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Ikou Benkyou vs Duolingo for learning Japanese
Pick Duolingo for a free, light daily habit, especially if you're dabbling in more than one language. Pick Ikou Benkyou if Japanese is the goal: a voiced story that takes you from your first hiragana to JLPT N5 grammar, with arcade games to practise and an exam for every lesson. Both are free to start, so you can try them side by side.
Side by side
| Ikou Benkyou | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it teaches | ||
| Japanese only, from your first hiragana to the grammar of JLPT N5 | Many languages. Its Japanese course starts with kana, then words and phrases | |
| Free | ||
| Six full lessons with their audio and every game. No card. | Every course, with ads and a daily Energy limit | |
| Paid | ||
| US$11.99 a month or US$79.99 a year | Super, which removes the ads and the Energy limit. It adds no lessons. | |
| Best for | ||
| One voiced path from zero to JLPT N5, with games and exams that check it stuck | A free daily habit, or dabbling in more than one language | |
| Reading kana | ||
| Four hiragana and five katakana lessons, every kana voiced, then practised in games | A Characters tab with tracing. Hiragana first, katakana early in Section 1 | |
| Kanji | ||
| Kanji come in words with their readings over them, until the exam takes them away | Taught inside words, later in Section 1 | |
| Romaji | ||
| Your choice over every sentence: furigana, romaji or nothing | Optional, through Show pronunciation | |
| Checking it stuck | ||
| Every lesson has an exam: fifteen questions, no furigana | Practice and Legendary levels. Super adds unlimited Legendary attempts. | |
What's inside Ikou Benkyou
Press play and each word lights up as the cast says it. Tap a word to hear it from there.
I am a student.
- A cast of seven characters voices every word and line
- Slow any recording down, and flag one that sounds off
- Furigana, romaji or nothing over every sentence: your choice
- An exam for every lesson: fifteen questions, no furigana
- 13 stations, from your first hiragana to JLPT N5 grammar
- Day and night, here and in the app
Three games, played with each lesson's words
シャボン玉
Bubble Pop
Words drift down in bubbles. Type the answer to pop each one before it lands.
- Three lives
- Combos to ×3
- Freeze and firework bubbles
てっぺん
Sky Climb
Jump to the platform with the right answer while the tower rises faster and faster. Combos flip you.
- Six skies, up to outer space
- Four climbers
- Speeds up every 30s
一刀両断
Clean Cut
New
A word goes up on the sign and lanterns fly. Swipe through the one that answers it, and never the firework.
- Three lives
- Two in one swipe for a bonus
- Six ways to ask
Where Duolingo is the better pick
- It's free for as long as you like, if you can live with the ads and the Energy limit.
- One app and one streak cover dozens of languages, not just Japanese.
- It has native phone apps today. Ikou Benkyou runs in your phone's browser, and its iPhone app is on the way.
Questions
Is Duolingo enough to learn Japanese?
It's a good start for kana and everyday phrases, and it's free. If you want grammar explained step by step up to JLPT N5, with every line voiced and an exam that checks each lesson stuck, Ikou Benkyou is built for exactly that.
Can I use Ikou Benkyou and Duolingo together?
Yes. Plenty of learners keep a Duolingo streak for the habit and use Ikou Benkyou for the path through grammar. Ikou's first six lessons are free, so trying both costs nothing.
Which is cheaper?
Duolingo's Japanese course is free with ads and an Energy limit, and its Super plan's price depends on your region and device. Ikou Benkyou's first six lessons are free, and the pass is US$11.99 a month or US$79.99 a year for the whole line.
Does Ikou Benkyou use romaji?
Only if you want it. Over any sentence you can show furigana, romaji or nothing, and kana practice lets you type in romaji. Exams take the furigana away.
Ride the first six stops free.
The intro, Hiragana 1 to 4 and Greetings are free for good, with their audio and every game. When you want the rest of the line, the pass is $11.99 a month.
No card needed.