From my personal experience as a member and learner on Renshuu, I wholeheartedly recommend it, because Renshuu is more than just a language learning app; it’s a comprehensive and engaging platform designed to help you master Japanese, from beginner to advanced levels. Think of it as an open university for Japanese, where you can explore everything from the basics of the alphabet to advanced grammar concepts.
Everything You Need, Free:
Renshuu is completely free, offering everything you need to learn and practice Japanese effectively. You’ll find:
A solid foundation: Learn the Japanese alphabet (hiragana, katakana and Kanji) and delve into grammar lessons presented in both written and video formats.
Practice galore: Master your skills with a wide range of exercises, including flashcards, quizzes, and interactive games.
A supportive community: Connect with fellow learners, share your progress, and ask questions in the vibrant community forum. The app’s creator is actively involved, interacting with users like a friend and responding to questions and requests quickly.
Learn, Connect, and Have Fun:
Renshuu is designed to make learning Japanese fun and engaging. The app’s community fosters a sense of camaraderie, creating an environment where you can learn, socialize, and make new friends who share your passion for the language.
In my opinion, Renshuu is one of the best platforms designed to help people learn Japanese. It features a variety of resources, including vocabulary games, kanji practice, grammar exercises, and even manga-themed lessons.
Renshuu boasts a user-friendly interface and a focus on personalized learning. It can adjust the difficulty and content based on your knowledge level, even down to individual kanji. You can choose from pre-made lesson packs or create your own study path with their extensive library of user-generated content. The platform also incorporates gamified learning elements, such as a mascot named Kao-chan, to keep things engaging.
Renshuu is available as a website and a mobile app, allowing you to access its resources anytime, anywhere. The app features a cute and ad-free design, and the free version is unlimited, meaning you can use it without any time restrictions.
Renshuu has received positive feedback from users, praising its comprehensive content, user-friendly interface, and personalized learning approach. Many users find it a great alternative to Anki, a popular spaced repetition software, as it offers a more intuitive and gamified experience.
If you’re looking for a fun and effective way to learn Japanese, Renshuu is definitely worth checking out. Its comprehensive resources, personalized learning approach, and gamified elements make it a great option for learners of all levels.
That was my impression as well. It was painful and a bit frustrating to use. If you stick with it you will eventually get used to it. I did (mostly) but do still curse at the screen once in a while. I expect it would turn away some new users.
People’s experiences surely differ I’m really sorry, that this was yours. Mine has been mostly positive. The only problem (which is my own problem, not Renshuu’s) is learning Kanji, just because I discovered WaniKani. I find WaniKani to be the best tool ever for learning Kanji. Nothing has worked with my head as well as WaniKani.
Renshuu is great, especially the grammar explanations are awesome. But yes, the interface is bloated, which scared me away the first time I took a look at it. The dev means well by adding a ton of features and new games and whatnot, but the first thing I’d do is scrap all the clutter and focus on the things it does best.
I think this goes back to the fact that the app is only moderated by two people: the creator and his wife. He’s stated that in multiple occasions, even saying that he wouldn’t hire other moderators to avoid extra expenses and keep the app totally free, and that he has no intention of monetizing it. Even two long-time users go as far as to help answer other learners’ questions in an attempt to support them and lighten the load.
Off topic. I’d like to express my admiration of your profile image. It’s truly smart and unique!
It has a design that looks like it belongs in early 2000s Internet.
It’s fine that you like it (it’s a wonderful resource, especially because it’s free) but I highly question your taste in UI/UX.
Your mission is to write extremely formulaic, uninspired paragraphs like this?
This doesn’t sound at all like a genuine method of speaking to an audience of learners on a Japanese language learning forum - where most users have already heard of Anki and don’t need to be explained it’s a popular SRS.
I’m not going to accuse you of using AI, but if you’re going to write stuff like this, you’re going to turn off a lot of people.
It’s actually pretty incredible that he made and offers this for free. I just think the cluttered interface and ton of ‘extra’s’ might scare away people when they first navigate the app. The creator is superhelpfull btw, I mailed him a couple of questions about his grammar lessons and got such nice replies from him.
I agree with you regarding both your points: the cluttered interface scaring away people, and that he is very helpful. I even went as far as to ask my brother to help him, as he is an IT professional, but unfortunately he is too busy at the moment. He is still recovering from a recent knee operation and too busy with physical therapy sessions every other day.
Yes, there is a pro plan for those who aren’t sufficing with the endless free content that is the main theme of his app. Renshuu is completely free. The free content is the main application. The pro version is a bonus, an unnecessary bonus. The app is bundled with its completely free content. So yes, he was honest when he said he would never monetise it. The man is basically a 24/7 active, helpful and responsive teacher to all his students in the open free university he has opened for them. Users go as far as to help him moderate the platform as he is alone with his wife in this. He recently opened a thread to brainstorm on possible solutions to handle the ever increasing number of users, questions, activities, … etc. and we are all like one big family supporting our sensei who is incredibly maintaining this educational open online university for everyone with nothing in return. No intrusive, distracting, annoying, nagging "Go pro! Enhance your learning journey with an ad-free experience and enjoy the full functionality of the app! Upgrade and you’ll be the new Superman of the age!) There’s NO payment required, unless you want to be a generous hero and support the platform financially. The Pro plan is as silent and unneeded as if it were even non-existent…
Exactly! I have had enough of these annoyingly intrusive pop outs that disrupt the learning session. Come on! It’s okay to survive from ads but not making the service become ads with app instead of app with ads. I already have some specific names in my head that I won’t ever mention, but I need to finally say: I totally love and respect Renshuu and WaniKani and will always be their loyal user/member. I wish I could have any possible means to support them and express my gratitude and respect to them.
I’m really sorry, that this was yours. Mine has been mostly positive. The only problem (which is my own problem, not Renshuu’s) is learning Kanji, just because I discovered WaniKani. I find WaniKani to be the best tool ever for learning Kanji. Nothing has worked with my head as well as WaniKani.
