Gokan SRS: Learn Japanese Vocabulary with Spaced Repetition
Gokan is a free spaced repetition system for Japanese vocabulary. It knows which kanji
you have studied and leads with words built from those kanji, so what you review is
material you can actually read.
Memory works by connection. A word made of kanji you already know has something to
attach to, which is what makes it stick, and knowing what each character means turns a
compound from an arbitrary string into a small story you can tell yourself. That is
what keeps two-kanji words from blurring into each other, at exactly the point where
recognising the shape alone stops working. It runs both ways too: meeting a kanji
inside real words is what turns it into one you can read.
The kanji filter is a default, not a wall. Working through KKLC toward N5 means running
into basic, high-frequency words written with kanji that come much later, and learning
those from scratch is fine. They teach you the kanji from the other direction.
Key Features
- Kanji-aware vocabulary: words led by the kanji you have studied, with the filter optional
- Reading and meaning tested separately, on independent schedules
- Scheduling that reacts to how you answer, not only whether you were right
- 755 grammar points from N5 to N1, drilled against real sentences
- A free dictionary covering 38,000 words, kanji, and grammar
- Google Drive sync, optional, writing one private file in your own Drive
- Free, with no ads and no account required
Who Is Gokan For?
Gokan works best as a companion tool alongside a structured kanji method. If you are
working through a kanji textbook and want vocabulary to reinforce what you learn, Gokan
fills that gap. It is especially valuable once you start reading native Japanese and need
a reliable pipeline of new words.
How Spaced Repetition Works
Spaced repetition schedules reviews at increasing intervals based on how well you recall
each item. Words you find easy are shown less frequently; words you struggle with come
back sooner. Over time this produces durable, long-term retention with less total study
time than traditional methods.
Learn more about Gokan SRS →