I’m happy to announce that JA Sensei 6.1.0 is now available on Google Play.

After the major evolution brought by version 6.0, this new update continues the in-depth work on learning. Two modules have received important improvements: Kanji, with better structured readings, and Japanese Counters, which now become a real training space.

Kanji: better use of readings

Kanji readings have been reworked in depth. JA Sensei now distinguishes more clearly between ON, KUN and NANORI readings, as well as common or official readings (Jouyou). You can now tap a reading to get a list of words that use that exact reading.

Several parts of the app already benefit from this improvement: detailed kanji cards, flashcards, quizzes, quiz corrections, search by reading, as well as the Reading, Dialogues and Radicals modules when kanji are displayed there.

In each kanji card, you will also see a new "Anchor Words" section. It offers a few selected words to represent the common readings of the kanji, using frequent words while respecting the JLPT level of the kanji. This is very effective for learning, because words containing other kanji from a higher JLPT level are avoided whenever possible.

Japanese Counters: time to practice

The Japanese Counters module is no longer limited to a simple reference. Two new quizzes have been added to help you practice counters more actively.

• Find the right counter: which counter should be used for this object? JA Sensei displays an illustrated object, and you have to choose the appropriate counter. This helps you associate counters with real visual situations.
• Count with a counter: knowing which counter to use is not enough; you also need to know how to count correctly with it. JA Sensei gives you an object and a number, and you have to produce the correct Japanese form. Very useful for taming irregular forms!

These exercises take your practice into account. Questions you have never seen can appear more often, recent mistakes can come back more regularly, and items seen very recently are given lower priority. Irregular forms can also be emphasized a little more.

I hope these new features will make your learning more concrete, clearer and more motivating. Thank you for your loyalty, your trust and your support. Thanks to you, JA Sensei continues to evolve year after year. I wish you all the best in your Japanese studies!

Download JA Sensei 6.1.0 on Google Play now.