開拓 Kaitaku Join the beta
Kaitaku · Learn Japanese

A dedicated path to Japanese.

One structured daily path from zero to JLPT N5, the first level of the standard Japanese proficiency test.

Coming to theApp Store N5 free forever. No ads · no account · works offline

iPhone only. Beta invites first, then one email the day it ships, then your address is deleted. Privacy policy

Kaitaku's home screen: the learning path with Hiragana active, a continue button offering today's new kana, and rows for Daily Dojo, Practice, Decks, and Reference
The path

Twenty-six steps. Then N5 is yours.

This is the actual map from the app. From your first あ to the full N5 list. Each step unlocks the next.

Drag the path sideways to see the rest. →

N5 free forever, and in active development

Kaitaku was built around a vision that other learning apps just didn't fit. The complete JLPT N5 course is free, permanently, and that includes the 22,610-word dictionary and the fourteen reference pages behind it. Everything past N5 is an optional one-time purchase, never a subscription. It is in active development and taking feature requests.

No ads. No account. Nothing you study gets uploaded, because the app has no networking code at all, so there is nothing to opt out of and nothing to trust me about.

N4 is done, the rest is being written, and I want your feedback: join the beta.

Kaitaku's home screen with the learning path: Hiragana and Hiragana combos done, Katakana in progress, later steps waiting

Real handwriting practice, and every stroke is scored

Kaitaku has guided handwriting for 927 characters: every kana, plus all 785 kanji that appear in N5 and N4 vocabulary. You trace each one on screen in the correct stroke order, and every attempt is scored stroke by stroke and tracked toward mastery. Kana and the N5 path's kanji are free; the N4 kanji come with the unlock. You don't forget a character you have written out twenty times.

Kaitaku's writing practice: tracing the kanji for water, stroke 1 of 4, over a faint guide

Reviews that schedule themselves

There is no word list to build and nothing to set up. Open the app and study. Reviews are scheduled by FSRS, an open-source algorithm. It learns how long you remember each word and character, and brings it back right before it would slip. Every review in the app runs on it: kana, kanji, vocabulary, and every deck on the path.

Kaitaku's review screen: the vocabulary card 答える revealed with its reading and meaning, and Again, Hard, Good, Easy buttons showing when it comes back

Resources galore, and the whole app works offline

Kaitaku ships with a 22,610-word dictionary (JMdict, searchable by kanji, kana, or English) and a shelf of fourteen reference pages behind it: both kana charts with audio, how numbers and counters are built, particles, days and time, every N5 verb in every form, grammar patterns, phrases. Any dictionary entry goes into your study deck with one tap. All of it is on the phone, so it works on a plane, on the subway, anywhere.

Kaitaku's dictionary searching 水: two matches already in your deck, then JMdict results for 水域, 水稲 and 水泳, each with an add-to-deck button
Pricing

Free where you start.
One purchase if you keep going.

Zero ads, zero tracking, zero subscriptions.

JLPT N5
Free forever
  • The complete N5 path - kana, kanji, vocabulary, particles, verb forms
  • Guided handwriting practice for every kana and every kanji on the N5 path, scored stroke by stroke
  • FSRS spaced-repetition reviews
  • The reference shelf - a 22,610-word dictionary, kana charts, counters, grammar, and more
  • No ads, no account, works offline
Everything past N5
$9.99 one-time · yours forever
Launch special · 33% off · $15 after launch
  • The full N4 course: 16 path steps, 62 grammar points, 195 kanji with handwriting, 668 words
  • Every future level as it ships, included in the same unlock
  • Family Sharing - one purchase covers your household
  • Not a subscription. It never renews, and never expires.

How it compares

People arrive here looking for a free Duolingo alternative for Japanese, or an Anki alternative with no deck-building. Here is what each app is good at, and where Kaitaku takes a different path.

App What it's good at Where Kaitaku takes a different path
Duolingo A polished, gamified habit across dozens of languages, and the easiest possible day one. Japanese only, and JLPT-structured: a path with an end you can reach. No ads, no energy limits, no paying to repair a streak.
Anki Total control for people who want to build and tune their own cards, on any subject. The same FSRS scheduling with zero setup: nothing to download or configure, and every item is taught before it is quizzed.
WaniKani Deep kanji mnemonics and a community that goes the long haul to N1. Kanji sits inside a complete beginner course (kana, vocabulary, grammar, handwriting) for one payment instead of a subscription.
Kaitaku A beginner path with an end. N5 free forever, FSRS reviews scheduled for you, stroke-by-stroke handwriting, and all of it offline on your phone.

Why "Kaitaku"?

開拓 means pioneering - breaking new ground, clearing land you intend to stay on. Learning a language is the same kind of work: ground you clear once and keep.

Kaitaku is built by one developer who got tired of the choice between a cheerful app that never gets you to Japanese, and a powerful tool that demands a second hobby in deck maintenance. Every word, reading, and example sentence is anchored to open sources (JMdict, KANJIDIC2, Tatoeba, KanjiVG) rather than written from memory.

Questions, answered

Is Kaitaku really free?

The complete JLPT N5 course is free forever - every deck, the full path, handwriting practice, and FSRS reviews, with no ads and no account. One optional one-time purchase unlocks everything past N5, including every future level as development continues all the way to N1. It is $9.99 during the launch special and $15 after that. There is no subscription.

Is Kaitaku a good Duolingo alternative for Japanese?

If you want a free, ad-free app focused only on Japanese with a structured JLPT path - yes, that's exactly what Kaitaku is. Duolingo is broader and more gamified; Kaitaku trades the game layer for a path that ends at N5, handwriting practice, and a streak that never guilt-trips you.

How is it different from Anki?

Kaitaku uses FSRS, the same modern spaced-repetition algorithm Anki's power users rely on - but with no deck-building, no card templates, and no settings to tune. Content is curated, introduced a few words at a time, and scheduled automatically. Anki is more flexible; Kaitaku is ready on the day you install it.

Does it work offline?

Completely. Everything (the dictionary data, the scheduler, handwriting scoring) runs on your phone. No account, no server, no data collected.

Does it teach writing, or just recognition?

Both. Kaitaku includes guided handwriting practice with correct stroke order for 927 glyphs (all kana, plus every kanji that appears in N5 and N4 vocabulary), scored as you trace and tracked toward mastery alongside your reviews. Kana and the N5 path's kanji are free; the N4 kanji are part of the unlock.

What happens to my purchase if prices change?

Nothing. The unlock is permanent and is never revoked. It also supports Family Sharing, so one purchase covers your household.

Privacy policy

The app collects no data. No analytics, no tracking, no account, no servers. Your study history lives only on your device and in your own device backups, where we can't see it. Deleting the app deletes everything - there is nothing to request a copy of and nothing for us to erase. Purchases are processed by Apple through the App Store; we receive no personal information from them. The exception is this website: if you sign up for beta invites above, your email is stored until launch and then deleted, and the host keeps ordinary server logs, as any host does. Read the full privacy policy

Support

Found a bug, a wrong reading, or a feature you wish existed? Email support@kaitaku.app and the developer will reply. Corrections are welcome and credited. Full support page