Learn Japanese with NihongoUp — a Japanese educational game and reviewing tool that will help you learn hiragana & katakana, improve your typing speed, review JLPT kanji, vocabulary & grammar in context.

NihongoUp is a multiple choice game that offers great Japanese practice 1 to15 minutes at a time. It has a desktop and iPhone version (both of which are only $4.99), and works on Windows, Mac and Linux.

I just bought the iPhone version, which was released yesterday, and I think I got my money's worth.

I like the fact that in the "Kanji" and "Grammar" sections, example sentences (which are provided by smart.fm) are used. In the "Kanji" section, a sentence is given with one of the words highlighted in pink, and you need to select the correct kanji for that word. If you select the wrong kanji the correct one replaces the highlighted kana, and is highlighted in dark red. In the "Grammar" section, a sentence is given and there is an underline in place of the missing particle or counter, and you need to select the correct particle or counter from the 4 options given. If you select the wrong answer the underline is replaced with the correct answer, which is highlighted in dark red.

The other great thing about this app is, the only roomaji you're going to find is when you're in the "Kana" section. It gives you the syllable in roomaji and you have to select the correct kana from the 4 options.

There are only a couple of things I would like to see done differently. In the "Vocabulary" section, the "ballons" (like in the other sections) fall from the top, because of this I feel like I'm reading the words backwards. I think I'd rather see the ballons enter in from the bottom, so that I'm reading the word in the correct direction. Also, it would be nice to have the option of selecting your answer or typing it in.

Although the game only offers up to JLPT 4 and 3 in the ”Kanji" section, and JLPT 4 to 2 in the "Vocabulary" section　（The desktop version has all 4 levels in the "Vocabulary" section.）, I think it's at a really good starting point. Maybe they'll offer an online version later down road.


On another note... NihongoUp is having a "Japanese Resource Contest"

The prizes are...
Best reviews:

1. NihongoUp Desktop ($4.99) + Human Japanese Desktop ($18.95) + eduFire Superpass ($29)
2. NihongoUp Desktop + Human Japanese Desktop
3. NihongoUp Desktop

Random choice:

1. NihongoUp Desktop + Human Japanese Desktop + eduFire Superpass

To win "Best Review" all you need to do is write a review on any resource included in the NihongoUp directory (You can also suggest resources you would like added.) and be one of the top 3 reviews choosen. You can write the review in any language and in any media (blog, forum, newspaper, video, etc.). To be entered into the "Random Choice" drawing you can either (1)Write a review on a resource listed in the directory, (2)Tweet about the contest with the #jprcon hash tag, or (3) Become a fan of NihongoUp on Facebook and interact. See the site for more details.NihongoUp - Japanese Resource Contest

The contest deadline is December 14, 2009.

Well I hope this software helps with your Japanese studies, and if you're entering in the contest, "Good luck". Annnd, if you win, I'll be your best friend if you let me have your desktop copy of NihongoUp.

またね、
ジャッキー