Then you start with the first lesson of GENKI I or Minna no Nihongo. If you can already read them, you skip that step.

What is furigana?

It’s the small text written above a kanji to show how it’s read: 映画 is read えいが. It’s a great help when you study Japanese, but it rarely appears in text written for adults, so it pays to learn to read without it.

Do I need to own the Japanese textbook?

No. If you study with GENKI, Quartet or Minna no Nihongo, Furigone moves in step with your lessons. If you don’t use a textbook, you follow the GENKI → Quartet path with the vocabulary, kanji and grammar included in the app.

Does it help me prepare for the JLPT Japanese exam?

Yes. You get vocabulary and kanji stacks from N5 to N1 and 20 mock exams per level in the official format. The questions are original and the score is an estimate. Furigone isn’t affiliated with the JLPT’s organizers.

What languages is Furigone available in?

The app, the meanings and the Japanese grammar explanations are in English and Spanish.

Will it help me speak Japanese?

It prepares you for it. The Speaking stack asks you to say in Japanese what you see in English, and you can listen to words and sentences with your phone’s Japanese voice. It has no native-speaker recordings or conversation with other people.

Does it work offline?

Yes. All the content ships inside the app and your progress stays on your phone, so you can study Japanese without an internet connection.

Can I use it on several devices?

Not yet. Your progress stays on the phone you study on and doesn’t sync between devices.

How much does it cost to learn Japanese with Furigone?

You can start for free with hiragana and katakana, the first lessons of your path, the dictionary and one mock exam a week. Premium unlocks everything, with a yearly plan with a 7-day trial, a monthly plan or a lifetime purchase. You’ll see the price in your currency on the App Store or Google Play before you pay.

When will it be available?

We’re preparing the beta and the launch on the App Store and Google Play. Write to hello@furigone.app and we’ll let you know when it’s ready.

Start learning Japanese with Furigone

We’re looking for Japanese learners to try the beta before launch. Write to us and we’ll let you know when it’s ready.

Try the beta