KanAR: An Augmented Reality App for Japanese Learning Beginners

Japanese is popular among language learners across the globe and in Hong Kong, and the number of Japanese learners has been increasing over the years. For the majority of beginners learning Japanese, the first challenge is to learn the alphabet, also referred to as the Kana. Traditional rote learning, which is based on repeated recitation of the alphabet, can be repetitive and boring for some learners. Language learning apps have offered new ways of learning Japanese, but most of these apps lack interactivity, do not offer appropriate feedback, and do not monitor learning progress. This project designed a mobile app that remedies these three weaknesses in helping learners learn the Kana. This mobile app utilizes cutting-edge technologies such as augmented reality to enable users to view the stroke animation of a Kana character's word card and follow this animation to practice writing that character. This app also enables users to listen to the pronunciation of each Kana character and practice their pronunciation. In addition, it tracks and provides a summary of the user's learning progress.