Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana
Vivien Gontier Education iPhoneiPadiPod touch
Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana is a free Education app for iPhone and iPad by Vivien Gontier. Rated 4.5/5 from 2 ratings. Requires iOS 15.1. Updated July 2, 2026.
- Rating
- 4.5
- 2 ratings
- Price
- Free
- on the App Store
- Size
- 93 MB
- Age 4+
- Updated
- Jul 2
- 2026 · v2.1.2
Screenshots
About Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana
Sumi walks you through the 214 hiragana and katakana, the two syllabaries that form Japanese''s base alphabet, then opens onto the 80 kanji of the JLPT N5 level. New to Japanese? Sumi assumes you''ve never seen a kana in your life. You learn to read them, write them, hear them, and watch your progress build session by session. No prerequisites, no mandatory placement test, your first kana in under five minutes. — THE 4 QUIZ MODES — To anchor each kana from every angle: • Reading: you see the kana, you identify its pronunciation • Listening: you hear the sound, you find the kana • Drawing: you trace the kana with your finger, in the correct stroke order • Writing: you read the romaji, you pick the kana — WHAT YOU LEARN — • 46 base hiragana: あ い う え お… • 25 dakuten and handakuten: が ぱ ば… • 36 yōon, combined sounds: きゃ しゅ ちょ… • All of it in katakana: ア イ ウ エ オ… • 214 kana total, organised in clear chapters • Plus the JLPT N5 Kanji module (~80 characters), unlocked at 80% kana mastery — FEATURES — • Adaptive quiz based on spaced repetition (SM-2 algorithm, same as Anki) • Automatic detection of pairs you mix up (シ and ツ, ン and ソ, ぬ and ね…) • Japanese vocabulary that unlocks as you progress • Visual progress map, by chapter and by kana • Streaks, detailed stats, session history • Finger drawing with stroke order verification • Audio for every kana • Available in 7 languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese (PT + BR), German, Italian • No ads, no in-app purchases, no paywall — THE VOCABULARY THAT UNLOCKS — As you progress, real Japanese words open up: greetings, animals, numbers, family, food, daily life. A hundred or so words and sentences that only become readable once you master the kana inside them, the tangible reward of your sessions. 頑張って. Good luck.
What’s new
Version 2.1.2 · Updated July 2, 2026
Thanks for using Sumi! This update includes a few small improvements and bug fixes to keep the app smooth and enjoyable to use every day. We're always working to make Sumi better. If you have ideas or suggestions, we'd love to hear them. Keep going, you're improving faster than you think. 頑張って!
App privacy
The developer, Vivien Gontier, reported these privacy practices to Apple.
Data Not Linked to You
The following data, which may be collected but is not linked to your identity, may be used for the following purposes:
- Usage Data: Product Interaction
- Diagnostics: Crash Data, Performance Data
Used for: Analytics, App Functionality
Alternatives to Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana
Looking for apps like Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana? Here are 6 similar apps on the App Store. The highest rated is Nihondex: Learn Japanese (4.8/5), and all 6 are free to download.
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MochiKanji - Learn Japanese
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| App | Rating | Price | Last updated | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumi: Hiragana & Katakana | 4.5 / 5 (2 ratings) | Free | July 2, 2026 | |
| Nihondex: Learn Japanese | 4.8 / 5 (26) | Free | Sep 18, 2026 | Compare |
| Learn Japanese: Easy Learning | 4.7 / 5 (72) | Free | Oct 16, 2026 | Compare |
| ScriptPad: Japanese Writing | 3.7 / 5 (3) | Free | Sep 30, 2026 | Compare |
| Moji - Learn Japanese & Kanji | 3.6 / 5 (36) | Free | Oct 21, 2026 | Compare |
| Hourly Kana: Learn Japanese | 4.8 / 5 (856) | Free | Oct 20, 2026 | Compare |
| MochiKanji - Learn Japanese | 4.7 / 5 (1,557) | Free | Oct 15, 2026 | Compare |