Questions, answered.

Kani Math is a structured mental-arithmetic program built on the soroban (the Japanese abacus). Kids first learn the bead method on screen, then practise picturing the abacus in their head — accurate mental calculation as a habit, not a trick.

Most learners start between ages 5 and 12. The program ladder is by ability, not age — younger kids begin at Foundation; older kids can place into a higher rung after the free placement exam.

Yes — every level starts on a real, on-screen abacus before moving to mental form. We teach the soroban method (1+4 beads, small friends, big friends) the same way good abacus centers do; the difference is that we put it on phones, tablets, and the browser.

Open the app in any browser. There is no signup wall — Foundation and Basic level lessons, the abacus sandbox, and a daily allowance of drills and versus matches are free. Subscribe later only if your kid wants to keep going.

There is a free tier with the first two levels, plus monthly and yearly subscriptions that unlock all nine levels and uncapped drills. Exact prices show on the home page in your local currency once your country is detected — pricing is set per-market, not one global number.

Same content, same nine levels — yearly is just billed once a year at a discount. Monthly is paid every month and easier to cancel quickly. Pick whichever matches how you want to pay; everything in the app is the same.

Yes. There is no contract and no minimum term. When a subscription ends the profile drops back to the free tier — progress, coins, streaks, and the parent dashboard stay intact.

Yes — centers and after-school programs run on a separate seat-based plan with classrooms, join codes, teacher dashboards, and tournaments. The /demo page is the right starting point; we run a 30-minute walkthrough by video call.

A voucher is a code your center hands out that activates a Kani Math subscription on your child’s profile without paying us directly. Centers buy vouchers in bulk and give them to enrolled families as part of the program package.

Open the app, go to your profile, and paste the voucher code into the redeem box. The subscription activates instantly and you’ll see the new tier on the same screen. No payment details are asked for.

Vouchers come from a Kani Math partner center — typically the abacus or after-school program your child is enrolled in. We don’t sell vouchers directly to families; if your center hasn’t mentioned them, ask the center coordinator first.

Each voucher unlocks a fixed window — usually a month or a term, set by the center. When that window ends, the profile drops back to the free tier and another voucher (or a paid subscription) reopens the paid features.

Book a demo from /demo and we’ll set up a center account with a voucher pool, a teacher dashboard, and classroom join codes. Vouchers are billed by the seat; you only pay for the codes you actually hand out.

Yes. Re-paste the same voucher code on the new device and the subscription transfers — Kani recognises that the code was already activated and adopts the existing profile, so progress, streaks, and settings come with it.

Yes — teachers have their own portal. Once signed in, a teacher can generate homework drills (flash, listen-mode, or column), copy a single share link, and watch attempts come in question by question for every student who opens it.

Anything with a modern browser — phones, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks — plus native iOS apps from the App Store and native Android apps from Google Play. A Windows build is coming next. All builds are from the same codebase, so progress follows the same profile across every device.

Not unless you want to. Open app.kani-math.com in your browser and you can play immediately — no download, no installer. If you prefer a native app, search "Kani Math" on the App Store or Google Play; same account, same progress.

Most of the practice loop works after the first load on web, and the native iOS and Android apps handle short connection drops gracefully. Some screens (subscription, voucher redemption, leaderboards) still need a connection. Plan on having internet for the first session of the day.

Yes. Flash and Boss-Battle drills include an optional Shout mode where your child says the answer out loud. Voice recognition runs entirely on the device — the audio never leaves the phone or laptop, and the mic permission is requested only when Shout mode is enabled.

Yes. One device can hold multiple kid profiles side by side — each with its own avatar, level, streak, and coin balance. Switching profiles is one tap from the home screen.

Yes. Parents see an activity feed, streak history, level progression, drill accuracy and speed, and the coin ledger. It’s built so the adults supporting the learner can see what is actually happening — not just emoji and fireworks.

On the parent device, paste your child’s claim code (it appears in the kid’s profile screen). The two profiles link, and the parent dashboard starts pulling that child’s activity. One parent can link to several kids; one child can be linked by both parents.

Nine levels, in order: Foundation, Basic, Elementary A, Elementary B, Intermediate A, Intermediate B, Higher A, Higher B, and Grand Level. Each rung adds new operations, new digit widths, and a new mental challenge — the same ladder good abacus centers teach.

If they’re new to abacus, Foundation. If they have prior experience, take the free 5-minute placement exam at /placement — it walks through bead reading, mental flash addition, and column arithmetic, then recommends a level with room to grow.

It depends on practice frequency, but most kids who play 10-15 minutes a day finish a level in a few weeks. The galaxy map, missions, and streaks are designed to keep that daily habit alive without nagging.

We collect what is needed for the app to work — profile name (which can be a nickname), avatar choice, language, learning progress, and drill results. We don’t ask for school names, addresses, or photos, and we don’t sell data to advertisers.

No. Kid profiles are device-local with an optional claim code for parent linking. Parents who want the dashboard provide their own phone or email; the child profile itself never asks for one.

The /contact page goes to a real inbox — write what happened, what device, and what you expected, and a person replies within a few business days. If it’s urgent, the email at the bottom of this page works too.