Inku is built and operated by our team. This profile uses the same study-role and limitation structure as the independent profiles, but you should read the recommendation with that ownership in view.

Inku is an iPhone Japanese flashcard app with prepared kana, vocabulary, topic, and phrase material. It uses spaced repetition, includes audio in the main card library, and stores core review progress on the device without requiring an account.

What is prepared on day one

The public Inku catalog snapshot, verified July 10, 2026, lists 2,701 vocabulary cards, 436 phrases, and 6,000 audio clips across 16 unlocked study bundles. The library includes:

  • hiragana and katakana;
  • vocabulary across JLPT N5 through N1;
  • topic decks;
  • casual, polite, and travel phrase packs;
  • bundled pronunciation audio; and
  • kana handwriting practice.

Prepared material is the point. A learner can begin a review loop without finding a shared deck, designing templates, or choosing fields.

The role Inku is trying to fill

Inku fits between a general flashcard workshop and a large course. It is for the learner who wants a small daily recall habit around Japanese material, but does not want review to become a configuration project.

That makes it a possible companion to a textbook, class, reading habit, or broader course. It does not try to make those sources unnecessary.

The important limits

Inku does not offer Anki-style custom card authoring. If you need to capture vocabulary and sentences from your own reading, Anki is the more capable choice.

It is not a sequenced kanji course with prerequisite radicals and level unlocks; WaniKani owns that role. It is not a grammar explanation and typed-retrieval system; Bunpro is designed for that job.

Inku is currently iPhone-only. The official product page states that Android is not on the roadmap at the time of this review.

Local progress and account posture

Core reviews, saved progress, and bundled audio live on the iPhone. The app does not require an account. Purchases, restores, diagnostics, signed catalog updates, and missing-audio fallback can use Apple or app services.

Local progress reduces signup friction but also means learners should understand the app’s device and backup behavior before treating it like a cross-platform archive.

Pricing

The current US product page lists a seven-day free trial followed by either $49.99 per year or $3.99 per week. Regional pricing can vary and subscriptions are managed through Apple.

The weekly plan is flexible but expensive when extended. If the routine fits, compare the annual cost rather than letting a short billing period become the default.

How to evaluate it fairly

Use the trial with a small number of daily cards. Test audio, answer reveal, review pacing, and whether the prepared library overlaps your actual Japanese goals.

Do not choose Inku because this site owns it. Choose it only if the lower-setup iPhone role is the job you need. The correct result of this profile may be Anki, WaniKani, Bunpro, MaruMori, or no new SRS tool at all.