Learn Japanese with Howl’s Moving Castle

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in Howl’s Moving Castle?

Ikkimi rates Howl’s Moving Castle at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, some old-fashioned speech. 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, ハウルの動く城, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Howl’s Moving Castle

Ikkimi lists Howl’s Moving Castle 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 Howl’s Moving Castle 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 1 h 59, so you can split it over a few evenings and rewatch the scenes you liked.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Howl’s Moving Castle, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4 to N3Spirited Away千と千尋の神隠しa film, some old-fashioned speechNetflix
• N4 to N3Whisper of the Heart耳をすませばa film, family and school talkNetflix
• N4 to N3The Secret World of Arrietty借りぐらしのアリエッティa film, quiet family talkNetflix

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 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
• N3 to N2Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End葬送のフリーレンcalm speech, magic and fantasy wordsCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～long narration, 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 Howl’s Moving Castle good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: a film, some old-fashioned speech. 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 Howl’s Moving Castle?

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 Howl’s Moving Castle with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Howl’s Moving Castle 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 ハウルの動く城 mean, word by word?

動く (ugoku) means “to move; to stir; to shift”; 城 (shiro) means “castle”.

How long is Howl’s Moving Castle?

AniList lists Howl’s Moving Castle as a film of about 1 h 59, released in 2004.

What should I watch before Howl’s Moving Castle?

Shows a little easier than Howl’s Moving Castle, with genres in common: Spirited Away (N4 to N3), Whisper of the Heart (N4 to N3) and The Secret World of Arrietty (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.