MimikoDownload on theApp Store

Learn Japanese from videos you actually enjoy.

Funny clips, real Japanese, and every word one tap away. Mimiko turns what you watch into words you keep.

Download on theApp StoreFree trial · iPhone
9:41
Kodomo DaysN5–N4
ハナHana走はしったらhashittara危あぶないabunaiよyo

Hana, it’s dangerous to run!

今日きょうkyōはwaパン屋やさんpan’ya-sanにni行いくんだよねiku n da yo ne

Today we’re going to the bakery, right?

食しょくパンshokupanをo一ひとつhitotsuとto牛ぎゅう乳にゅうgyūnyū

One loaf of bread, and some milk.

お金かねokaneをo落おとさないでotosanaideねne

Don’t drop the money, okay?

ママmamaはwa食たべませんtabemasenかka

Mama, aren’t you going to eat any?

Tap any word

一How it works

Watch. Tap. Keep it.

No lessons to sit through. You scroll clips like any feed — the learning happens in the gaps.

01 · Watch

A feed of real Japanese

Short clips from Japanese creators, picked for your level and what you like. The transcript follows along, word by word.

02 · Tap

Any word, one tap

The video pauses and the word opens: reading, meaning in this sentence, examples. Save it and keep watching.

03 · Review

Words come back on time

Saved words return right before you’d forget them — each one with the sentence and clip you found it in.

二Features

Built to teach reading, not just listening.

Subtitles show you a sentence. Mimiko shows you how it’s built — and what you already know.

Furigana over every kanji

Most apps float one reading over the whole word, so you never learn which kanji says what. We put the reading over each kanji, and leave kana alone.

Beginners get romaji too. Turn either off when you’re ready.

走り出したら · “once it starts running”
Over the wordWhich part is はし?
Over each kanji走 is はし, 出 is だ.

Karaoke, word by word

The word being spoken lights up as you hear it. Sound and spelling land together, so you stop losing your place in fast speech.

Missed it? Loop the phrase, or slow it to 0.75× or 0.5×.

Now playing
食しょくパンshokupanをo一ひとつhitotsuとto牛ぎゅう乳にゅうgyūnyū

One loaf of bread, and some milk.

See what you already know

Every word is marked by where it is in your review. New words stand out; words you know fade back into plain text.

Stages differ by line style as well as colour, so they read clearly for colour-blind learners.

Word stages

New

Not saved yet. Solid line — tap it.

New

Learning

Saved and in review. Dashed line.

Learning

Known

21+ days between reviews. No line, still tappable.

Known

三Review

Flashcards that remember where you heard it.

A word on a blank card is easy to forget. Every Mimiko card carries the sentence it came from, and the clip of a native speaker saying it.

  • Context on the frontThe word plus its sentence from the video.
  • The clip on the backHear it again, in the voice you first heard it.
  • Right before you’d forgetAgain or Good — the spacing takes care of itself.
✕
3 / 11

Tap to reveal

ぎゅうにゅうgyūnyū

milk

cow’s milk

One loaf of bread, and some milk.

四FAQ

Questions

Something else? Visit Support.

Do I need to know any Japanese to start?
No. Tell us your level when you start — from “I can’t read hiragana yet” to advanced. Complete beginners get romaji under every word and a hiragana starter deck.
Where do the videos come from?
From Japanese creators on YouTube, played through YouTube’s own player. We add the transcript, readings and dictionary around the video — never on top of it.
How is this different from watching with subtitles?
Subtitles are for understanding once. Mimiko shows the reading over each kanji, lets you tap any word for its meaning in that sentence, and brings the words you save back for review with the clip they came from.
How does review work?
Saved words come back right before you’d forget them. Tap Good and the gap grows; tap Again and it comes back later in the session. After 21 days between reviews a word counts as Known.
How does the free trial work?
New subscribers get a free trial. You’re charged when it ends unless you cancel at least 24 hours before. The trial length and price are shown in the app before you start.
How do I cancel?
Subscriptions are handled by Apple: iPhone Settings → your name → Subscriptions, or Profile → Manage subscription in the app. Deleting your account doesn’t cancel a subscription.
Is it on Android or iPad?
Mimiko is on iPhone for now.

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Scroll, tap, and keep the words.

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