I decided to review this app because I see great potential in it.
Let me go through the things I love about the app first:
- the overal UI design and simple layout is welcome. I never felt it was overwhelming. And there are no ads in the free version.
- the kanji writing section is great and helps with structuring of the actual character
- The way it makes the user get a kanji right multiple times before marking it as green is good
- the division both in jouyou grade and JLPT grade is extremely helpful
Most kanji app include the number of strokes for each kanji. This is useful if you need to check a kanji dictionary entry but here it is superfluous.
Now let me list some things that could be improved/added:
- Recognising meanings and pronunciation of a specific given kanji answering from a multiple choice is well enough, but it is important too the reverse: choosing the kanji for a given set of pronunciations. I am against an answer input rather than multiple choice here because this section is only an introduction, memorization happens in the context of the words, so it is all right if often I only get the answer right in 'recognition' mode because I used process of elimination to pick the right one. The reading section instead needs an answer input, at least in the bonus version.
The writing section is the best, period.
I don't use the dictionary search engine. As a dictionary I have plenty of other sources and I wouldn't mind if it will be removed in the future.
Native English speakers probably have better sources for kanji study, but this developer is making a genuine effort towards localisation: now it is limited to the UI, still I hope that it will be extended to vocabularies and kanji meanings in the near future, if people keep asking for that!
I won't say enough times how little is available in the app store for people who don't speak English as their first language and we are talking about learning a language though an other foreign language!
Side aspect, right now it only runs on Android, being avaliable for isos too would attract more users.