The best Japanese word game for a learner is the one that makes you produce words at your level. If you are still on kana, play a daily kana puzzle such as Jozu or kotoha. From N5 up, play a crossword that asks for the reading of each word, such as My Senpai Crossword or J-crosswords. With a friend, play Crossword Together or shiritori, which needs no app. Below: a chooser, a mini crossword to try now, and six games compared.
Disclosure: we make My Senpai Crossword, one of the games below. The other facts come from the games’ store listings as shown in search results on November 3, 2026, and from news coverage; we have no affiliate links.
In short
- Kana only: a daily kana puzzle (Jozu, kotoha), five minutes a day.
- JLPT N5 and up: a crossword where you type each word’s reading (My Senpai Crossword, J-crosswords).
- With a friend: Crossword Together on two phones, or shiritori anywhere.
Which Japanese word game fits you? Answer three questions
We make My Senpai Crossword, so weigh its recommendation with that in mind; the chooser points elsewhere whenever another game fits your answers better.
Try it: a mini crossword with six N5 words
Each clue is an English meaning. Type the reading in romaji (for example neko for ねこ); it turns into hiragana, and the grid fills in when the word is right.
| 1 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 4 | ||
| 5 |
0 of 6 words solved.
Every word here is on the JLPT N5 vocabulary list with audio. A full daily puzzle works the same way on a 20×20 grid; the free daily Japanese crossword in your browser needs no download.
Japanese word games compared
| Game | Type | Levels | Platforms | Price | Good for | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Senpai Crossword (ours) | Crossword: read an English clue, type the reading in romaji, the grid fills in hiragana | JLPT N5 to N1, 7,753 words | Android, iPhone, browser | Free: the daily puzzle; in the app also 3 practice puzzles and 1 puzzle with a friend a day. One-time Ad-Free and Unlimited purchases | Recalling words from their meaning every day; playing with a friend | Answers are in kana, so it does not test reading kanji; the browser has the daily puzzle only |
| J-crosswords (renshuu) | Crossword built from word lists | JLPT N5 to N1 and textbook lists (Genki, Tobira, Minna no Nihongo), 9,000+ words | iPhone, Android | Free with 300+ puzzles; US App Store lists an All Puzzles Pack at $4.99 and textbook packs from $1.99 | Reviewing the words of the textbook chapter you are on | Made for review, not for learning new words (the developer says so); fixed puzzle packs |
| Jozu: Daily Japanese | Daily hiragana word puzzle, plus vocabulary practice by JLPT level | Kana and JLPT vocabulary | iPhone, iPad | Free to download, in-app purchases (an extra guess is $0.99 on the US App Store) | A one-puzzle-a-day kana habit | One new puzzle a day; a new app with little information beyond its store listing |
| kotoha | Daily word-guessing game | Modes for learners and fluent speakers | iPhone, iPad | Free to download, optional in-app purchases ($2.99 to $11.99 on the US App Store) | A short daily guessing game in Japanese | One word a day, though past days can be played |
| Kotonoha Tango (ことのはたんご) | Wordle-style guessing game in Japanese | Made for Japanese speakers | Browser | Free | A hard challenge once you know many words | Up to 10 guesses a day; hard for learners |
| Shiritori (しりとり) | Word chain: each word starts with the last kana of the one before | Any level | No app: spoken or on paper | Free | Speaking practice with a friend, tutor or language partner | Nobody checks your words unless your partner knows them |
My Senpai Crossword: a daily Japanese crossword (ours)
My Senpai Crossword is a daily Japanese crossword for learners. Each clue is an English meaning, each answer is a JLPT word, and you type the reading in romaji while the grid fills in hiragana; no Japanese keyboard is needed. You pick N5 to N1 and a fresh 20×20 grid is built from that level’s words, 7,753 in all. The daily puzzle is free in the browser and the app; the app adds 3 free practice puzzles a day and Together mode, where two people fill in the same grid on their own phones, with 1 free puzzle together a day.
Limits, plainly: answers are written in kana, so it tests whether you can produce a word’s reading, not whether you can read its kanji. The browser version has the daily puzzle only, without practice puzzles, Together mode or stats. The free app shows ads and needs a short connection at the start of each puzzle; the one-time Ad-Free purchase removes ads and lets you play offline.
J-crosswords: puzzles from your textbook
J-crosswords comes from renshuu.org. Its store listing describes more than 9,000 words sorted by JLPT level and by textbook, including Genki, Tobira and Minna no Nihongo, with over 300 free puzzles and no ads, timers or stamina system. On the US App Store, the in-app list showed an All Puzzles Pack at $4.99 and textbook packs from $1.99. The developer describes it as a review tool, with its sister app renshuu for learning new words.
Jozu and kotoha: one puzzle a day
Jozu: Daily Japanese gives you a new hiragana puzzle every 24 hours and vocabulary practice by JLPT level, with kana keyboard input and optional romaji; it is free with in-app purchases. kotoha is a daily word-guessing game with modes for learners and fluent speakers; it is free to download, with optional in-app purchases. Reviewers note you get one word a day; an update lets you play past days. Both appeared only on the App Store in our searches.
Kotonoha Tango: Wordle for Japanese speakers
Kotonoha Tango (ことのはたんご) is a free browser game that follows the Wordle idea in Japanese, with up to 10 guesses a day. It was made for Japanese speakers, so it uses words a learner may not know yet. Treat it as a challenge once you are around N3 or above.
Shiritori: the word chain every Japanese child knows
Take turns saying a word that starts with the last kana of the word before: しりとり, りんご, ごりら, らっぱ. A word that ends in ん loses, because no word starts with it, and you cannot repeat a word. Small kana and long vowels have house rules, so agree on them before you start. It is the easiest way to turn vocabulary into speaking with a tutor or language partner.
Why word games help, and where they stop
Recalling a word from its meaning is harder than recognising it in a list, and that effort is what makes words stick; memory researchers call it the testing effect. A crossword clue or a shiritori turn forces that recall. Games do not teach grammar, and most do not show words in sentences, so use them next to reading and a word list for your level, not instead of them.
Frequently asked questions
What are good Japanese word games for beginners?
If you are still learning kana, a daily kana puzzle such as Jozu or kotoha keeps you reading hiragana every day. Once you know N5 words, a crossword that asks for the reading of each word, such as My Senpai Crossword (ours) or J-crosswords, makes you recall words instead of just recognising them. Shiritori needs no app at all.
Are crosswords good for learning Japanese vocabulary?
They are good for remembering words you have already met. A clue gives you the meaning and you have to produce the word, which is harder than picking it from a list, and that effort helps memory. They are weaker for brand-new words, so pair a crossword with a word list for your level.
How do you play shiritori?
Players take turns saying a word that starts with the last kana of the previous word, for example しりとり, りんご, ごりら, らっぱ. A word ending in ん loses, because no Japanese word starts with ん, and you cannot repeat a word. Learners often allow any word they know and use a dictionary to settle arguments.
Can I play a Japanese crossword without a Japanese keyboard?
Yes. In My Senpai Crossword you type the reading in romaji, such as kyou, and the grid fills in hiragana, such as きょう. A romaji chart is one tap away in the app, and you can switch to your phone’s own Japanese keyboard in Settings if you prefer.
Is there a free Japanese word game to play with a friend?
Shiritori is free and needs nothing but two people. In My Senpai Crossword, Together mode lets two people fill in the same grid at the same time on their own phones, and one puzzle together a day is free.
Last reviewed November 3, 2026. Sources: the US App Store pages of J-crosswords, Jozu: Daily Japanese and kotoha and the Google Play listing of J-crosswords, checked on November 3, 2026; renshuu.org; news coverage of Kotonoha Tango by Automaton, Gigazine and The Japan Times; our own My Senpai Crossword pages. Found something out of date? Email fluencytool@my-senpai.com.