Speaking apps for people living in Japan (as of 2026-10-31)

Konbini Legends is a real-time voice conversation app for foreigners living in Japan: you speak Japanese out loud and an AI conversation partner replies in Japanese by voice, in everyday scenes like the konbini, the ward office, a clinic, the bank and a phone shop.

Disclosure: this page is written by Konbini Legends, one of the apps compared. We've tried to keep it fair. If a fact about another app is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] and we'll fix it.

This is a roundup of apps where you practise speaking a language out loud with AI, looked at from one angle: you live in Japan and want to speak Japanese in daily life. The apps are listed alphabetically after ours. We don't rank them. Each one fits a different kind of learner.

Prices are the in-app purchase prices on each App Store Japan listing (or the company's own pricing page where noted). They can change and can differ by country and promotion. Check the store before you buy.

• ConvoLive: nine languages, and apps on web, iPhone and Android (FAQ).
• Langua: 20+ languages, hands-free Call Mode, and web, iOS and Android apps on one subscription (site).
• Migaku: if you learn from Japanese shows and websites, it turns them into flashcards through a Chrome extension (site).
• Praktika: 14 languages, an interface in 15 languages including Japanese, a choice of correction style, Android, and on the App Store since 2022 (site, App Store).
• Speak: feedback: "real-time feedback on pronunciation and phrasing"; course structure: Learn → Practice → Apply; platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision and Android. On the App Store since 2017 (speak.com, App Store).
• TabiTalk: translation help and offline tools (on-device translation, kana and counters), on iPhone and Android (site).
• Talkpal: a large language list (130+, their figure) (pricing).
• ともわ (tomowa): on iPhone and Android, with a Japanese interface for learners who’d rather read Japanese than English (site).

Konbini Legends, by comparison, teaches only Japanese, has an English-only interface, has no native Android app (Android users use the web app), doesn't score pronunciation, and has been on the App Store only since January 2026. Its App Store Japan listing shows 「無料むりょう」 (free) and no in-app purchases section (as of 2026-10-31).

• Real-time voice conversation in places residents actually go: the konbini, the ward office counter, a clinic, the bank and a phone shop (App Store).
• English for every clerk line, a hint when you're stuck, and repeat or slow-down.
• Feedback: a live transcript of what you say while you speak, plus suggestions in the review after each scene (no pronunciation score); course structure: speaking scenes, with lessons, kanji, review and JLPT-style practice tests for N5–N1 (FAQ), not a keigo course; platforms: iPhone, iPad and a web app (Android via the web app).

Three apps in the table say outright that they're for people in Japan: Konbini Legends (foreigners living in Japan), TabiTalk (people new in Japan or visiting soon) and ともわ (international students).

ともわ describes itself as 「日本にほんに住すむ留学生りゅうがくせいに向むけたAI日本語にほんご会話かいわアプリです。」 (an AI Japanese conversation app for international students living in Japan).

TomoniAI Sensei, a Japanese conversation practice service for international students, shows this notice on its site (as of 2026-10-31): 「11月がつ6日むいかでサービスを終了しゅうりょうします。」 (The service will end on November 6.) Because it's closing, we've left it out of the table (app.tomo-ni.ai).

• What we checked: price, main features, languages you can learn, the app's own interface languages, platforms, and whether there's content for daily life as a resident of Japan.
• Where the facts come from: only what each company publishes itself: its App Store listing (Japan and US storefronts), its Google Play listing, and its own website. Every fact has a link. All facts are as of 2026-10-31 (checked 17:49–17:53 JST).
• Prices: we quote the in-app purchase prices on the App Store listing. Prices can differ by country, by plan and with promotions, and they can change. Check the store before you buy.
• What we didn't do: no ratings, no user reviews, no download or user counts, and no claims about how fast anyone learns. We didn't sign up for paid plans, so we only describe what each company publicly says about its app. We left out apps whose details we couldn't check on their own pages.
• "Not seen" means we didn't find it on the pages we read. It doesn't mean the app doesn't have it.