Begin with listening
New sounds first appear in active listening and choice challenges. Speaking and mixed recall arrive after the sound category is established.
KANA ALOUD HELP
Keep the sound moving.
Help for hiragana, katakana, Pitch Ear, speech practice, and the active retry loop.
Say the kana
In a speaking challenge, wait for the cue, pronounce the kana or word naturally, and use the supported retry when the match is uncertain.
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
Pitch lessons alternate controlled listening, contour choice, imitation, and transfer. They teach a Tokyo Japanese reference model.
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.
The app did not accept a short sound
A single Japanese mora is a very small speech sample. On supported devices, Kana Aloud uses Apple’s on-device Japanese speech recognition, but microphone position, background sound, timing, and operating-system language support can still affect the result.
- Begin after the ready cue rather than speaking over it.
- Keep the start of the sound clear and avoid adding an English-style consonant or trailing vowel.
- Use the reference button, listen once, and retry naturally.
- Use a quieter room to determine whether the microphone route is the cause.
- Use the touch fallback if on-device spoken recognition is unavailable or remains uncertain.
Kana Aloud does not upload microphone audio to ActiveVision. An uncertain machine result should produce another opportunity, not a permanent pronunciation judgment.
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.
In the first beta, 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.
Production feedback is coaching. Early progress emphasizes reliable listening, and an unmeasurable recording can be retried without damaging kana progress.
Where is my progress stored?
The first release stores Kana Aloud learning state locally on the iPhone. Kana Aloud and Kanji Aloud are separate apps with separate progress. Removing the app can remove local progress, so the release interface will state this clearly before a reset or deletion.
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