How to use 漢字 Zenkai
Everything you need to know to master kanji — from flashcards to stories, worksheets, vocabulary, and beyond.
Getting Started
Create an account and start learning kanji in minutes
Create a free account
Sign up with your email or via Google. Every account gets full access to all kanji, flashcards, and stories for free — no credit card required.
Choose your learning path
Pick from JLPT levels (N5–N1), Japanese school grades, WaniKani progression, usage frequency, or the curated Kanji Garden. Each path has a different philosophy — pick the one that fits your goals.
Start a session
Open Flashcards or Practice & Learn, select your level, and dive in. Each session shows kanji with stroke order, readings (on'yomi & kun'yomi), meanings, example words, and radical hints.
Review daily
Spaced repetition schedules your reviews automatically. Come back daily to catch due cards and build a streak. The more consistent you are, the faster you retain kanji.
Daily Streaks
Keep your motivation alive with a streak counter that rewards consistent daily study.
XP & Badges
Earn experience points for every review and unlock achievement badges as you progress.
Progress Charts
Visualise your mastery percentage per level and track how many kanji you've learned over time.
Flashcards
Spaced repetition at your fingertips
The flashcard system uses the SM-2 spaced repetition algorithm. Cards you struggle with reappear more frequently; cards you know well are spaced further apart, maximising long-term retention with minimum study time.
Swipe Left
"I don't know this" — card returns soon for another attempt.
Flip Card
Tap or press Space to reveal readings, meanings, and examples.
Swipe Right
"I know this" — review interval is extended automatically.
Available Study Paths
Official JLPT test levels N5 through N1. Ideal if you're preparing for the exam.
Kanji taught in Japanese elementary school (grades 1–6). Great for building a solid foundation.
60 WaniKani levels built around mnemonics and radical groupings. Good for visual learners.
Kanji sorted by how often they appear in real Japanese text. Prioritises the most useful characters first.
A community-curated progression path that groups kanji by visual similarity and shared components.
How Spaced Repetition Works
After each review you rate difficulty. The algorithm calculates the next optimal review date — short intervals for hard cards, longer for easy ones. Over time, most kanji move to multi-week intervals.
Practice & Learn
Deep-dive sessions with stroke order, examples, and radical hints
Practice & Learn sessions go deeper than flashcards. Each kanji page shows animated stroke order (via KanjiVG), vocabulary examples, a radical hint explaining the building block of the character, and a direct link to print a worksheet.
Browse all kanji for a specific JLPT level and navigate through them sequentially.
Work through kanji by the Japanese school year they are officially introduced.
Follow WaniKani's curated progression order across 60 levels.
Learn kanji in the order they appear most often in real Japanese media.
Follow the Kanji Garden order — a path optimised for minimal confusion between similar characters.
Browse characters by their shared radical (部首). Understanding radicals helps you decode unfamiliar kanji instantly.
Session Features
Stroke Order Animation
Watch each stroke drawn in the correct order. Tap to replay at any speed.
Vocabulary Examples
See real example words that use the kanji, with readings and English meanings.
Radical Hint
Every kanji has a main radical. The hint shows what it means and where it appears in the character.
Instant Worksheets
Generate a printable PDF practice worksheet for the current kanji set with one click.
Radical Story Library
24 curated stories — one per major kanji radical — with TTS audio and bilingual translations
Each story is built around a core radical and naturally uses the kanji that share it, so you learn characters in meaningful context. Read at your own pace, listen with TTS narration, and toggle the English or French translation whenever you need it.
Browse by radical
The library organises 24 stories by major radicals such as 人 (person), 水 (water), and 火 (fire). Filter by difficulty or theme to find the right challenge.
Read with furigana
Every story displays ruby furigana above each kanji. Tap the 🎵 Listen button to generate TTS audio on demand — the first click generates and plays automatically.
Toggle the translation
Use the EN / FR buttons to reveal the full English or French translation at any time. Try reading the Japanese first before checking.
TTS Audio (free, on demand)
Click Listen in any story to generate and play a full Japanese narration. Audio is generated once and cached for fast re-play.
English & French translations
Each story includes a complete translation in both English and French, toggled with a single button.
Radical-based kanji coverage
Stories are curated so every key kanji derived from the featured radical appears naturally in the text.
Extend with AI — free tip
Use the Copy all button in the Practice → Learn session to copy your current kanji set, then paste it into ChatGPT or any AI with a prompt like: 'Write a Japanese story using these kanji: [paste]'. Instant custom stories!
Worksheets
Printable handwriting practice sheets for every path
Handwriting is one of the best ways to memorise kanji. Worksheets generate a PDF with large kanji for tracing, stroke order guides, readings, and blank practice boxes — ready to print in seconds.
Select a kanji set
Choose from JLPT levels, school grades, WaniKani levels, frequency ranges, or Kanji Garden slices. Over 78 presets are available.
Customise the layout
Adjust card size, columns, include or hide stroke counts, readings, and meanings. Choose between A4 and letter paper.
Download and print
Click Download PDF. The file is generated server-side and downloads directly. Print single- or double-sided on any printer.
Vocabulary
6,600+ words with bilingual example sentences
The vocabulary section lets you explore words grouped by the kanji they contain. Each entry shows the full kanji form, furigana reading, romaji, English and French meanings, and example sentences from real native texts.
Search & Filter
Search by kanji, reading, or meaning. Filter by JLPT level to focus on exam-relevant vocabulary.
Audio Pronunciation
Tap any word to hear its pronunciation read aloud by TTS so you know exactly how it sounds.
Example Sentences
Every vocabulary item includes at least one example sentence with translation to show the word in natural use.
Bilingual
All meanings and examples are available in both English and French.
Progress & XP
Track streaks, earn XP, and unlock achievements
The Progress dashboard shows everything at a glance: daily streak, total XP, mastery percentage per level, and achievements earned. Sign in to sync your progress across devices.
Daily Streak
Review at least one card per day to maintain your streak. Missing a day resets it, so make a habit of checking in.
Achievements
32 achievements across 6 categories. Earn bronze, silver, gold, and platinum badges for milestones like mastering 50 kanji or a 7-day streak.
XP & Levels
Earn XP for every flashcard review, story read, and session completed. Level up to unlock profile badges.
Mastery Charts
See your mastery percentage for each JLPT level and learning path, updated in real time after every session.
How to earn XP
Achievements
Earn badges as you master Japanese
The achievement system rewards consistent study habits and milestones. Unlock 32 badges across 6 categories, each with 4 tiers — from bronze to platinum.
Achievement Tiers
Bronze
25–100 XP
Silver
200–500 XP
Gold
1,000–2,000 XP
Platinum
5,000+ XP
Achievement Categories
Streak — maintain daily study habits
Mastery — master kanji at each JLPT level
Practice — complete sessions and reach XP milestones
Story — read and complete generated stories
Level — reach new learner levels
Social — join groups and connect with other learners
Daily Challenges
Fresh challenges every day to sharpen your skills
Complete a new set of challenges each day to earn bonus XP and keep your streak alive. Challenges scale in difficulty as you progress.
Check today's challenges
Visit the Practice page each day to see the fresh set of challenges waiting for you.
Choose your challenge type
Pick from flashcard speed runs, story reading, accuracy drills, speed races, or perfect no-mistake runs.
Earn bonus XP
Completing all daily challenges gives a bonus XP reward that stacks with your streak multiplier.
Challenge Types
Flashcard Sprint — review N cards as fast as possible
Story Challenge — read a story and answer comprehension questions
Accuracy Drill — hit a target accuracy percentage on your reviews
Speed Race — answer a set of cards within a time limit
Perfect Run — complete an entire session with zero mistakes
Study Groups
Learn together with friends and classmates
Study groups let you learn Japanese alongside others. Create a private group with friends, or join a public one to study with learners worldwide.
Create or join a group
Go to Study Groups and click Create Group, or enter a join code to join an existing group.
Study together
Group members share progress updates and can see each other's XP and kanji mastery in real time.
Stay motivated
Seeing your group mates' progress is one of the most powerful motivators for consistent daily study.
Public & Private Groups
Create an open group anyone can join, or share a private join code to keep it exclusive.
Progress Sharing
See member XP, kanji mastered, and current streaks at a glance on the group dashboard.
Group Chat
Discuss kanji, share mnemonics, and encourage each other directly in the built-in group chat.
Classroom Mode
Teachers can create classroom groups with up to 50 members and track student progress.
Classrooms & School Features
Full classroom management for teachers and schools
The Classrooms system gives teachers and schools a complete infrastructure: create managed classrooms, publish graded assignments, track individual student progress, share read-only progress links with parents, and print school-ready progress reports.
Create a classroom
Teachers create a classroom with a name, school name, and grade. An invite code is generated automatically — students join by entering the code or you can bulk-import a whole class via CSV emails.
Publish assignments
Create kanji assignments with a title, list of target kanji, a due date, a pass score threshold (e.g. 80%), and an XP reward. Once published, enrolled students see the assignment in their classroom view.
Grade and track
Use the Gradebook tab for a full student × assignment score matrix. Click any student row to open a detailed progress panel. Use the Leaderboard tab for class rankings. Export CSV for school records or open the Print Report for a formatted progress sheet.
Share with parents
In the Students tab, generate a private observer link for a parent or guardian by entering their email and selecting the student. They receive a secret URL and can view their child's assignment results in real time — no account required.
Assignment System
Create kanji assignments with due dates, target pass scores, and XP rewards. Students submit their session score to record attempts and completion.
Gradebook & CSV Export
Full matrix view of every student × every assignment. Color-coded pass/fail indicators. One-click CSV export for school record-keeping.
Class Leaderboard
Per-classroom ranking sorted by assignments passed, average score, and classroom XP — encouraging healthy competition within the class.
Parent / Guardian View
Share a private tokenized link with a parent. No account needed — they see assignment results, scores, and progress in real time.
JLPT Practice Tests
Full-length mock exams with scoring, timing, and detailed review
Take realistic JLPT practice tests — including real past exams — under exam conditions: a countdown timer, no answer reveal until you submit, and a detailed results breakdown afterward. A free account is required to start a test.
N5–N1 Test Library
Browse tests by JLPT level, sorted by year. Some are real past exams (marked with a year badge); others are curated practice sets. Each card shows question count, required passing score, and your personal best if you've attempted it before.
Exam-Mode Question Types
Reading, meaning, kanji selection, fill-in-the-blank context, similar-kanji discrimination, and reading comprehension — all multiple choice. Answers can be changed anytime before you submit; a dot navigator shows which questions are answered.
Timed & Auto-Submitted
Each test has a time limit shown as a countdown. Reaching zero automatically submits your current answers, just like a real exam.
Detailed Results & Certificates
See your score, pass/fail status, XP earned, a breakdown by question type and difficulty, and a review of every question you missed with explanations. Pass a test and you unlock a printable certificate.
AI Tutor
A conversational kanji and grammar assistant — coming soon
The AI Tutor is built to answer questions about kanji, grammar, and vocabulary in a chat interface tailored to your JLPT level, with instant explanations and conversation practice.
Ask About Anything
Once live, you'll be able to ask free-form questions about any kanji, grammar point, or vocabulary word and get an explanation in plain language.
Level-Tailored Answers
Select your JLPT level (N5–N1) so explanations match your current study level instead of overwhelming you with advanced grammar.
Conversation Practice
Practice simple Japanese conversation with instant, contextual feedback on your responses.
Leaderboard
See how your progress compares to other learners
The leaderboard ranks learners across four categories and three time windows, so you can see how you're doing this week, this month, or all-time — and choose whether you want to appear on it at all.
Four Ranking Categories
XP, streak (consecutive study days), speed (cards reviewed per minute), and mastery (total kanji mastered) — switch between tabs to see different rankings.
Weekly, Monthly & All-Time
Filter any category by this week, this month, or all-time to see short-term momentum or long-term standing.
Privacy Controls
Turn off "Show my score on the public leaderboard" anytime in the privacy settings panel, and optionally set a custom display name instead of your account name.
Your Rank, Always Visible
Your own entry is highlighted in the top-50 list, or shown separately below it if you're ranked further down.
Flashcard Printer
Download ready-made PDF flashcards for offline study
Separate from the digital swipe-to-study flashcards, the Flashcard Printer gives you pre-generated PDF decks you can preview or download instantly — perfect for offline study, printing, or physical flashcard sets.
Preset Study Sets
Choose from JLPT levels (N5–N1), Japanese school grades (1–6), frequency-ranked blocks, WaniKani levels (1–60), or Kanji Garden blocks — no need to hand-pick individual kanji.
Preview or Download
Preview any set as a PDF in a new tab before downloading, or download it directly to print at home or school.
French Versions Available
French-locale PDF decks exist for most sets, with automatic fallback to the English version if a French one isn't available yet.
Kanji Search & Stroke Order
Look up any kanji and watch its stroke order animate
Two complementary tools: the Kanji Library for browsing and searching every kanji, and the Kanji Viewer for a focused, animated stroke-order breakdown of a single character.
Kanji Library
Browse all kanji grouped by JLPT level, or search by character or English meaning. Click any kanji to open it in the Kanji Viewer. A "Copy Set" button copies the current filtered list to your clipboard.
Animated Stroke Order
The Kanji Viewer shows an animated stroke-order diagram for any single kanji, sourced from the KanjiVG project. Adjust the size, toggle autoplay, step through strokes one at a time, or reset and replay.
Popular Kanji Quick-Select
No kanji in mind? Pick from a grid of frequently searched characters to jump straight into the viewer.
Download as SVG
Export the stroke-order diagram as an SVG file for your own notes or study materials.
Buy Me Sushi
Support the developer directly — no middleman, no perks required
If kanji zenkai has been useful to you, Buy Me Sushi is an optional way to support its development, styled as a sushi restaurant menu. It's a tip jar, not a subscription — there are no unlocked features tied to donating.
Pick Your Support Level
Choose from menu-style items (nigiri, rolls, sashimi, sets, sides, desserts) with USD and JPY pricing, or add a custom "Support" amount to your cart.
Card or PayPay
Pay by card via Stripe (USD) or PayPay (JPY, where available). Currency selection determines which payment option you'll see at checkout.
Leave a Message
Optionally add your email and a short message with your order — a small note of thanks that goes along with your support.
Tips & Tricks
Expert advice to accelerate your learning
Review every day
Even five minutes a day beats two hours once a week. Spaced repetition relies on consistent intervals.
Don't skip the audio
Hearing pronunciation while reading reinforces both skills simultaneously. Use TTS in stories and vocabulary.
Learn radicals first
Spend a session in the By Radical path. Knowing radicals lets you decode unfamiliar kanji by recognising their components.
Write by hand too
Print worksheets for kanji you keep forgetting. The physical act of writing stroke-by-stroke creates stronger memory.
Read stories multiple times
The first read builds comprehension. The second read (with audio) builds listening. The third read (without furigana) tests recall.
Use dark mode at night
Reduce eye strain during late-night study sessions by switching to dark mode via the toggle in the top bar.
Still have questions? Browse the app or visit the Feedback page.