Bunpo: Learn Japanese Reviews

by LionCerberus

Bunpo is my normal go to for studying Japanese. I’ve increased my knowledge and understanding using Bunpo. But the biggest issue I have is that I had. A bug that prevented Bunpo to recognize the correct answers I submitted when doing a review. So it would mark them as incorrect and so, I’d have like 400 problems to do next review. This wouldn’t be an issue but half of them are the same problem. And I’ve emailed and reported this bug but have gotten poor customer service and responses to fix this issue and it’s been ongoing for a year. Other than that, this would be a 5 star app but the bug and poor customer service bring it down

by Mercatorblue

The free Beginners course is great, but I began to get pretty annoyed with Bunpo starting with the JLPT5 section. Many of the answers that you have to choose from are in straight up kanji, which you obviously won’t be able to read if you just graduated from the Beginner section. The answers don’t always have furigana as well, so you’re basically just guessing on those questions. The questions allow you to press/hold for a translation, however I don’t see why the questions need to use words that are so difficult. Like really specific office-related terms, cmon, why not build example sentences that use more basic JLPT5 level vocabulary?? I don’t even use Bunpo anymore because of how frustrating the user experience is. I give Bunpo ALL the stars for the free Beginners level but anything past that, I regret paying for.

by Vesh Abriel

I loved Bunpo when I first got it. My main goal is to learn basic Japanese by putting in an hour a day while on the subway and then more on weekends.

I eventually hit the paywall once you get past basic vocab, but that’s fine because it seemed really good and I bought the $30 life time license.

I have a couple major problems with this as a 30 app. First off, even after paying the lifetime license, if I have no signal in the subway (which is most of the ride) I CANNOT ACCESS THE PAID CONTENT that I paid 30 for. It’s a bad implementations of a paid license that should be validated on device.

Secondly this is not a vocab app (which is fine) it’s a grammar app. This is great until you suddenly get random sections of listening comprehension read by the equivalent of Siri using words that you don’t know. Not really sure why this is a thing to be honest it seems thrown in and forces me to always have headphones to make any progress through the lessons. Additionally, the voices NEED INTERNET for some odd reason that also makes it not usable during travel with low signal.

It’s good for learning to read kana and basic grammar and honestly my biggest issues are engineering ones, but when you pay $30 for an app on iOS you expect to actually be able to use the content.

by Biiesh

I love Bunpo; love the explanation, examples, and exercises. However I've emailed the team twice and even started an in-app chat to submit feedback and I still haven't gotten a reply in 2 weeks which makes me wonder how much they care about improving. I paid for the lifetime subscription so I want my money's worth.

Anyway here are my suggestions which I believe should be implemented as soon as possible.
-an option where all the grammar points in a level are displayed in a list. It gets annoying having to click on each category to look for the grammar point I want to go back to every time, especially since I can't (and don't want to) remember which category it's in. This would make Bunpo a whole lot easier to navigate around.
-an option where all the grammar points from all levels can be displayed on the same page.
-more variety of sentences for the reviews. It gets boring answering the same questions every time and I think it defeats the purpose of understanding the meaning of the grammar point.

Writing a review on Bunpo store was my last resort actually; I really hope the developers read this and ACTUALLY respond. Thank you.

by Kaldizzleforizzle

Loving Bunpo so far, it’s more in depth than Duolingo with better exercises and has an affordable (pricey for an app, but not for what you get) one time payment option you can choose instead of having to subscribe. The only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the lack of landscape orientation and that it doesn’t alert you beforehand that you’ll need to use the Japanese keyboard for some of the lessons. Love the feature, I was just super confused about whether or not to type in romanji. Great app, I will be using it along with several others to keep learning this language!

by CaputLupinum

I’ve been studying Japanese for years, have tried numerous apps on IOS and can generally say I really like Bunpo and want to be able to use it as my primary learning app. Overall the Japanese portion is extremely well designed—however it contains one major technical flaw.

It does not support Landscape mode in IOS.

Why is that important? Well, you have to type several answers in on a keyboard. Of course you can use the on-screen keyboard and that works ok, but the better approach is to use an actual keyboard. What this means is you either are “texting” your answers in with your thumbs (not the easiest thing to do on a Japanese digital keyboard) or tilting you head sideways while you try to use your physical keyboard because Bunpo is stuck in portrait mode. For phone users with lightning thumbs, this probably isn’t such a big deal.

Given that this is pretty much a standard feature of almost any other major Japanese/Language learning app (LingoDeer, Rosetta Stone, etc), this is a noticeable shortcoming. I emailed the developer and was told that this feature would be added in the future, but that was months ago and it still hasn’t arrived.

I will upgrade my review to five stars if/once they add what should be a fairly standard aspect of apps designed to be on the iPad. In the meantime, if this would bother you as much as it bothers me, I recommend LingoDeer as a competent alternative.

by Theperfectmerkitten

I loved Bunpo when I downloaded it, and subscribed right away because I knew it would be worth it. It has great explanations and exercises, and they are organized neatly into the JLPT levels.

However, over time, I’ve discovered some limitations with it. Sometimes they explain a grammer construct and then during the exercises, it is also used in ways that are very different from what was explained. Another thing to take note of is they taught some ways of usage that a Japanesw teacher specifically taught would be weird to say in real life.

These are just occasional cases, so I would still highly recommend Bunpo , and if you’re really serious about learning Japanese, to use it alongside other resources.

by /ryu/

I really love the exercises and the explanations. They feel well thought out and well explained. I find the little translations for words in some questions to be really useful too. I also love the review feature, it’s super useful and it’s nice that there’s a tip that pops up after review questions involving grammar.
The organization of different grammar lessons is really nice as well. It’s easy to find something you need to go back and look at if you need to.
I like that they included some Vocab lessons/exercises for essential or commonly used words. I hope they consider maybe adding more vocabulary lessons with more common/essential words.
I’m really glad I bought the full version since the features are worth it and I think it’s really cool that you can purchase a lifetime subscription, especially for such a reasonable price.(the monthly prices are pretty good too) Compared to other language apps with subscriptions it’s really nice.
I would highly recommend Bunpo for any level of learners.

by Username_ladiesman217

I’m completely fluent in Japanese, but I need to pass the N2 and N1 tests. I learned Japanese in Japan, by taking to friends and with a dictionary. I never “properly” studied. Bunpo is the BEST for grammar study and learning Japanese in general, in my opinion. No, there is not a lot of vocabulary, but Bunpo TEACHES you to use a Japanese dictionary, so go buy one! Japanese grammar and usage, in my opinion, is much more valuable than vocabulary. Japanese people will judge you on your GRAMMAR usage, not how many words you memorized.

by Home Tech Support

This is a great contrast and complement to Duolingo. Here, the lessons are organized, clearly explained, and thorough. Every lesson is demonstrated with multiple examples. Every example sentence has a recording by a native speaker, (no robots!), and many are illustrated. A clean, simple design and a spare writing style unite to form a coherent experience that reflects the personality of a single author the way team efforts never do. This is my favorite way to study grammar, and my absolute favorite feature is the “monkey button,” which controls whether or not furigana are shown. There are a few typos and mistranslations here and there, but the author makes it easy to submit bug reports and responds to each one. You might think of this more as an interactive textbook than a learning app. It seems expensive for an app, (this is the most I’ve ever paid for an app), but it’s an absolute bargain for a textbook.

by Leendatim

I’ve already learned so much only from being on Bunpo for about 5 to 10 minutes! I highly recommend it if you’re planning to learn Japanese. If you are trying to learn Japanese, Bunpo is a great way to start. It provides very good lessons. And when the speak thingy talks in Japanese and you don’t know what it’s saying, you could tap the bottom and you could see it in English. So you know what it says the more you could pronounce the word and know the meaning of it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING Bunpo

by DarkRedAngel247

Just started using it today and the explanations seem to be really simply and easy. Once thing that would be nice is if the screen was able to flip horizontally right now it can only go vertically and I would love if the screen can flip horizontally like in LingoDeer so I can just use the keyboard I attach to the iPad as I can type a lot faster that way and if the preferred way I like to use apps on my iPad. Anyways keep up the good work this app! Hope this option becomes available in the future. 😸

by Jadecat9

This is an excellent app. I tried the free version but am purchasing the lifetime subscription which is cheaper than most Japanese text books and you can replay the lessons easily.

I started learning Japanese with Duolingo and I think this is WAY better. If you like a little structure when learning Japanese then this is for you.

I enjoy the bite size exercises that you can do anywhere in your spare time. I paired Bunpo with Bunpo , Japanese!, so I could be better at writing hiragana and katakana.

by Andresar

ありがとございます. I’ve been using Bunpo in addition to Genki and it’s been a blessing ! Thank you for the effort and keep the updates coming! Glad you made a pro version. Y’all deserve the coins! :)

One suggestion I have is to please make it easier to review entire sections or mini sections. The review feature only generally covers material sporadically and sometimes I want to drill entire sections (like weekdays) without it being broken up Into the introductory smaller groups. A way to review the entire units covered and continuously drilling it would also help.

Thanks!!

by CKYrunner

I am so happy with Bunpo. It’s the best tool I’ve found for grammar learning. I got it while it was still the free version but I am happy to pay the amazing creators what they deserve. The explanations for all the grammar points are so easy to understand and the examples are very helpful. I use it by itself as well as to help me better understand a text book I’m using. You can ask questions to the creators and get prompt replies. Although most everything is pretty clear in their explanations, you don’t really need to ask many questions. Thank you for helping me get better at Japanese!!!!

by Auston Finrri

So I have been looking for a Japanese learning app that is free but I couldn’t find it until I started getting desperate and downloaded Bunpo and I was met with a screen with a login button and I was like o” oh no” cause I thought I had to pay for it but it took me directly to the learning page and I was like really?and so I started learning and it is very fun and not frustrating like all the other apps it is very easy to learn using Bunpo and it’s like boom next one and not like oh ads after every card. I really like it and hope you do more

by BDiddy091205

it's been a single week of me practicing and learning to about 15 to 40 mins a day and i can already read every hiragana, started katakana, and vastly expanded my vocab (i had 0 prior knowledge of how to read japanese before starting this). the spaced repetition system makes it really convenient to use SR instead of pulling out my laptop for something like anki, and uses what i get wrong/right to determine what needs to be put in spaced repetition. i don't need the paid subscription to do any of this, but my experience is so good that i'm probably going to purchase it when i can just to support the developers. thank you for Bunpo 🙏

by KongisKan

I have been using Bunpo for a few days only, but it’s simply amazing. The lessons are simple but effective. The developer is very, VERY responsive. You can ask him questions about the lessons or point out problems and they get fixed really quickly. I reported two problems and the developer replied and fixed them both within 12 hours.

If Bunpo is ever a paid app or even a subscription, I’d pay for it because responsive developers deserve every support they can get.

Also, I may be wrong about this, but I think the developer is a Japanese native who is fluent in English, so you can be assured that the lessons are as real as they can get, and Bunpo doesn’t try to teach you things the same way as many other apps that teach you by “Enflishying” the language too much.

by Sesamechama

I don’t review many apps but I just had to for this. Bunpo was designed and developed with love. I think that’s the best way I can describe it and you can certainly feel it when you’re using Bunpo . There’s so much thought, care, and consideration put into designing the user experience and curriculum that puts it leagues above other language apps in my opinion. The content is rich, there’s so much attention to detail, the curriculum is well structured, review quizzes are well paced, and design is minimalistic so there’s no unnecessary fluff. Learning Japanese is truly such a joy with Bunpo. I know some early users got it while it was still free. I paid $30 for lifetime use. But honestly I would be willing to pay more; Bunpo is worth so much more than all the other apps that are charging hundreds. Don’t hesitate. Just download Bunpo and you’ll see what I mean.

by Kat____Kat

I quite rarely write reviews for apps. But I love Bunpo. It makes lessons super easy and simple to learn, then it has a review function so you can go over what you learned. You can go over any of the lessons for review too. It does small chunks at a time, so it’s easy to just spend a few minutes on a chunk every few hours. I practice with it during my breaks at work. Bunpo allows you to learn throughout the day without having to put aside too much time(it’s still helpful to put time aside of course though). It’s so perfect, if I only want to practice for a few minutes while I look at my phone between errands. In the few days I’ve been using it I am already getting better. I rarely pay for apps but appreciate Bunpo enough and think the extras are worth it, even though the free version is pretty great too. It’s just such a good app. Also nice that it doesn’t seem to have ads.

by Leonnears

I have been using Bunpo for a few days only, but it’s simply amazing. The lessons are simple but effective. The developer is very, VERY responsive. You can ask him questions about the lessons or point out problems and they get fixed really quickly. I reported two problems and the developer replied and fixed them both within 12 hours.

If Bunpo is ever a paid app or even a subscription, I’d pay for it because responsive developers deserve every support they can get.

Also, I may be wrong about this, but I think the developer is a Japanese native who is fluent in English, so you can be assured that the lessons are as real as they can get, and Bunpo doesn’t try to teach you things the same way as many other apps that teach you by “Enflishying” the language too much.

by Mimamima25

Out of all the Japanese language learning apps I’ve used, I think this one has the best pacing. I don’t feel rushed to memorize too much at one time nor do I find myself wishing I was learning more, faster.

It’s also great for people who know a little japanese already, since the work doesn’t feel like useless review. With other apps I always end up bored with the work I have to “re-learn” to catch up to my level. But here I could pick where I left off appropriately and you aren’t forced to continue with lessons if it’s too easy for you.

by Aka678

I really like the fact that you offer most of the lessons for feee! Please dont change it^^ unfortunately i can not pay for Bunpo , but I would still like to tell people how great Bunpo is. But there is one tiny thing i would like to point out, sometimes when you read the japanese to us you say it a tad but to fast, which then leads too misinterpretations. Could you make it so we could control the speed of the speaking?

Edit: i finally paid for Bunpo , i did not regret it

by KokoLamb

Bunpo is very fun and it’s super helpful! I love apps that incorporate examples and also allow for the reader to make their own guesses from Japanese to English and from English to Japanese. I’ve already referred to to several of my friends that are learning Japanese language, but don’t have the time to take classes at a community college. I went to Japan last year and knew enough Japanese to get by, but would love to continue learning so
next time I return to Japan I can commerce better with the locals in Japanese! :D

by Kelly Bergamini

As far as app designs go, I really like the minimalist aesthetic that is going on here. I am still at N5 and I really think that they should add that because their target audience is probably people that haven’t found the place they are learning a language yet, but that’s just me. When I get to a level that I can actually use Bunpo, I will adjust my review, but I think that these guys really need reviews right now for visibility, and there is certainly potential, so I’ll just leave this here.

by Misono M

Unlike other learning apps they teach words not only sentences, not only that but they use kanji for some of the words. When I study I feel like I am learning multiple things at once, Speaking, the word, kanji, and groupings of words and little things that my mother (a native Japanese) says foreign visitors usually fail at when speaking Japanese. Bunpo is amazing, but you would need to know the basic of sentence structure, grammar, and pronounce words. Which they also teaches in Bunpo . I personally like using Bunpo!!

by CatWhip7

I had Bunpo for the past 6 months maybe. Before, it was good. You could choose a JLPT level and grammar point and get a series of written questions. Sometimes it would crash. Few complaints. But NOW it’s just amazing. There are translations, grammar explanations, readings, listening questions, and free chat options!!!! I don’t think Bunpo could be any better. It is just superb! Perfect for JLPT practice. I have zero complaints at the moment, aside from waiting in suspense for the N4 translations to finish the set!! :D