TL;DR
A December 2025 blog post compiled a playful 'award show' highlighting standout Japanese-learning tools across platforms and categories. Top picks include Yomitan as Best Overall, Renshuu for phone apps, Jidoujisho for Android and Manabi Reader for iOS, alongside notable Anki-related tools like Kaishi and Kiku.
What happened
A year-end roundup presented as an informal award show catalogued notable Japanese-learning software and resources for 2025. The author named Yomitan the Best Overall tool, praising its browser- and mobile-friendly pop-up dictionary functionality and multi-dictionary integrations; the post notes Yomitan is used by over 90,000 learners. Renshuu received the Best Phone App recognition, while Jidoujisho and Poe were singled out among Android options. Manabi Reader was chosen as the leading iOS reading tool, with features that include dictionary lookups, sending items to Anki, OCR lookup and page-level comprehension statistics; the author also shared screenshots of upcoming Manabi features. The roundup highlighted Anki ecosystem entries: Kaishi as the top deck, Kiku as a modern note type with JavaScript-driven features and many themes, and Priority Reorder as the best add-on. Game Sentence Miner (GSM) was praised for converting visual media into Anki cards with audio and GIFs and for acting as glue between tools.
Why it matters
- Helps learners navigate a crowded ecosystem by identifying tools tailored to specific workflows (reading, flashcards, media mining).
- Highlights strong integrations with Anki and media sources, which can streamline turning encountered language into study material.
- Shows platform differences: Android and desktop offer more all-in-one options, while iOS has more constrained but evolving reader apps.
- Points to emerging tooling innovations (note types and media-to-card workflows) that change how learners create and review content.
Key facts
- Best Overall winner: Yomitan — a pop-up dictionary that works in major browsers and mobile browsers and supports multiple dictionaries, Anki integration and native audio; cited as used by 90,000+ learners.
- Best Phone App (overall): Renshuu — described as offering level-adjusted practice across writing, flashcards and games.
- Best Android app: Jidoujisho — an all-in-one immersion suite supporting AnkiDroid, dictionary lookups, media mining, manga reading and flashcard creation.
- Notable Android alternative: Poe — presented as an Android counterpart to Yomitan with Anki and pitch-accent support.
- Best iOS app: Manabi Reader — enables lookups, sending to Anki, OCR lookup and provides comprehension statistics for pages; the author included screenshots of forthcoming features.
- Best Anki deck: Kaishi — positioned as a modern modular deck focused on high-frequency vocabulary for media comprehension.
- Best Anki note type: Kiku — a JavaScript-enabled note type offering multiple contexts per card, many themes and plugin support.
- Best Anki addon: Priority Reorder listed as the top add-on; other recognized addons include Kanji Grid and Local Audio Server.
- Game Sentence Miner (GSM) converts game/anime/manga content into Anki cards with real audio and GIFs, is free, works offline and supports multiple languages, but has a steep learning curve according to the author.
What to watch next
- Manabi Reader's upcoming features (highlighting known/unknown words and enhanced comprehension stats) — author provided behind-the-scenes screenshots.
- GSM adoption and the community-created tutorials that address its complexity; the author notes many blog posts and videos exist to help newcomers.
- not confirmed in the source
- not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Anki: A spaced-repetition flashcard program used to improve long-term memory retention through scheduled reviews.
- Pop-up dictionary: A tool that displays dictionary information when a user selects text in a browser or app, allowing rapid lookup without leaving the page.
- OCR: Optical character recognition — technology that converts images of text into machine-readable text for search or lookup.
- Note type (Anki): A template in Anki that defines which fields a card has and how those fields are shown on review cards.
- Texthooking / texthooker: Software or scripts that extract text from games, visual novels, or other media so it can be processed or looked up by language-learning tools.
Reader FAQ
Which tool was named Best Overall?
Yomitan was selected as the Best Overall tool in the roundup.
Is Manabi Reader available on iOS?
Yes — Manabi Reader is presented as an iOS/iPadOS/macOS reader with lookup and Anki export features.
Is GSM free to use?
Yes; the post says Game Sentence Miner is fully free and works offline.
Are these industry awards or an official ranking?
The author framed the post as a lighthearted, self-hosted 'award show' summarising tools for 2025.
Does the roundup list Android and iOS winners separately?
Yes — the post names separate winners for Android (e.g., Jidoujisho) and iOS (Manabi Reader).
japanese Best Japanese Learning Tools 2025 Award Show 🏆 Autumn Skerritt 08 Dec 2025 • 33 min read Photo by Su San Lee / Unsplashkuiz Best Overall 🏆Yomitan Anki GSM…
Sources
- Show HN: My app just won best iOS Japanese learning tool of 2025 award (blog)
- Learn Japanese in 2025—The Best …
- Best App to Learn Japanese: What Actually Works in 2025
- Best Apps To Learn Japanese In 2025 (Native Speaker …
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