Duolingo got it just right.
And just wrong.

BetterLingo is where you actually learn Japanese.

JLPT-grade questions. Spaced repetition that respects your time. An AI tutor that explains the why. No gems. No streak panic. No owl threats.

Start free → I have an account

Meet Rami · your AI tutor

You can miss something small. Rami won't let it slide.

One wrong particle. One off nuance. One kanji you confused with another. Tiny stuff. The stuff that quietly stops you from speaking real Japanese.

Rami catches it, explains why, and shows you the right pattern — in plain English (or your native language).

▶ TRY IT — NO LOGIN

N5 ANSWERING

at the library

先週、何をしましたか？

"What did you do last week?"

↑ small mistake on purpose. Hit submit, watch Rami catch it.

Rami sees your full answer, the question, your level. So the help is specific — not a generic chatbot guess.

What Duolingo nailed

What it missed

Same daily habit. Different outcome.

Feature	Duolingo	BetterLingo
Wrong answer feedback	✗Red X. Try again. No reason.	✓Per-choice explanation. Why each option was right or wrong.
AI tutor	✗Generic chatbot. Paywalled.	✓Rami — sees your answer, the question, your level.
Open writing practice	✗Tap the tiles in order. That's it.	✓Free-form answers. Sentence-by-sentence eval.
JLPT alignment	✗None.	✓Every question tagged N1–N5. Real test format.
Kanji study	✗Mixed in. No real depth.	✓Dedicated bank. Onyomi/kunyomi/mnemonics + test mode.
Spaced repetition	✗Hidden. Opaque.	✓SM-2 (Anki's algorithm). You see the schedule.
Streak guilt	✗Yes. Owl ultimatums.	✓None. Show up when you can.
Hearts / gems	✗Yes. Run out, pay or wait.	✓None. You can't fail-out.
Ads	✗Between every lesson on free.	✓Zero.
Price	✗$84/yr Super to remove ads.	✓Free to start.