Inku vs WaniKani
Inku vs WaniKani for Japanese
WaniKani is the gold-standard kanji SRS. Inku starts earlier and covers more of the basics. Different phases of the same journey.
Short answer
WaniKani is a 2000-kanji SRS organized by radicals. Inku is a kana + N5 vocab + phrases app for beginners.
Intro
WaniKani is the most respected kanji app of the last decade. If your goal is to read novels in Japanese, there is no single tool more useful. But WaniKani assumes you already know hiragana, katakana, and some vocabulary. Inku covers exactly that prerequisite phase.
When Inku is the better pick
- You do not know hiragana and katakana yet. WaniKani expects you to already know kana. Inku teaches kana from scratch.
- You want vocabulary and phrases, not just kanji. WaniKani teaches kanji and the words that contain them. Inku teaches vocabulary across categories, plus conversational phrases.
- You want native audio on every card. Inku has actor-recorded audio. WaniKani uses a single native speaker for audio on vocabulary, but not on kanji readings individually.
- You want a shorter daily commitment. WaniKani requires 15-45 minutes a day for years to complete. Inku's sessions average 10-15 minutes.
When WaniKani is the better pick
- You want to read Japanese novels, manga, news. Finishing WaniKani gets you through 2,000 kanji. No other tool approaches that scale for Japanese kanji.
- You love structured progression. WaniKani's 60 levels are the clearest 'leveling up' arc in Japanese learning. Each level unlocks concrete new kanji.
- You are past the beginner stage (N4+). Inku's current deck is N5-focused. If you are past that, WaniKani has more runway.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Inku | WaniKani | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiragana/katakana coverage | Full guide + drill | Assumed known | |
| Kanji count | Minimal (starts in N4) | 2,000+ | |
| Vocabulary count | 600+ | 6,000+ (through 60 levels) | |
| Audio quality | Actor-recorded, every card | Native speaker, vocab only | |
| SRS algorithm | FSRS | Custom interval | |
| Mobile experience | Native iPhone app | Web or third-party apps | |
| Price per year | $29.99 | $89 or $299 lifetime | |
| Time to first kanji | ~2 months in | Day 1 | |
| Community | Small, email only | Large forum |
Inku's favor · WaniKani's favor · roughly even
The honest take
WaniKani and Inku are not really competing. They are sequential. Inku gets you through the doorway (kana + N5 vocabulary + phrases). WaniKani takes you through the 2,000-kanji hallway. Most serious learners will use both, just at different stages.
Verdict
Use WaniKani if: you already know kana and want to read Japanese novels eventually. Use Inku if: you are still learning kana, or want a calmer, more phrase-focused beginner app.
If you are a total beginner, start with Inku. Add WaniKani around month 4, once you are comfortable with hiragana, katakana, and a few hundred N5 words.
From a learner
“I came from this app, bounced off, and Inku gave me something I could actually finish. That is the whole pitch.”
Common questions
Do WaniKani and Inku overlap?+
Minimally. They target different phases: Inku for the first 4-6 months, WaniKani for the kanji deep-dive after.
Is WaniKani's $89/yr worth it?+
If you stick with it through level 10+, yes. If you quit by level 3 like most people, no. The lifetime ($299, often on sale for less) pays off at around 4 years.
Does Inku plan to build a kanji deck like WaniKani's?+
We are expanding the kanji coverage in N4 and N3 decks, but we are not trying to replicate WaniKani's 2,000-kanji arc. That is a different product.
See more comparisons: all comparison pages. Or start with the full learning roadmap.