Take advantage of it before the release of JA Sensei 6, a major update that will bring many improvements! Work is still in progress, and I should be able to release it in April. A huge amount of work has been done on the interface, navigation, review efficiency, and more. You won’t be disappointed.

I won’t say more for now to keep the surprise. If you’re planning to upgrade to a Premium account, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the 50% discount before the launch.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

I wanted to share with you some information about the work currently in progress and the upcoming developments.

The next version of JA Sensei is taking some time to arrive, and for a very good reason. For the past two months, I have been doing extensive core development work on the application to prepare a major update.

Here are the main areas I am currently working on:

• Interface modernization
• Technical overhaul of the quizzes (kana, kanji, radicals, vocabulary)
• Update of the review tracking system (SRS)

The next release of JA Sensei will therefore be version 6.0! Don’t worry, I’m not going to change everything. The evolution will be progressive. This first step will mainly provide a new foundation on which I will be able to further evolve certain parts of the app, especially the quizzes!

As this work is extensive but necessary, I prefer to take the time to build something solid, efficient and pleasant to use over the long term.

The goal remains simple: improve JA Sensei without losing its soul. Your trust and support allow the project to keep moving forward year after year.

Make your voice heard!

To help me prioritize and better understand your needs, I have created a quick survey. It only takes 3 minutes and is completely anonymous.

Feel free to answer openly and honestly: your direct feedback is the best way to help JA Sensei evolve and to build a tool that truly meets your expectations.

Thank you sincerely for your time and support!
👉 Click here to open the survey

Dictionary audio update

Since this summer, Samurai Unlimited members have gained access to more than 130,000 new words in JA Sensei. 8,000 audio recordings were added in December, and 2,300 more in recent weeks. This is a significant investment that ensures authentic Japanese pronunciation and the reliability of the learning content.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

5 new lessons

Five new lessons have been added to the Lessons module, featuring varied, everyday situations. We continue our journey alongside the Matsumoto family:

	Takuya’s busy day
	Taking care of Takuya
	Preparing tempura
	Health and well-being
	First time behind the wheel

New grammatical structures and a varied lexical register will help you refine your Japanese in a natural and enjoyable context.

These lessons are 100% free for Premium members. Please reinstall the Lessons module in JA Sensei to update it.

Kanji: updated translations

Kanji translations have been reviewed and improved for greater accuracy and consistency. Advanced kanji that had not yet been translated into French are now fully translated. This provides a clearer understanding of primary and secondary meanings and avoids approximations that can hinder long-term learning.

Radicals: enriched data and deeper meaning

The Radicals module now benefits from a major enhancement with the addition of semantic information. You will find explanations about the origin of radicals, their fundamental meaning, and their role in the construction of kanji. This approach provides real mental anchors: instead of memorizing mechanically, you understand why a kanji has a certain shape and meaning, making memorization and recognition much easier.

Vocabulary: 8,000 new authentic audio recordings

Following the addition of the 130,000-word dictionary, the vocabulary section is enriched with 8,000 authentic audio recordings (no less!) recorded and processed manually. You can now hear natural pronunciation, close to real usage, ideal for improving your listening skills, accent, and speaking fluency.

Reading module: smooth navigation and automatic playback

The Reading module is now even more enjoyable to use. Two new left/right buttons allow you to move quickly from one sentence to another with ease. A full playback button also lets you listen to the entire story: sentences play automatically one after another, as if the text were being read aloud to you, for a more natural and relaxing immersion.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I hope these new lessons and improvements will accompany you pleasantly during the holiday season and at the start of 2026. I wish you a wonderful end-of-year holiday season and an excellent year ahead—peaceful, stimulating, and full of progress. I look forward to seeing you again very soon for the next stage of the adventure, with even more content and ideas to learn Japanese with pleasure.

Download JA Sensei 5.10.3a now on Google Play
Thank you for your loyalty and your commitment to learning Japanese.

Mastering Japanese writing has never been smoother. The new "Assisted Drawing mode" available in the Kana, Kanji, and Vocabulary modules, acts like a magnetic guide between your drawing and the reference strokes. You get instant feedback after each stroke to assess the quality of your writing.

Prefer the classic challenge? The previous "Free Drawing mode" is still available. Simply tap the small magnet icon in the bottom-left corner to switch between Assisted and Free modes instantly.

I have also revamped the Listening Comprehension module with modernized illustrations to make your practice more engaging. Additionally, the old vocabulary page in this module has been replaced by a new list that integrates perfectly with JA Sensei’s core Vocabulary module, creating a seamless workflow between your listening practice and your personal lists.

Black Friday Special Offer

To celebrate Black Friday, I am offering a special discount! JA Sensei Premium will be on sale from November 26th to December 2nd.

Enjoy a 50% discount (amount may vary slightly depending on your local currency) to unlock all premium features and fully enrich your learning experience. It's the perfect time to get full access to the new features mentioned above.

Don’t wait, download JA Sensei 5.10.2 now on Google Play.

This means there are no more limits when creating your personal lists. JA Sensei has become more than ever the ideal partner to work alongside other resources. Whether you are reading a manga, watching a video, preparing for the JLPT exam, or building a personal list for each activity, you can progressively add the vocabulary you encounter.

Also take advantage of JA Sensei’s tools such as Flashcards and Vocabulary Quizzes to learn your new words. The integrated Spaced Repetition System (SRS) in JA Sensei will automatically manage the review intervals to help you retain vocabulary in the long term.

Don’t wait, download JA Sensei 5.10.1 now on Google Play

For the back-to-school season, JA Sensei Premium is 50% off until September 28! Discover all the exclusive features that will make your learning even more effective and enjoyable.  

Download now the latest version of JA Sensei on Google Play and take advantage of this exceptional offer!

A completely redesigned speech recognition system

JA Sensei now offers a fully revamped pronunciation tool for a smoother and more enjoyable training experience.

You can now:

• pronounce each sentence at your own pace, without stress or time limits
• validate spoken elements progressively: the tool recognizes what you've said in real time
• clearly see the text: kanji, furigana, romaji (optional), and translation for better guidance
• repeat as many times as needed to gain fluency and sound more natural

A real breakthrough for effective speaking practice!

This tool is already available in the vocabulary, dialogues, and lessons modules (learning mode only). It is not yet available in quizzes.

Flashcards: new random mode to spice up your reviews

The flashcard tools (kana, kanji, vocabulary) now let you enable random card order.

An excellent way to:

• break the routine by avoiding fixed sequences
• boost active recall by removing predictable context
• personalize your sessions: combine randomness with level filters or progress tracking

A progressive and stress-free approach, perfect for consolidating knowledge before switching to more challenging quiz modes.

New lesson illustrations

Each lesson now features a unique header illustration to:

• immerse you in the lesson's theme right from the start
• motivate you with a richer visual experience
• bring your learning journey to life

Version 5.9.9 is now available on Google Play
Thank you for your loyalty, your feedback, and your passion for the Japanese language!

I’m happy to announce the release of 52 new dialogues in JA Sensei 5.9.8, bringing the total to 152 authentic situations to enrich your learning experience!

Each dialogue comes with:

• professional audio recordings (native speakers)
• translation, grammar analysis, and key vocabulary
• natural and common phrases used in real-life contexts

Ordering at a vending machine, traveling by train or plane, karate, tsunamis, everyday mishaps or major life events like a marriage proposal: you’ll find practical, diverse, and often original situations, all deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

You benefit from exceptional, high-quality language content designed to help you reach a very advanced level in Japanese.

And don’t forget! To help you push your limits and make the most of these new dialogues, the Dialogues module was recently significantly enhanced:

• The Oral Challenge mode – with a timer and speech speed
• The Bronze / Silver / Gold trophy system – go beyond your limits
• A progress chart – visualize your efforts
• Listening comprehension mode – test your ear

Vocabulary Audio Improvement

Some members rightly pointed out occasional volume inconsistencies between words.

I still had access to the original recordings for 11,434 words, so I was able to rework and adjust the volume so they all have the same level. I also took the opportunity to improve their clarity.

If you encountered this issue, you can reinstall the various vocabulary modules in JA Sensei to get the improved version of the audio recordings.

The issue also exists for some example sentences. Here too, I still have the original recordings for about 17,000 sentences. I plan to rework those source files soon to equalize the volume.

Download JA Sensei from Google Play, and don’t forget to rate the app to support its development!

This update focuses on an original Oral Challenge tool and a trophy system. You'll be able to track your progress, take on challenges, and watch your speaking skills improve day by day.

New: The Oral Challenge

This new mode allows you to reproduce dialogues aloud as naturally as possible. The goal is to enhance your fluency and build confidence. It’s very easy to use:

• Launch the Oral Challenge from any dialogue
• The timer starts automatically
• You speak the dialogue aloud as if you were in the actual situation
• At the end, you’ll see your speaking speed (words per minute) and total time

This test helps you measure your fluency and practice as if you were in a real conversation. Your hesitations (about a word, a verb, a phrase) will fade with practice!

Bronze, Silver, Gold: Your performance rewarded

Your speaking speed is compared to that of a native speaker, and you earn a trophy based on your performance:

• Bronze: You're just starting and still need a lot of focus
• Silver: Good pace, just a little more effort needed
• Gold: You're as fast as a native speaker!

Your best trophy is saved for each dialogue, and a small visual indicator shows your progress in the dialogue list.

Graphical tracking of your progress

A simple yet powerful chart displays the evolution of your speed over multiple practice sessions. This helps you to:

• Visualize and measure your progress
• Identify dialogues that need more work
• Stay motivated with visible results

Other practical improvements

• New “Recent access” sorting to quickly find your latest reviewed dialogues
• Your trophies and favorites are saved with your JA account
• You can reset dialogue stats at any time

Download JA Sensei from Google Play, and don’t forget to rate the app to support its development!

First, the module has been reorganized to include the lesson dialogues. This centralizes all dialogues in one place and opens the way for new, dedicated tools available exclusively in the Dialogues module.

And that’s precisely the focus of this new version! JA Sensei 5.9.6 introduces a new Listening Comprehension tool in the Dialogues module. Listening comprehension is a skill that’s often overlooked when learning a language. It requires associating unfamiliar sounds with a precise meaning in our memory. And without comprehension, communication becomes nearly impossible.

New Listening Comprehension Tool

I’ve added a tool that is simple, effective, and focused, to help you train your Japanese listening skills using the existing dialogues. Here’s how it works:

• Tap the new ear-shaped icon at the top right of the Dialogues screen
• Select multiple dialogues at once (preferably ones you’ve already reviewed)
• JA Sensei will randomly play an audio sentence from your selected dialogues
• Listen and translate: you’ll need to concentrate on the sounds to understand

From one sentence to the next, the topic and context can change completely, forcing you to stay focused. The goal is to sharpen your ear and responsiveness using useful everyday sentences, while reviewing content in a way that is active, personalized, and fun.

This is a simple yet powerful method to improve your spoken Japanese—even without a conversation partner. It immediately reveals your weaknesses and helps you fix them on the spot!

Other Improvements in the Dialogues Module

• Favorites management: your favorite dialogues are now saved to your JA account. If you uninstall and reinstall JA Sensei, your favorites will automatically be restored.
• Fast scrolling: with the Samurai Unlimited access, navigating through the 100 available dialogues can be cumbersome. This feature allows you to scroll through the list much faster.

Download JA Sensei directly from Google Play, and don’t forget to rate and leave a review to support and encourage ongoing development.

Sakura season in Kyoto, © 2025 by Chikami Yuka