Underplayed Gems

You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana (2021)

You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana cover
Developer
James Moulang
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Genres
Casual
Rating
4.9 of 5, 348 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 8.2 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a gentle, repetitive drill that pairs minimalist visuals with patient pronunciation cues to build recognition of Japanese characters.

educationalcasualminimalistcutetypingchilltutorialpuzzle

What players say

Players say it is a fun and effective way to lock in hiragana and katakana through typing and tracing, but it is not a full language-learning tool. It skips stroke order and handwriting differences, and some find the tracing annoying. Most finish in under 15 hours.

Screenshots

You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 1You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 2You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 3You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 4You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 5You Can Kana - Learn Japanese Hiragana & Katakana screenshot 6

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.