WaniKani FAQ
Plain-English answers to the questions WaniKani learners ask most often, and a few about Wanilog itself.
Is Wanilog free?
Yes. Wanilog is free, has no account or signup, and is supported as a personal side project. You only need a WaniKani API key, which stays on your device.
Does Wanilog need my WaniKani password?
No. Wanilog uses a personal access token generated from WaniKani's API v2 settings page. Your WaniKani password never leaves wanikani.com, and the token is stored only in your browser's localStorage.
How does Wanilog predict my WaniKani finish date?
Wanilog measures the duration of each level you have already completed, takes the median (which resists outlier weeks), and projects that pace across your remaining levels up to your goal. Recent levels weigh more heavily, so a change in pace is reflected quickly. You can also drag a what-if slider to see how a faster or slower pace shifts the finish date.
Is Wanilog a replacement for wkstats?
Yes. Wanilog is a modern, phone-first reimagining of wkstats.com with real projection math, JLPT and Joyo coverage, a leech trainer, reading coverage on NHK news, share-card export, and an installable offline PWA. It runs entirely in your browser, with no backend storing your data.
Does Wanilog work offline?
Yes. After your first sync, Wanilog caches your WaniKani data locally and works without an internet connection. Install it to your home screen or dock as a Progressive Web App and it launches instantly, even on planes or the subway.
What counts as a "learned" kanji on Wanilog?
Anything at Guru I (SRS stage 5) or higher. That matches WaniKani's own "passing" threshold - the cutoff WaniKani uses to count kanji toward the 90% rule for levelling up. Apprentice items (stages 1 through 4) are in-progress, not learned, and don't count yet.
Why does my next WaniKani level take so long?
WaniKani requires 90% of the current level's kanji to reach Guru I before you can advance. The minimum path from a fresh lesson to Guru I takes around 3 days and 10 hours on the default SRS (around 1 day and 13 hours on the accelerated SRS used in levels 1 and 2). Kanji that depend on unfinished radicals or earlier kanji can stack additional days on top.
What are the WaniKani SRS intervals?
Apprentice I = 4h. Apprentice II = 8h. Apprentice III = 23h (around 1 day). Apprentice IV = 47h (around 2 days). Guru I = 7 days. Guru II = 14 days. Master = 30 days. Enlightened = 120 days. Burned items leave the review queue. The wait shown is the time you spend at that stage before the next review. Levels 1 and 2 use an accelerated schedule that halves the Apprentice waits.
What is a "leech" in WaniKani?
A leech is an item you keep getting wrong despite repeated reviews - it eats your time without making real progress. Wanilog's Accuracy page surfaces leeches, ranks them by how recently you slipped, and offers a flashcard trainer mode so you can drill the worst offenders in one focused session.
Does WaniKani cover the JLPT?
Roughly: WaniKani teaches close to 100% of N5 and N4 kanji, about 85% of N3, around 75% of N2, and a little over 65% of N1. Wanilog's JLPT coverage page breaks this down by your current WaniKani level so you can see exactly how much of each tier you have already learned.