Help
FAQ & Feedback
The questions we are asked most, answered below. If yours is not here, ask it — the form is at the bottom of the page and it reaches us directly.
Getting started
Do I need to know any Japanese to begin?
No. The first chapters start at hiragana — the first script Japanese learners meet — and assume nothing before that.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in your browser, on a phone as well as a computer. A desktop app for offline study is coming.
Can I try it without paying?
Yes. The first three chapters — hiragana and katakana in full — are free forever, and no card is asked for.
Subscription and billing
What does a subscription cost?
$3 a month, or $30 a year. One subscription covers every platform under one account.
Is there a free trial?
No. The free chapters are the demo — work through them before you decide.
Can I cancel?
Any time. Your access runs to the end of the period you have already paid for, and nothing renews after that.
Do you give refunds?
No. Payments are not refundable, which is why the free chapters exist. See the refund policy for the full terms.
What happens if I stop paying?
The paid chapters lock again and nothing else changes. Your progress, notebook, streak and mistake bank are all kept, and resubscribing restores everything at once.
Who takes the payment?
Lemon Squeezy is the merchant of record. They handle checkout, card details and tax, and they are what appears on your statement.
Content and exams
Which exams do you cover?
The JLPT ladder from N5 upward, plus dedicated EJU and BJT paths. Each has mock papers in the real format. Some of these are still being written — the site marks what is not open yet.
How is the audio recorded?
Every sentence and vocabulary item has audio, and it is the same for every learner regardless of interface language.
Is the interface available in my language?
There are 20 interface languages, including Arabic and Hebrew with right-to-left layout. The Japanese itself is never translated — that is the point.
Technical
Does my progress sync between devices?
Yes, once you are signed in. Sign in on another device and your chapters, notebook and streak come with you.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes — the browser version is built for phone screens as well as desktop.
Something is broken. What do I do?
Tell us below, or write to support@tanukisensei.app. Include what you were doing when it happened and we will get to it.
Ask us anything
Your question, or your feedback
Ask something the FAQ does not cover, or tell us how the app is treating you — what works, what does not, what you wish existed. We read all of it.