Learn Japanese with Castle in the Sky

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in Castle in the Sky?

Ikkimi rates Castle in the Sky at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, adventure talk, clear voices. 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, 天空の城ラピュタ, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Castle in the Sky

Ikkimi lists Castle in the Sky on 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 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 Castle in the Sky on 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 2 h 05, so you can split it over a few evenings and rewatch the scenes you liked.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Castle in the Sky, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4 to N3Dragon Ballドラゴンボールsimple adventure talk, shoutingCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Digimon Adventureデジモンアドベンチャーchildren talking, monster names that repeatCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Spirited Away千と千尋の神隠しa film, some old-fashioned speechNetflix

Also N3

• N3ONE PIECEloud and clear, pirate words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3NarutoNARUTO -ナルト-clear voices, ninja words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Sword Art Onlineソードアート・オンラインclear voices, game wordsCrunchyrollNetflix

Harder

• N3 to N2Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind風の谷のナウシカa film, formal and old-fashioned speechNetflix
• N3 to N2HUNTER×HUNTERlong explanations of invented rulesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活fast emotional monologues, fantasy wordsCrunchyroll

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

Questions

Is Castle in the Sky good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, adventure talk, clear voices. 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 Castle in the Sky?

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 Castle in the Sky with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Castle in the Sky on Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player where they are offered, and Ikkimi makes every word clickable.

What does the title 天空の城ラピュタ mean, word by word?

天空 (tenkuu) means “sky; air; ether”; 城 (shiro) means “castle”.

How long is Castle in the Sky?

AniList lists Castle in the Sky as a film of about 2 h 05, released in 1986.

What should I watch before Castle in the Sky?

Shows a little easier than Castle in the Sky, with genres in common: Dragon Ball (N4 to N3), Digimon Adventure (N4 to N3) and Spirited Away (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.