Kasui, Yasui!

What's free, addictive, and helps you develop your Japanese vocabulary?

The sweet sight of a blank screen at Level 7.

The answer, for me at least, is a fun little app called Kasui (Kanji + Yasui = Easy Kanji) by Mauro Persano. The best part is not that it is free, but that there appear to be no strings attached. The app does not ask for any special permissions to be installed on your phone, nor does it use any advertising. As far as I can tell, its sole purpose is to allow students of Japanese to develop their kanji recognition, learn some new vocabulary, and have some fun competing for high scores along the way.

The only drawbacks are minor ones. A couple words are neologisms that you won't find in any Japanese dictionary I'm aware of. Also, once you make a word, the hiragana disappears so quickly that you might find yourself more focused on game success than acquiring new vocabulary. In the end, that isn't really the game's fault but the player's.

So, if you want a bit of Tetris-like action to spice up your Japanese language learning, check out Kasui.

Here's a link for the version in the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, I could not find a version in the App Store if you're an iPhone user. Anyway, let me know in the comment section if you try it. Happy learning!