For WaniKani people
Looking for WaniKani,
but for German?
Wortplay is an independent German vocabulary course built on the loop that makes WaniKani so satisfying: learn a few words, come back for reviews, watch the level bar move.
Independent project. Not affiliated with WaniKani or Tofugu.
The loop, in German
Lessons
A small batch of new words, with article, plural, and a two-way quiz.
Reviews
They come due through the day. Type the answer both ways.
Level up
When 80% of a level’s words reach Adept, the next one opens.
Where it comes from
Wortplay began with WaniKani.
The loop was the whole point. Learning Japanese with WaniKani, a handful of lessons in the morning, reviews trickling in through the day, and a level bar that moved because you kept turning up made coming back feel worthwhile in a way no deck or streak ever had.
German learners deserved that loop too. Plenty of us arrive at German after burning out elsewhere: on streaks and hearts that reward showing up rather than learning, or on a home-made deck that needs as much curating as studying. Wortplay takes the WaniKani rhythm and applies it to German. The order is decided for you, the reviews are scheduled for you, and the next level opens when you have earned it.
It is a tribute, not a copy. Wortplay shares WaniKani’s rhythm and its published review intervals. Everything else, from the words to the drills, is built for German. It is an independent project by WattWisdom, LLC and is not affiliated with WaniKani or Tofugu.
Side by side
Same loop, German words.
What carries over, and what does not. Facts about WaniKani are as published on its site and may change.
| WaniKani | Wortplay | |
|---|---|---|
| What you learn | Radicals, kanji, and vocabulary for Japanese | German words with their articles, plurals, and verb forms |
| The course | 60 levels, in a fixed order | 212 levels in a fixed order, common words first, plus a Level 0 of basics you can mark as known |
| The loop | Lessons, then reviews as they come due. Level up when the level’s kanji reach Guru | Lessons, then reviews as they come due. Level up when 80% of the level’s words reach Adept |
| Answers | Type the meaning and the reading | Type German to English and English to German, article included |
| Spaced repetition | Apprentice, Guru, Master, Enlightened, Burned | Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master, Known, on the same intervals |
| Free start | Levels 1 to 3 | Levels 1 to 2, for as long as you like |
| Memory aids | A mnemonic for every radical and kanji | None. German has no radicals to build stories from, so Wortplay leans on frequency order, example sentences, and audio instead |
| Beyond the words | Kanji and vocabulary reinforce each other | Optional drills for gender, verb forms, prepositions, and sentence gaps |
| Community and API | A forum, an API, and third-party apps | Not yet |
| Price | See WaniKani’s site | Free levels, then $8 a month or $76.80 a year. Plans |
The part that is identical
The stages, side by side.
Wortplay schedules reviews on the interval constants WaniKani publishes in its API, so a word waits exactly as long as a kanji would.
| WaniKani | Wortplay | Next review after |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice 1 | Apprentice I | 4 hours |
| Apprentice 2 | Apprentice II | 8 hours |
| Apprentice 3 | Apprentice III | 1 day |
| Apprentice 4 | Apprentice IV | 2 days |
| Guru 1 | Adept I | 1 week |
| Guru 2 | Adept II | 2 weeks |
| Master | Expert | 1 month |
| Enlightened | Master | 4 months |
| Burned | Known | No more reviews |
Levels 1 and 2 use the faster early intervals (2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 1 day), as WaniKani’s first levels do. A mistake sends a word back a stage or two, further from Adept up. More on reviews.
Before you switch
A few honest answers.
Does Wortplay have mnemonics?
No. Mnemonics are WaniKani’s signature, and they work because kanji are built from parts. German words are not, so Wortplay puts its effort into order, example sentences, and recorded audio. You can keep your own notes on any word.
Is Doitsukani the same thing?
No. Doitsukani adds German translations to WaniKani’s Japanese course, for German speakers learning Japanese. Wortplay teaches German.
Is Wortplay made by Tofugu?
No. Wortplay is an independent project by WattWisdom, LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WaniKani or Tofugu. Their names belong to them.
How much of the WaniKani feel is really here?
The lessons-then-reviews rhythm, the typed answers, the level bar, and the review intervals. Not the mnemonics, the community, or the API. See the whole routine.
Your next few words
Bring the routine to German.
Start with the free levels. If the loop worked for you once, it will work again.