HelloStory: Japanese Stories

The user experience is minimalistic in the best sense, very few features that are essential, no more and no less; the flow for reading is basically uninterrupted because you can check the translations by word or by sentence with tap or hold. In terms of content This is the first app that gives me precisely labeled readings for n5 not too hard nor too easy, just right.

Reading the text in kanji/hiragana/romanji mode first and trying to interpret the meaning all by myself has been such a great motivation to learn new words. I feel a great satisfaction (and also a humbling) after I compare my assumptions to the english translation. It’s been great fun to read at the recommended level. Challenging, yet a fun way to learn immersively.

The app is pretty cool. It has short stories that are pretty easy to get through, but have unfamiliar words. The grammar is also not too bad and a mix of casual and polite depending on the story. The flashcard system is alright, but the app is 100% as of now so I'm not complaining. As long as the app stays free, this is a 5 star from me!