“Hey, after I graduate we should go to Japan”
My best friend texted me one night last summer. This has been a dream of ours since we were little kids. We promised each other we would dye our hair pink and visit Japan. Now, more than ten years later we still want to go, but with slightly more mature reasons. She wants to visit Japan to connect with her family and culture and I have an interest in Japanese street fashion and Japanese food. While planning, we were able to figure out most of the plans, except one- the language barrier. Enter Memrise.
I found Memrise when I was scrolling through the Play Store. I was unhappy with the newly introduced Japanese course on Duolingo for Android and I was looking for an alternative. As of today, I have been using Memrise for sixty-two days.
(#humblebrag)
For anyone looking for a language learning app, here’s what you need to know.
The Good
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Memrise is free to use, both on PC and on the app, but there is a premium version.
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It feels like a game, there are “levels” for each subject and achievements you can unlock
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Memrise is comprehensive, you hear, read, and spell out the word you learn.
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There are so many languages! There’s Spanish, Korean, Russian and many more!
The Bad
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My friend who has an iPhone says certain courses are locked until you buy the premium version.
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The PC version is very difficult to use. There’s a timer while you are reviewing and if you run out of time you get the word wrong.
I have a long way to go before I can confidently say I am fluent in Japanese; however, I can confidently say that with Memrise I am off to a good start.