#bunpo

I decided to search for new apps, thinking it can help me get back to studying japanese on my own when I found Bunpo.

I don't know if I have mentioned this but... if anyone ever reads this, I do not recommend studying on your own, I created this blog as a journal, to keep myself motivated. I do not have serious plans, like doing the JLPT test or moving to Japan, so if you're actually considering those things... do classes / go to school to learn properly:)

That being said...

I came across Bunpo recently and thought it is a pretty good app. Very simple UI, easy to find content in its categories. It does require you to pay to review your words, but I guess you can ignore that tab and do your own reviewing system...

This app reminds me a bit of Coban, which I also like but... has some bugs. Both follow a similar structure of reading about the subject and then doing a quick test. Veeeery different from Duolingo, which has a more complex interface, full of illustrations and sounds BUT does not give you proper information and you just go with the flow, not understanding grammar or where the heck you are (beginner, intermediate, idk?).

A Japanese grammar practice app a lá Duolingo.

Score: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Free: ☑ Yes; ☐ No (offers paid version) 

Difficulty level: beginner | intermediate | advanced

Interaction with others: ☐ Yes; ☑ No

Available on: ☑ iPhone/iOS; ☑ Android; ☐ web

Version tested in this review: Android

Internet connection required: ☐ Yes; ☑ No

The Bunpo app is a relatively new study resource for people looking to improve their Japanese grammar. It has a simple layout that’s easy to navigate, as shown:

Bunpo divides grammar points by JLPT level and then further into smaller groups by topic or grammatical function. As grammar study is its main function, I’ve marked this as less suitable for absolute beginners at Japanese, even though the app offers kana and kanji practice as well. It also has a library of often used words (basic words) it’ll run you through, but this is, in my opinion, non-essential, since Bunpo has a rad dictionary that’ll let you tap words during practice, and the app will show you the English translation.

This only applies to the words highlighted in green, though - anything else, you’re on your own, which I find a tad sloppy, honestly.

When you open a grammar category, you’re presented with a list of grammar points. Clicking one begins the lesson, which starts with an introduction to the grammar point with example sentences. Very neat! Once you’ve gone through a few pages of this introduction, you’re taken to the test or practice part of the lesson. This is the part that’s similar to Duolingo: The various exercises involve you choosing the correct word out of a few possible selections and putting words in order. This is good for grammar practice, but it’s not infallible, as I discovered by accident:

I chose the word つまらない rather than 楽しい, which is entirely grammatically correct - just not what Bunpo wanted me to say. This resulted in me having to do this lesson all over again in order to have it marked as completed. I haven’t run into other examples of this “error” yet, but I’m sure they’re there. I hope they will be fixed in a future update, either letting the app accept multiple correct answers, or removing the “incorrect” ones.

Bunpo is a really cool app and I have a good feeling that it’ll continue to develop positively, but for now, there are a set of serious drawbacks that prevents me from rating it higher than 3 stars.

They claim that their app features all Japanese grammar points in the description on the App/Google Play Store. - This is simply not true. While obviously requiring a humongous effort, I don’t think they should write this just yet when the app appears to still be in its early stages of development. I’ve written an email to them about this and received a response 2 days later assuring me that more grammar points will be added in future updates, so I’m hopeful!

The app lags. - I suspect this may have something to do with the fact that the app is available offline (bless!), but there’s some loading time that can get annoying if you’re looking for just a quick review session.

Pricing? What for? - The app is free, but its App Store description says there’s a paid subscription mode. I haven’t been able to figure out exactly what one would be paying for; perhaps paid features are still in the works; I certainly don’t see them in my Android version. If someone has been able to figure this out, please leave a comment or message me!

Lack of information. - They have a website, yes. But it’s a Wordpress with a single page and a “learn more” link that leads nowhere. I do hope as they continue to develop the app that they’ll also make more detailed information about it more readily available to people who do not wish to download it before they’ve read more.

I’m hopeful for the continued development of this app, as more grammar resources are always welcome! However, it just seems sorta half baked still.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with or paid by the people behind Bunpo in any way. This review is my own honest opinion of the app.

It is not completely free. I can’t access the last two lessons of N5, but those are things I can easily look up on my own. I just checked and it actually goes all the way to N1 [about the same percentage of lessons locked for each level]. I don’t know how comprehensive these grammar lessons are as they get more advanced, but it’s working well for me at the moment.