Features
Built around real videos, not drills
Watch something you enjoy. Understand a little more of it every day. Keep the words that matter to you.
Daily picks
Videos matched to your level and interests
Each day, HitaruJP picks videos at your JLPT level from a hand-curated catalogue of YouTube videos and podcasts made by Japanese creators.
Tell it what you like (anime, travel, music, news, gaming…) and the picks lean that way.
Transcript
A transcript you can tap
The transcript follows the video line by line. Tap any word to see its reading and meaning from the built-in dictionary. Replay a line as often as you like.
On the web, transcripts are available for fewer videos than on mobile.
AI explanations
Grammar, nuance and formality, explained
Ask about a word or a whole line and get a plain-English explanation: what it means, how the grammar works, and how polite or casual it is.
Explanations come from Google's Gemini model. They're usually right, and occasionally not, so treat them as a tutor rather than a dictionary.
全部食べちゃった!
“I ate it all!”
✦ What's ちゃった?
A casual contraction of てしまった. It adds a feeling of “oops” or “completely”. Use it with friends, not in formal speech.
Flashcards
Spaced repetition that fits in ten minutes
Saved words become flashcards with the sentence you found them in. The schedule brings each card back just before you'd forget it.
Anki user? Import your existing decks in the mobile app. How spaced repetition works
Kana board
Hiragana and katakana, at a glance
Every kana on one board. Mark the ones you somewhat know in yellow and the ones you know in green, and watch the board fill up.
Try it: tap a kana
Progress
Streaks, stats and a little motivation
See your streak, videos watched, words saved and reviews done. A gentle nudge to come back tomorrow.
Characters
Twelve companions to choose from
Pick one when you sign up. Change any time.
- NekoCurious cat
- KitsuneClever fox
- ShibaLoyal pup
- TanukiPlayful trickster
- PandaCalm and steady
- UsagiQuick learner
- KumaBig-hearted bear
- KappaRiver spirit
- OniFriendly ogre
- NinjaSilent studier
- DarumaNever gives up
- OnigiriSnack-sized hero
Web and mobile
What works where
Your account and progress are the same everywhere. A few features depend on the platform.
| Feature | Web | Android and iOS |
|---|---|---|
| Daily video picks at your level | Yes | Yes |
| Tappable transcripts | Limited | Yes |
| YouTube search | Limited | Yes |
| AI explanations | Yes | Yes |
| Flashcards with spaced repetition | Yes | Yes |
| Anki deck import | No | Yes |
| Kana board | Yes | Yes |
| Streaks and progress | Yes | Yes |
Your first video is waiting.
Pick your level, choose a character and start watching. It takes about a minute.