Takos Japanese aims to help you learn Hirigana, Katakana and Kanji through a series of interactive lessons and games, but is it successful?
From the menu you can see there are a variety of different options:
- "Play" lets you enter the main learning mode, this is where all of Takos lessons take place. Each lesson is around 10 minutes long.
- "Study" lets you look at lists of the Kana and Kanji, it provides step by step stroke order and pronunciation for each word.
- "Minigames" is where you can play games from levels you have already completed, this is very good for refreshing your memory and brushing up on things.
When you enter "Play" mode, you have the option of where you would like to start. The app heavily suggests you start at Hirigana, this is good for beginners although can become a little annoying for anyone at a higher level.
Once you choose your level, you will then be shown all of the Hirigana/Katakana/Kanji in that level, unfortunately you do have to start from the very beginning. The app will not let you start further down if you already know most of the kanji and will remain "locked" until you complete the tutorial and work your way through each part.
That being said, it really is helpful for beginners as it stops you getting ahead of yourself and if you already know some things it will definitely help refresh your memory!
Tako will then take you as his student and go through each kanji individually, this is really well programmed and is a fantastic way to approach study. You will be shown each stroke and given an English translation. You will then follow the lines and blue dots as they prompt you to draw the Kana/Kanji yourself.
The software used is very good. I have used apps before that are a lot more strict and expect you to follow each line exactly but this works very well. If you do get something wrong you will loose half a "heart" and tako will make a grumpy face which is a little amusing.
After completing a character, you will be given the pronunciation and usage of the kanji. You can click the audio button to hear it until you are confident. After each character is learnt, you will then learn a new one alongside the previous ones in that character group.You are then tested in a quiz.
You must match the character to its corresponding meaning/pronunciation, this definitely reinforces the previous learning and with a short timer you have to think fast! You can review this information at any time from the "Study" menu.
Minigames are up next! These will be given both throughout each lesson and chosen from the menu, with 4 different games there is a nice variety and each is shown at random times. Each is good in its own way and each minigame lets you earn "hearts" back that you've lost!
First up is "Baseball", the aim of this game is draw the kana or kanji that is asked for in the box, within the time frame. You will be only prompted by blue dots so definitely study up! Once you draw the character, you will be asked to tap the heart and fill it up to score a home run (and perfect score!).
The second up is "Restaurant", this game is really fantastic and my favourite of the 4, it really makes you think and it teach you a very good grasp on the language in a short time. You must match the customers (on the right) to their orders (on the left). Each customer has the English equivalent to the kana, or the kana pronunciation of the kanji. You must match them within the timer. This is a really fun game and is very good for learning kana.
Third is "Moles", this is your typical whack-a-mole game. A letter (for kana) or kana character (for kanji) will show up is the ships wheel to the left of the screen, simply tap each creature that pops up with the corresponding character, you get points for each correct hit and lose points for ever wrong hit.
Last, but not least, is "Arcade". This is a game where you remember the character sequence. With a list of characters at the top and the English translation below (under takos arm), a series of characters will light up and then you must remember them in their English forms and enter the right sequence. This happens pretty quick so make sure you know your stuff!
The "Study" are is create for casually revising anything that you need quickly. Definitely a great aid for looking things at a moments notice.
Conclusion:
Takos Japanese is a really great app for beginners and definitely worth the purchase. The lessons are repetitive enough to make you learn without getting annoying and keep the knowledge in your head. The only drawback is if you are more advanced in your studies it can be frustrating having to go through each lesson individually to get to where you are in your regular studies. However, this is a very interactive app and a great teacher with fun games.
Would i recommend this app? Definitely.
I am not affiliated to Takos Japanese in any way, this is a 100% honest review.
I am not affiliated to Takos Japanese in any way, this is a 100% honest review.