eKana

eKana is a free application for studying Japanese Hiragana and Katakana. Compared with existing applications, eKana fully supports English and has sufficient information of Hiragana and Katakana. We spent a lot of time to study learning algorithms and introduced one of the best learning algorithms - Spaced Repetition - into eKana which make learners easily to study and memorize Hiragana and Katakana. Additionally, we actively consults other learning applications to make eKana eye-catching. We hope this helps learners have more interest in studying Japanese.

What is Spaced Repetition?
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material in order to exploit the psychological spacing effect. Although the principle is useful in many contexts, spaced repetition is commonly applied in contexts in which a learner must acquire a large number of items and retain them indefinitely in memory. It is, therefore, well suited for the problem of vocabulary acquisition in the course of language learning.

Why Spaced Repetition is important to learning?
1. Because we forget new information very quick: Based on a research of Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, we may forget new information immediately, and forget 80% of what we have learnt after 30 minutes. This experiment was firstly done by Hermann Ebbinghaus and became the basis of many other researches. Most researches show that we would have forgotten 90% of what we have learned within 24 hours.
2. Because it helps our brain puts information in long-term memory: Spaced Repetition helps us do not forget new information because it is designed to recall information when our brain is about to forget the information. Gradually, the information is further ingrained into our long-term memory.