Benesse Corporation and Sega have developed a learning game called "Touch de Puyo Puyo" to teach kanji to elementary students [1].
This collaboration integrates professional game design into formal education to combat the difficulty of kanji memorization. By using gamification, the companies aim to increase children's motivation and encourage them to maintain a consistent study routine [1, 4].
The game will be available on the "Challenge Touch" tablet materials used by the Shinkenzemi Elementary Course in Japan starting July 25, 2026 [1, 3]. Benesse first announced the project on June 15, 2026 [2, 3].
In "Touch de Puyo Puyo," students learn by matching and clearing kanji radicals—the building blocks of characters—through a puzzle-based interface [1]. This method transforms the traditional rote memorization of characters into an interactive experience. The initiative coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Puyo Puyo series [5].
By embedding the game directly into the Shinkenzemi hardware, the companies ensure that the educational tool is accessible to their existing user base without requiring additional software downloads [3, 4]. The focus remains on the structural components of the kanji, helping students understand how different radicals combine to form complex characters [1].
“The collaboration brings gamified kanji study to Shinkenzemi elementary school tablet materials.”
The partnership reflects a growing trend in East Asian education to merge commercial gaming intellectual property with academic curricula. By leveraging the 35-year brand recognition of Puyo Puyo, Benesse is attempting to reduce the psychological barrier children face when learning kanji, potentially shifting the pedagogy from passive repetition to active problem-solving.
