YOMI: Hiragana Katakana RPG

Soheyb

In-app purchases

About this game

Most apps drill you with flashcards. YOMI makes you fight for every character.

You are an exorcist descending into Yomi, the land of the dead. Every yokai you
meet is a Japanese character — and the only way to seal one is to read it, then
write it. Get it right and your talisman strikes. Hesitate, and the spirit takes
a life.

READ IT, THEN WRITE IT
Recognizing a kana is not knowing it. YOMI asks for both: pick the right sound
under a timer, then trace the character stroke by stroke with your finger. The
stroke order is checked as you draw — the same order a Japanese schoolchild
learns. This is how you get from "I think that's shi" to actually writing it.

A YOKAI FOR EVERY KANA
Every hiragana and every katakana has its own creature, drawn in pixel art, and
its own name — and that name begins with the sound you are learning. Kamaitachi
for か, kitsune for き, umibozu for う. The monster IS the mnemonic. Seal one and
it joins your grimoire; a bestiary you fill by learning to read.

THE SANCTUARY TEACHES BEFORE THE FIGHT DEMANDS
Nothing is ever asked before it is shown. New characters are introduced row by
row of the gojuon — the five vowels, then the same series with a K in front,
then an S — so 46 arbitrary signs become five vowels and ten consonants. Each
one comes with its creature, its mnemonic, its pronunciation, and a guided
trace before you write it alone.

A ROGUELIKE, NOT A QUIZ
Three lives. A timer that tightens. Relics that bend the rules — one gives you
more time, one softens your first mistake, one shows a hint when you falter.
Lords wait at the end of each zone: named bosses with their own entrance, their
own story, and a final seal you break by writing the character with your own
hand. Die, and the kana you missed come back to haunt your next run.

REVIEW THAT ADAPTS TO YOU
Spaced repetition runs under the whole game. Characters you find hard come back
sooner, the ones you own come back later, and the title screen tells you what is
due today. Play ten minutes a day and the schedule does the work.

WHAT'S IN IT
- All 46 hiragana and all 46 katakana, taught and reviewed
- Handwriting practice with real stroke-order checking
- Japanese pronunciation for every character
- A yokai from Japanese folklore for every kana, with lore
- Lantern-lit forests, neon harbours, named lords, relics, endless mode
- Free Study in the grimoire: revise any character without risking a run

OFFLINE, NO ADS, NO ACCOUNT
YOMI works on the plane and in the metro. No sign-up, no data collection, no
advertising, no energy timers, no daily rewards designed to hook you. Your
progress lives on your phone.

FREE, THEN ONE PURCHASE
The whole hiragana biome is free forever — its sanctuary, its lords, its
endless mode. One single purchase unlocks the rest: the katakana harbour and
everything still to come, including kanji and words when they arrive. No
subscription. Whatever you have already learned stays free to review, always.

PERFECT IF YOU
- want to finally read hiragana and katakana instead of romaji
- are starting Japanese, or preparing JLPT N5
- have quit three flashcard apps out of boredom
- like Japanese folklore, pixel art and roguelikes

The land of the dead is patient. Trace your first seal.

What’s new

The threshold of Yomi has a new face. Your three roads hang from a rope between the torii's pillars as paper talismans, each written in the script it teaches. Shop, settings, pause and the lord's offering are read on hanging scrolls: a red seal marks your choice, prices sit on paper tags. Fixes: a quick second tap no longer opens a menu over a descent you just started, and the ink wipe between places plays once.