Kanshudo

Kanshudo is an online platform for learning Japanese, built on the idea that you should learn to read kana and kanji and study kanji, vocabulary and grammar in parallel rather than one after another. It is for individual learners at any level, from complete beginner to advanced, and it doubles as a large Japanese dictionary. The FAQ describes it as an "'AI' (Artificial Intelligence) learning platform" that monitors your study and recommends exercises based on its assessment of your current level. Kanshudo was founded by Jonathan Kirk, who designed much of the technology behind it; according to the FAQ the company was established in late 2014 and is based in San Francisco, with a team of Japanese speakers, editors, teachers and machine learning developers working mainly from the US and Japan.

Lessons and where to start

Kanshudo offers several structured routes through the language:

• Beginner Lessons, "Lessons for absolute beginners", take you from zero to 100 kanji, plus grammar and vocabulary. There are 20 of them.
• Intermediate Lessons. In the site's words, "The 55 Intermediate Lessons cover the first 1000 kanji, introducing about 18 kanji per lesson, along with their most useful words, appropriate grammar points, and examples that combine the kanji, words and grammar." A Registered User can start the series for free.
• Topic Lessons, graded lessons built around specific topics.
• Textbook Companion, which lets you use Kanshudo alongside a textbook. The FAQ lists support for Adventures in Japanese, Genki, Minna no nihongo and Japanese for Busy People.

The FAQ gives a clear starting point for each learner. An absolute beginner reads the "Getting started learning Japanese" guide and then works through the Beginner Lessons; someone with basic Japanese reads "How to master the kanji" and moves to the Intermediate Lessons. The site recommends learning all the kana thoroughly before moving on to kanji, and Drawing Practice covers hiragana, katakana, kanji components and kanji. Many learners simply follow the Dashboard, where "Kanshudo’s AI monitors your progress and automatically generates a personalized study program for you."

The AI tutor and sentence correction

TeachMe is Kanshudo's AI grammar tutor, described as "an intelligent, personalized Japanese grammar tutor." It asks you a series of questions about a grammar point, invites you to explain your understanding, grades your answers and adds examples. Every couple of exchanges you choose whether to carry on, and at the end you get a summary you can revisit, including how the session changed your mastery score for that grammar point. You start a session from a grammar search or from the page for any grammar point.

AI Sentence Correct is pitched as "Your personal Japanese coach": you enter any Japanese sentence and it corrects it. Both tools run on AI credits. Some credits come with every Pro subscription, and more can be bought (see prices below).

Flashcards, games and quizzes

"Kanshudo’s spaced-repetition flashcards track your progress automatically." Cards can be generated automatically, for example from lessons or from your Favorites, or you can import your own lists and export to another program. A card can be made for any kanji, word, grammar point or example sentence.

The Play menu holds a long list of games: Kanji Challenge ("The most effective way to study a kanji, with key words and examples"), Kanji Match, Kanji Builder, Kanji Draw, Kanji Keywords, Kanji Pop, Word Quiz, Word Match, Sentence Builder, Sentence Complete, Answer Type and Grammar Match. Boost combines several learning modes so you study words, kanji and grammar in tandem.

The Kanji Quiz "tests your current kanji ability, and tells you roughly how many kanji you know." It shows kanji in frequency bands, starting with the most common 100; wrong answers raise the number you need to get right to move up, and the quiz ends after three mistakes in one band or seven in total. You can take it as often as you like, and the score sets the level for the Lessons, the Kanji Challenge and the Daily Kanji email.

Tracking progress

Kanshudo gives every kanji, word and grammar point a personal mastery score from 0 to 4, inferred from your answers in quizzes, games and flashcards. The Kanji Wheel turns this into 7 concentric rings, from hiragana and katakana in the center to all non-Jōyō kanji on the outside; clicking a section shows which kanji you know well or badly and can generate flashcards for them. A mastery map shows your progress as a route through Japan, with notes on its history, culture and geography along the way.

Dictionary and JLPT tools

The reference side is substantial. The homepage lists 14,000 kanji (4000 with mnemonics), 260,000 words, 800 grammar points, 150,000 example sentences and 600,000 names, and the FAQ's current counts are higher still, at 15,366 kanji and 161,459 Japanese and English example sentences. All 2136 Jōyō kanji are included. You can search by kanji, word, name, example or grammar, translate a sentence, or find a kanji by drawing its parts in the Component Builder, which recognizes 416 components. Words carry pitch accent markings, the Grammar section is a full reference guide, and the Reading Corner offers real Japanese essays and texts.

For test takers, the JLPT Center offers practice questions, timed tests, JLPT flashcards and progress tracking. Badges show the JLPT level at which a word, kanji or grammar point might first come up, and there are 84 word collections and 22 kanji collections organized by JLPT level.

Prices and access

A comparison table on the subscribe page sets out three levels: Guest User, Registered User and Kanshudo Pro. On the Registered User level, the homepage says "You can use Kanshudo for free with a log in", and that "Some features are restricted to monthly caps to limit the load on our servers." Registered Users get limited access to lessons, readings, flashcards, games, quizzes and study emails.

Kanshudo Pro costs $9 per month or $90 per year, which the FAQ calls a saving of 20%. It gives full and unlimited access to every feature, including all 20 Beginner Lessons and all 55 intermediate lessons, unlimited flashcard sets, detailed study history, advanced flashcard management and vocabulary list download.

Two add-ons are optional. Joy o' Kanji essays are 10-15 page PDFs, each on a single Jōyō kanji; about 400 exist so far and roughly one a week is added. With Pro they cost $3 per month or $40 per year, and the FAQ says a monthly plan gives four essays a month and an annual plan any 20 a month. Registered Users can buy them at $3 per essay, $8 per Thematic Bundle, or $10 for any 5. AI credits cost $3 per month or $30 per year for 500 credits a month as a Pro option, or $3 for 500 credits for a Registered User. All prices are in US dollars.

Recurring plans need a credit card, handled by Stripe; one-off plans can be paid with PayPal or Apple Pay. You can cancel at any time at no cost, keep Pro until the end of the paid period, and then drop back to Registered User with your data kept.

Study points reward almost everything you do and turn into coupons for Pro access. The first coupon, WHITE, needs 250 study points and gives two free months of Pro; when coupons cover a bill, a minimum charge of $2 per payment cycle applies.

Who it suits

Kanshudo suits learners who take reading seriously and want a systematic route through the kanji, from a first 100 to the full Jōyō set, with vocabulary and grammar tied to each step. JLPT candidates get level badges, collections and timed tests, and textbook users can follow Genki, Minna no nihongo or Japanese for Busy People with matching practice. Beginners have a defined path, and intermediate learners can use the Kanji Quiz and Kanji Wheel to find and fill gaps.

On pace, the FAQ says it has seen students learn 1000+ kanji in six months and many beginners finish the Beginner Lessons in a few weeks, adding that "this involves a lot of commitment and focus on the part of the student." It also cites the JLPT administrators' past estimate of 3000-4500 hours of study to pass the highest level.

The tools center on reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar, so a learner who mainly wants conversation practice will pair Kanshudo with a speaking course. Heavy users of TeachMe and AI Sentence Correct should budget for extra AI credits on top of the Pro fee.