Which Language App

WaniKani

Vocabulary and flashcards: kanji and Japanese vocabulary taught with mnemonics, then reviewed on a spaced-repetition schedule.

Prices checked 13 Oct 2026 · How we check

Is WaniKani worth it?

Yes, if you can read kana and want a steady path through kanji: 60 levels, over 2,000 kanji and over 6,000 words.

What it costs. A year costs $89 ($7.42 a month); month to month is $9; lifetime access is $299 once. Lifetime costs the same as 3.4 years of the yearly plan.

What's free. Levels 1 to 3 are free with no time limit (about 100 kanji and 200 vocabulary words); Level 4 and above need a paid plan.

Skip it if you want to speak Japanese or learn grammar: WaniKani teaches kanji and vocabulary only, and it asks you to learn hiragana first.

$89 a year $7.42 a month, billed yearly

In our comparison: strongest on price and trial and refund terms, weakest on speaking practice.

Try WaniKani free
All plans and prices
Annual plan
$89 a year ($7.42/mo)
Monthly plan
$9
Lifetime plan
$299 once, the whole course (all 60 levels)
Free tier
Free sample
Levels 1 to 3 are free with no time limit (about 100 kanji and 200 vocabulary words); Level 4 and above need a paid plan.
Languages
1
Speech recognition
—
Live tutoring
—
Offline mode
No
Placement test
No
CEFR levels
—
Refund or trial
No separate trial: levels 1 to 3 are free. You can ask for a refund for any reason within 60 days of a payment, on monthly, annual and lifetime plans.
Platforms
Web

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How a WaniKani lesson works

What you do
A short lesson on a few radicals, kanji or words, each with a mnemonic for its meaning and reading, then reviews of each one, spaced further apart as you remember it.
What comes back
Automatic: exercises are marked right or wrong. No person checks your work.
Not included
A live teacher, offline lessons or stated CEFR levels.

How a lesson works in a vocabulary app

In a vocabulary app you see a word with a picture, try to recall it, and the app brings it back days later before you forget. Drawn to explain the kind of app, not taken from any app's screens.

Plans and prices

Every consumer plan on WaniKani's own pricing page or app-store listing, in US dollars unless marked. Per month is the plan price divided by its term. Where the seller shows a crossed-out price beside the one it charges, the figure is the one it charges, and the plan's note gives the crossed-out price.

Plan Billing Price Per month Covers
AnnualPremiumAll 60 levels plus Vacation Mode; tax or VAT may be added at checkout; refund on request within 60 days of a payment. Annual $89 $7.42/mo the whole course (all 60 levels)
MonthlyPremiumAll 60 levels plus Vacation Mode; tax or VAT may be added at checkout; refund on request within 60 days of a payment. Monthly $9 $9/mo the whole course (all 60 levels)
Free (levels 1-3)FreeLevels 1 to 3 free with no time limit: about 100 kanji and 200 vocabulary words; no card needed. Other $0 — levels 1 to 3
LifetimePremiumOne-time payment for all 60 levels for as long as WaniKani runs; refund on request within 60 days of payment. Lifetime $299 one-time the whole course (all 60 levels)

No price change recorded for WaniKani; its prices were last confirmed 13 Oct 2026. Every price change we have recorded.

What will WaniKani cost you?

The US-dollar prices each seller charges, without refunds.

Total billed over 12 months

$19.00 less on annual billing

Monthly plan $108.00

Annual plan $89.00

One yearly payment of $89.00.

What each plan covers. Monthly: the whole course (all 60 levels). Yearly: the whole course (all 60 levels).

WaniKani's monthly price · checked 13 Oct 2026
WaniKani's yearly price · checked 13 Oct 2026

How lifetime and yearly plans compare across apps

Before subscribing, compare trial, cancellation and refund terms, including how purchases through an app store differ.

What WaniKani says about itself

What WaniKani says about itself
Feature What WaniKani says
CEFR levels —
What it is Vocabulary and flashcards. WaniKani teaches radicals, kanji and vocabulary through lessons using mnemonics, then has you practise them in reviews timed by its spaced repetition system until recalling them is second nature.
Languages offered 1: Japanese
Free tier Levels 1 to 3 are free with no time limit (about 100 kanji and 200 vocabulary words); Level 4 and above need a paid plan.
Platforms Web
Offline mode No
Speech recognition —
Live tutoring —
Placement test No
Refund or trial No separate trial: levels 1 to 3 are free. You can ask for a refund for any reason within 60 days of a payment, on monthly, annual and lifetime plans.
Company Tofugu LLC, founded 2007

How WaniKani compares

WaniKani is strongest on price and trial and refund terms, weakest on speaking practice. Each criterion is scored out of 5 from what each app says about itself and from independent reviews, to compare apps that do the same job; it is not a review of the app. How we score.

WaniKani features and ratings
Feature Score (of 5) Why
Teaching depth 2 Kanji and Japanese vocabulary taught with mnemonics, then reviewed on a spaced-repetition schedule
Speaking practice 1 —
Language coverage 1 1 language
Free tier 2 The first lessons are free, the rest is paid
Price per month 4 $89 a year $7.42 a month, billed yearly
Trial and refund 4 A 60-day money-back guarantee
Offline use 1 No offline mode
Staying power and bugs – Not available

Languages you can learn on WaniKani

1 language as listed by WaniKani.

How far its courses go

As WaniKani describes each course. A course's level is what its lessons cover, not a level you are promised.

Japanese

Compare WaniKani

References

Wrong or out of date? Email us a link to WaniKani's page that shows the right figure.