Learn Japanese with 5 Centimeters per Second

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in 5 Centimeters per Second?

Ikkimi rates 5 Centimeters per Second at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, slow inner monologue. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 44 are easier and 80 are harder.

Levels follow the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). They are Ikkimi’s estimate of how hard a show’s Japanese is to follow, from how fast people talk, how many unusual words there are and how clear the voices are. They are not official JLPT ratings.

Format, episodes, year and genres are from AniList’s entry.

The words in the title

The Japanese title, 秒速5センチメートル, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with 5 Centimeters per Second

Ikkimi lists 5 Centimeters per Second on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Ikkimi does not stream anything: you watch on your own account, in Chrome on a computer, and Ikkimi adds a Japanese line you can click on top of the player.

On Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles. On a Crunchyroll episode, Ikkimi looks for a matching Japanese subtitle file in Jimaku’s public catalogue, loads it and lines it up with the episode by itself. If Jimaku has no file for an episode, you can search by hand in the Ikkimi popup or load a subtitle file from your computer.

On Netflix

On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player, where your country’s Netflix has them for this title, and Ikkimi makes the line clickable. If there are none, open the Ikkimi popup, choose Find Japanese subtitles, and search Jimaku’s catalogue or load a file from your computer.

1. Add Ikkimi to Chrome

   Get the extension from the Chrome Web Store and sign in.

2. Play the film

   Open 5 Centimeters per Second on Crunchyroll or Netflix. The Japanese line appears on top of the video.

3. Click the words you keep hearing

   The video pauses and the word opens: kana, romaji, meaning, JLPT level and a recording by a native speaker where one exists (never a computer voice; otherwise the line from the show plays again). Keep three to five words an episode, the ones that come up again.

4. Review them later

   Kept words come back as flashcards on the Ikkimi website, with the scene and the line they came from, just before you would forget them.

The film runs about 22 minutes, so you can split it over a few evenings and rewatch the scenes you liked.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of 5 Centimeters per Second, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4 to N3Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You君に届けschool romance, a polite leadNetflixCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Tsuki ga Kirei月がきれいquiet school romance, text messages on screenCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Whisper of the Heart耳をすませばa film, family and school talkNetflix

Also N3

• N3A Silent Voice聲の形a film, school talkNetflix
• N3Your Lie in April四月は君の嘘school talk, music words, poetic monologuesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Toradora!とらドラ！school romance, quick argumentsCrunchyrollNetflix

Harder

• N3 to N2BEASTARSschool talk, long inner monologueNetflix
• N3 to N2Chihayafuruちはやふるclub talk, classical poems read aloudCrunchyroll
• N2My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFUやはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。wordy, cynical monologuesCrunchyroll

See every N3 anime or all 192 anime by Japanese level, and read how to learn Japanese by watching anime from zero.

Questions

Is 5 Centimeters per Second good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, slow inner monologue. It sits in the middle of Ikkimi’s levels. A beginner can follow it with kana and romaji on every word, but it is easier after one or two simpler shows.

What Japanese level is 5 Centimeters per Second?

N3, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 44 are easier and 80 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

Where can I watch 5 Centimeters per Second with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists 5 Centimeters per Second on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles, so Ikkimi looks for a matching file in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up with the episode. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player where they are offered, and Ikkimi makes every word clickable.

What does the title 秒速5センチメートル mean, word by word?

秒速 (byousoku) means “speed per second; velocity per second”; センチメートル (senchimeetoru) means “centimeter; centimetre”.

How long is 5 Centimeters per Second?

AniList lists 5 Centimeters per Second as a film of about 22 minutes, released in 2007.

What should I watch before 5 Centimeters per Second?

Shows a little easier than 5 Centimeters per Second, with genres in common: Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You (N4 to N3), Tsuki ga Kirei (N4 to N3) and Whisper of the Heart (N4 to N3).

Sources: show details from AniList; meanings from JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0); readings and word splits from kuromoji.js with IPADIC; JLPT word levels from Jonathan Waller’s unofficial lists. See Credits. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at hello@ikkimi.app.