Language is inherently human. It’s made, evolved, and used by humans to communicate—to convey ideas and emotions. Generative AI is antithetical to this.
Generative AI, which uses stolen data scraped from the internet, continues to creep its way into countless apps and programs. Sadly, language learning hasn’t come out unscathed. Especially when it comes to apps developed by large companies who see glorified chatbots as a way to cut costs and remove native speakers from developing their language learning courses.
AI is not actually artificial intelligence, as it has no inherent intelligence. It’s a statistics machine trying to determine the “likelihood” of words appearing in a certain order when presented with certain information. An impressive party trick, if it weren’t created by stealing other people’s copyrighted works while simultaneously destroying the environment and the economy in the process. Furthermore, AI is not programmed to consider whether the information it gives is either accurate or true. Neither can it understand subtle nuances in language scan to ensure correct grammatical rules.
As such, it is terrible for language learning.
(If you’re interested in learning more about the issues with AI, I highly recommend this article, “I Will F*cking Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again“.)
What can we do to learn languages ethically while avoiding unreliable and environmentally and economically damaging AI?
I went through a list of the major apps for studying Japanese and investigated if they use AI and, if so, how they use it. Here’s a list of apps for learning Japanese that don’t use AI, followed by those that do.
Japanese Study Apps That DON’T Use AI
I’ve been researching this topic since the start of the year; looking up companies that tout their AI features and finding those that don’t. I reached out to as many as I could to confirm if they do or do not. Some were very anti-AI, while others more amenable to its use, if not downright enthusiastic.
Most apps that don’t use AI are either older or created by solo developers whereas those created by larger corporations who push multiple languages and are primarily profit driven tend to push AI features.
*One thing to note is that apps which use AI for voice recognition to check speaking and accents are not using generative AI programming. These features are made using iterative AI, which is classic AI programmed on specific data for one specific task. (And not programs that use OpenAI style programs trained on everything under the sun data.)
Renshuu
Renshuu is a fantastic app available on Android and iOS that offers a well-rounded language learning experience, complete with vocabulary, kanji, and grammar, and features learning through context and games.
It’s also entirely AI free! When I contacted the team to ask if they used it in any way, the CEO and founder, Michael, stated “Absolutely no AI.” All the lessons, audio recordings, and images are made by humans. If a user posts an AI image it’s taken down.
The people at Renshuu are a cool bunch, and their passion for language learning is evident.
AnkiDriod
Anki is an open-source SRS (spaced repetition software) flashcard app available on Android and iOS. This means it’s not run by a corporation looking to maximize profits, which also means it is generative AI free!
You’ve probably heard lots of people recommend Anki as a study tool. If you’ve tried to look into it but bounced off because of its confusing UI and set up, I highly recommend you watch some YouTube videos on how to install Anki and use it for studying Japanese.
Like this one! How to Use Anki to Learn Japanese | Japanese Anki Deck & Setup for Core Japanese Vocabulary
There might be decks that have been made using generative AI. Make sure you find one that hasn’t been made with AI or create your own!
Here are some beginner Japanese decks for Anki that I made.
How to Use Anki to Learn Japanese | Japanese Anki Deck & Setup for Core Japanese Vocabulary
KanjiStudy (Android)
KanjiStudy is a kanji learning app for Android. It (along with Anki) is one of my favourite apps for studying Japanese because it’s informative, versatile, and doesn’t use any generative AI.
You can study kana and kanji through radicals, usage in vocabulary, meanings, readings, and stroke order (with writing exercises), and even expand the apps functionality through various add-ons such as their new SRS feature.
If you’ve never heard of KanjiStudy before, check out my review and other articles covering its additional features:
- Review of Japanese Kanji Study Android App
- Tips and Tricks for the Japanese Kanji Study App
- The New Japanese Kanji Study App SRS Expansion—Guided Study
Needless to say, KaniStudy is a fantastic app for learning and practicing kanji. And even better, it’s created by a solo dev and doesn’t use AI.
WaniKani
WaniKani is another kanji study app covering over 2000 kanji and 6000 kanji-based vocabulary. It uses a variety of methods to help you memorize Japanese including SRS flashcards and mnemonics.
It’s also completely AI free.
When I reached out to the devs they said, “We don’t use AI for any of the content you see in WaniKani. We have native speakers on the team who create all of the Japanese content and we have an in-house illustrator for any of the graphics you see on the website.”
LingoDeer
LingoDeer is a fantastic app that teaches a wide variety of languages. Their teaching method focuses on learning through grammar with detailed explanations and audio to help you learn.
They’re al generative AI free!
When I reached out to them the co-founder informed me,
“All of Lingodeer’s course content—from curriculum design and grammar explanations to audio recordings—is created, iterated, and refined through multiple rounds by experienced language teaching experts. We do NOT use generative AI for the creation of our educational content. This decision stems from our belief that rigorous, expert-driven content and teaching quality are key to ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of language learning. We have always prioritized delivering high-quality materials to our users, even if it means progressing at a slower pace.”
Bunpro
The Bunpro website and Android/iOS app teaches Japanese grammar through lessons and exercises for beginner to advanced Japanese. They also provide lots of reference sentences and audio.
And on top of many people singing their praises, they’re also generative AI free!
“Bunpro does not use generative AI for any of our grammar content, example sentences, or audio. All of that is written and translated by native speakers.”
MaruMori
MaruMori is all-in-one app is available online and Android (iOS app seems to be a work in progress) and touts grammar, kanji, vocabulary, listening, and reading exercises for beginner to advance Japanese.
Their content is also 100% human made!
“MaruMori uses no generative AI, nor do we wish to associate ourselves with AI. All content is written and checked by humans, a mix of natives and advanced non-native speakers. Our artwork is also made by a very talented illustrator who is part of our team!
We also have no plans at all to use generative AI in the future, as we feel that using generative AI can be very detrimental to learning (as it can often say wrong things or make mistakes), aside from being able to offer job positions to humans instead of replacing them with AI.”
Genki Apps
If you’ve studied Japanese before then you’ve probably heard of the textbook Genki. It’s one of the most popular Japanese textbooks on the market.
The Japan Times, who publishes the series, have also released compendium videos and apps to supplement the materials in Genki. You can find these in the Genki Self-study Room.
These are great study tools to use alongside the Genki textbook and workbooks! And as these materials were made prior to the generative degeneration (for the 3rd edition of the books), there is zero generative AI content.
Ringotan
Ringotan is a nifty little free app for Android and iOS that focuses only on writing kanji, training you first by stroke order following guides, and then allowing you to write kanji from memory. It’s SRS feature makes it easy to study and review what you’ve already learned.
And there’s no generative AI involved.
jisho.org
Jisho is my go-to electronic dictionary app for work and language learning. It’s a daily necessity so I rely on it to be accurate. Introducing generative AI would completely destroy this vital resource.
When I reached out to the creators of jisho I was relieved to hear they don’t consciously use generative AI in any way on their website. Although there might be a chance an AI generated example sentence could be accidentally added to their database.
Honorable Mentions
Although this article is all about apps, here’s a few other online resources for Japanese that DON’T use AI.
Tae Kim’s Japanese Grammar Guide – Free online textbook that explains Japanese grammar from beginner to intermediate level.
Game Gengo ゲーム言語 – YouTube channel with videos about Japanese grammar through games.
Sarah Moon Japanese – YouTube channel with videos about Japanese and translation.
Recommended Podcasts for Japanese Learners – List of free mono-lingual podcasts for Japanese learners to practice listening skills with.
Wes Robertson’s Free Resources – Textbook, worksheets, and online lectures for Japanese learners.
QUESTIONABLE Japanese Study Apps that Kind of Use AI
Satori Reader
Satori Reader is a cool little app that promotes practicing Japanese reading and listening through stories and articles.
However, although they boast human-written Japanese stories with human-recorded audio, they have started using generative AI images.
“Please rest assured that our content production — writing, editing, annotating, proofing, and voice acting — is 100% done by humans. Recently we have been experimenting with using AI to create some of our episode artwork, especially for our animal stories, because it’s hard to find images of (for example) a bear and a deer walking together in a forest.”
Instead of using freely available open-source images or paying someone for simple illustrations, the people running Satori Reader insist of using AI for their images, which makes the rest of their content appear questionable in quality. Some users have dropped Satori Reader because of this.
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages has started to dip their toe into generative AI for course creation and temp images (which they replace later). When I reached out to them they said,
“As we move forward, we are investigating the functionality of generative AI in course creation; however, currently, this is not the case for any of our live courses. The rigorous review process, involving both linguistic experts and native speakers, ensures that all content, whether AI-generated or not, meets a very high level of accuracy.”
They also stated their chat feature does not use AI and is manned by human language experts.
So, Rocket Languages are using AI a little but aren’t relying on it completely for course creation. (Yet)
Japanese Study Apps that Use AI
Duolingo
Duolingo is well known for using and pushing generative AI in the most egregious way possible. They use it to create content and have even fired their real human native speakers to increase their profit margins. Duolingo also offers a ChatGPT AI chatbot that users can “practice” their language skills with. Although you never know if what you’re learning is actually correct or just algorithmically probable.
Memrise
Memrise is a wannabe Duolingo app that has removed all user created content and pushed their own generic (and honestly useless) Japanese learning programs. (I quit using Memrise a few years ago.) Just like Duolingo, they have a ChatGPT “study buddy” that users partner with to “practice” their language.
Busuu
Similarly to Memrise and Duolingo, Busuu are using a generative AI chatbot to allow user to practice their language skills. They’re also using it to curate their user’s learning instead of encouraging them follow a structured and logical language learning program.
JapanesePod101
I’ve never liked the language Pod101 series because of their aggressive solicitations to give them money. And now they also have a pay-walled AI chatbot.
iTalki
iTalki is my go-to resource for finding real human teachers to learn languages from. But sadly they’ve been pushing their AI features recently.
These features include pushing ChatGPT and Replika chatbots to practice with, which undermines and undercuts the real human teachers that use their platform.
Their AI generated lesson creation and summary tools for teachers now make me wary of their teachers. I wouldn’t want a teacher who has no understanding of my skills or needs because they use generative AI instead of doing the work I’ve paid for.
Mango Languages
Mango Languages has started using AI to create courses and create recordings for languages that they don’t have audio for (which makes the pronunciation quality questionable.)
They insist they still have human input, but this is questionable when they insist the AI allows them to create courses faster. As someone who works with languages on a daily basis, double checking the validity of AI created content takes just as long if not longer than creating it yourself.
Takoboto
I considered this a great dictionary app until I spotted its pay-walled AI writing feature that supposedly corrects your Japanese.
I Wish There Were More AI Free Apps
Needless to say, the number of apps that use sloppy generative AI is too darn high.
Duolingo, which is already notorious for its poor-quality teaching methods and aggressive money grabbing, is doubling down on its push to use AI to increase their profit margins even more. Other apps are looking at Duolingo’s “success” and trying to follow suit, probably out of fear of missing out instead of focusing on creating their own superior courses.
But despite that there are still apps out there which are bastions of language learning, free of AI generated content. I just hope none of these change their mind down the road.
Please let me know if you know of any other AI-free Japanese learning resources!
Updated: 30/4/2025
Added Lingodeer, Bunpro, Marumori, and Ringotan to the AI-free app list.
Thanks to people’s suggestions for apps to add the number of AI-free apps is higher than the apps that use AI! This is great news for language learners!
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