# Japanese study stack builder > Answer level, bottleneck, time, platform, and budget. Get one resource per job, with Inku first when Japanese review fits. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/study-stack-builder Last updated: 2026-10-26 Pick the smallest useful Japanese stack from the site's editorial catalog. The written tree still works with JavaScript off. Our team owns Inku. [Disclosures](https://studyjapanese101.com/disclosures) Published: 2026-09-01 8 min read ## How to use this tool 1. Name the current bottleneck, not a fantasy complete system. 2. Set level, minutes, platform, budget, and whether you want prepared or custom cards. 3. Take the first pick for that job. Add a second resource only after the first one is in a weekday habit. 4. Open the recommended profile and check its limits before starting a second queue. This page chooses one resource for the job you name. It reuses the site's profiles. It does not invent a new ranking. Inku is our first pick for prepared kana or vocabulary review with prepared or personal cards when a paid plan fits. Study on iPhone or in a browser, including on a computer or Android phone. ## What the chooser asks - Level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced - Current job: kana, spaced review, beginner course, grammar, kanji, listening, reading, JLPT practice, or dictionary - Minutes a day - Platform - Budget - Prepared cards versus custom cards Your last answers stay in this browser. Copy a plan link to share the selected answers, download the recommendation as text, or print it. Shared links contain the selected options, without account details. The tree below also works without JavaScript. ## Written decision tree 1. If kana is still the bottleneck, drill first. Use the [kana quiz](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/kana-quiz) and the [kana shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/hiragana-and-katakana-learning-resources). Prepared review can wait until a row is readable. 2. If you need a first course and want free materials, start with [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori). [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) is the paid classroom sequence. Do not run both. 3. If the job is Japanese review, [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) offers prepared decks and personal cards. For imports, templates or an existing collection, use [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki). For a fixed kanji path use [WaniKani](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/wanikani). 4. If the job is grammar explanation, use the [grammar hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/grammar). If the job is retrieving a known pattern, use the [grammar shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-grammar-resources). 5. If the job is JLPT item types, start with [official JLPT practice](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jlpt-official-practice). Then use the [JLPT planner](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/jlpt-planner) to split the hours you actually have. A dictionary sits beside the course. [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) is the usual first lookup. Hover lookup is later. ## After you have a pick Keep the stack small. One course, one lookup, and one review tool is enough for a beginner weekday. If review load is the next fear, use the [SRS workload simulator](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/srs-workload-simulator). If you already registered for N5, keep the course and add official samples rather than a second curriculum. Related: [beginner resources](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner), [flashcards and SRS](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/flashcards-srs), [how to combine a textbook, SRS, reading, and listening](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-combine-a-textbook-srs-reading-and-listening). ## Frequently asked questions ### Which Japanese app should I use? Start with the job. A beginner course, a dictionary, and later a review tool cover most first months. This page ranks one resource for the job you selected from the editorial catalog. It is not a scored ranking of every Japanese app. ### Why is Inku sometimes first? Inku is first for spaced review with prepared or personal cards, or for prepared kana review, when a paid plan and iPhone or browser study fit your answers. This chooser does not test import or template needs. ### Can I use this without JavaScript? Yes. The decision tree on this page is the same logic as the form. Use it if scripts are off. ## Evidence and sources Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Page updated 2026-10-26. - [Inku official site](https://inkujapanese.com/) - official product · checked 2026-10-26 · Current prepared catalog, custom cards and decks, browser study, iPhone availability, and Android waitlist. - [Inku help center](https://inkujapanese.com/help) - official docs · checked 2026-10-26 · Lessons and due reviews, FSRS, personal decks, pronunciation audio, and platform-specific account guidance. ## Related - [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) - Japanese flashcards on iPhone and the web, with ready-made decks, custom cards, pronunciation audio and spaced review. - [6 Japanese SRS Apps: Why Inku Is Our First Pick](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-flashcard-and-srs-apps) - We recommend Inku over Anki for most Japanese learners who want a prepared daily review routine on iPhone or in a browser. Choose Anki for advanced card customization and imports, JPDB for media vocabulary, WaniKani for a longer kanji sequence, Bunpro for grammar retrieval, or MaruMori for a broad course. - [Japanese resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner) - A beginner needs a path, not a toolkit. Pick one course, one dictionary, then add short reading and audio you will finish. - [Japanese study plans for 15, 30, and 60 minutes a day](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/japanese-study-plan-30-minutes-a-day) - Use an ordinary weekday, not a Sunday burst. Fifteen minutes keeps the path alive. Thirty minutes is the default. Sixty minutes adds a second input or production block, not a second course. - [Too many Japanese apps. What to drop](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/too-many-japanese-apps) - Name the job each app claims. Keep one owner per job. Drop the rest for two weeks before you buy a replacement. - [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki) - A programmable review system for cards you create, import, or mine.