Begin with choices
New sounds are introduced before listening and reading-choice questions. Default practice works without microphone permission.
KANA ALOUD HELP
Keep the sound moving.
Help for hiragana, katakana, Pitch Ear, speech practice, and the active retry loop.
Add voice coaching
Compare a reference with your own temporary recording. An uncertain word or kanji transcription is not a wrong pronunciation; use choices whenever you prefer.
Pass a unit gate
Unit gates mix old and new material. Reliable performance unlocks the next sound family; difficult items return in a focused queue.
Train Pitch Ear
Explore high/low guide tones, contour choices and accent drops. Optional voice coaching can always be skipped. The target is Tokyo Japanese.
Practice locally
The first release keeps study progress on the iPhone. It does not require an account or share progress with Kanji Aloud.
Hear reference audio
Selected Japanese reference prompts use audio prepared with VOICEVOX Nemo and bundled with the app.
Why can’t I simply mark a lesson complete?
Kana Aloud is an active training app. A challenge asks you to listen and choose, see and say, compare, or retry. Opening a lesson alone does not create mastery. A unit unlocks after its active gate, while difficult and slow items return sooner for more practice.
There are no consumable hearts. A missed answer triggers a reference, one focused cue, and a supported retry. After repeated difficulty, the item moves into a focused queue instead of trapping the whole session.
Microphone practice does not begin
- Open iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable Kana Aloud.
- Return to Kana Aloud and reopen the speaking challenge.
- Wait for the short ready cue before beginning the sound.
- If using Bluetooth audio, confirm the expected microphone is connected and move away from wind or competing sound.
Listening and choice challenges remain useful if microphone permission is unavailable.
Free introduction, 3-day Trial and full access
The app download and introduction are free. You can explicitly activate the free 3-day Trial for all lessons and reviews. It lasts 72 hours from the original activation. The full-access price is shown before activation.
After the trial, lessons and reviews pause until you choose the one-time full unlock. The US base price is $0.99; your App Store shows the price for your region. There is no subscription, automatic renewal or automatic charge after the trial. Your progress, settings and free introduction remain available.
Restore an existing purchase
Open Settings → Trial, permanent unlock & restore → Restore Purchases. Use the same Apple account that activated the trial or bought full access. Restoration keeps the trial’s original end date and does not erase learning history. Restoring access does not restore learning progress from another device.
A price or purchase is unavailable
Check your connection and App Store account, then retry loading prices. If Apple asks for authentication or parental approval, complete that in Apple’s interface. A cancelled purchase does not unlock access or charge you. Contact support with the app version and the message you see; never send your Apple account password or payment details.
The app did not accept a short sound
A single Japanese mora is a very small speech sample. Apple’s on-device Japanese recognizer can interpret it as a word or kanji even when you intended the correct kana. Its transcript is coaching information, not a pronunciation score.
- Wait until the app is listening, then speak naturally.
- Compare the reference with your temporary recording.
- Retry in a quieter place if microphone routing or wind is affecting the recording.
- Choose Use choices at any time. Listening and reading choices determine course progress.
An uncertain recording does not count as a wrong memory answer or change the review schedule. Kana Aloud does not upload microphone audio to ActiveVision.
What kind of pitch accent does Pitch Ear teach?
Pitch Ear teaches awareness using a Tokyo Japanese reference model. It trains relative high and low relationships and the location of a drop; it does not treat pitch like musical absolute pitch or English stress.
Word-pronunciation playback is separate from synthetic high/low guide tones. The guide contour is a training aid, not a human-reviewed lexical pitch recording.
Japanese has regional accent systems. A Kansai or other regional pattern is not defective Japanese. The target line in this course is a learning reference for the variety named above.
Voice feedback is optional coaching. You can always continue without a voice score. Pitch voice results do not determine kana mastery or block course progress.
Where is my progress stored?
Kana Aloud stores learning state locally on the iPhone. Kana Aloud and Kanji Aloud have separate progress. Deleting the app may remove that history. Update over the existing app when installing a new version; no in-app cloud or cross-device progress restoration is included in version 1.0.
Reference pronunciation audio
Selected Japanese reference prompts use audio generated with VOICEVOX Nemo and bundled with Kana Aloud. The engine does not run on the iPhone and does not receive learner audio. Other prompts may use Apple system audio or a visual-only exercise where appropriate.
VOICEVOX Nemo is used under its official usage terms. VOICEVOX and VOICEVOX Nemo are independent projects and are not affiliated with or responsible for Kana Aloud.
Still need help?
Email activevision2021@gmail.com or call +971 58 112 1629. Include the app version, iPhone model, iOS version, course and unit, expected answer, and what happened on screen. Do not send a private microphone recording unless support specifically asks for one.
Email Kana Aloud support