App Aims: Build Your Japanese Vocabulary In Ten Words A Day

Reviewer’s Comments
The MyWords Japanese app displays ten new words a day. The words are a mixture of all word classes (e.g. verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc.) There are a few key elements that make this application unique, fun and useful. First of all, the screens are all very well designed. They are colorful, intuitive, and easy to use. Second, hearing native recordings of each word is a huge plus. Reading text on a page and memorizing the translation is only half the battle when it comes to learning a language. Hearing a live native person speak the word is the best way to learn how to speak and understand a language. This program provides both. It also allows you to record your own voice and play it back so you can compare the native recording with your own. It’s not quite the same as having a native person evaluate your pronunciation or hearing it used in a sentence but it’s the next best thing. Third, you can add any word from any day to your own “Word Bank” that is saved as your own personal list enabling you to come back to review them whenever you choose. Finally, the application has a built-in matching game that helps solidify your new vocabulary. You match the Japanese written word to the English meaning in an interesting twist on the flashcard method of learning.

There are a few drawbacks. Both the default screen and game display the words in written Japanese and the equivalent English meaning only. For those who haven’t studied the Japanese alphabets, including Kanji, nor care to study the written language, this is an annoying disadvantage. You must tap each word to see the romaji (phonetic English spelling). Also, in order to play the matching game, you have to rely on memorizing the Japanese written words instead of remembering how to say them. Another limitation with this method of studying is that the words are completely random. You have no control over which kinds of words you’d like to study.

Overall, we really liked this application. If you don’t mind the limitations it’s worth the $10. It’s a quick way to get in the habit of consistently learning 10 words a day. Check out our iPhone 3G review, music and movie download reviews as well as our other iPhone App reviews to help you get the most out of your iPhone. If you want a more intensive learning experience, be sure to stop by our Learn Japanese Software reviews.