Learn Japanese with Natsume’s Book of Friends

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in Natsume’s Book of Friends?

Ikkimi rates Natsume’s Book of Friends at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: gentle pace, spirit and folklore words. 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, which may cover only the first season.

The words in the title

The Japanese title, 夏目友人帳, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Natsume’s Book of Friends

Ikkimi lists Natsume’s Book of Friends on Crunchyroll. 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.

1. Add Ikkimi to Chrome

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

2. Play an episode

   Open Natsume’s Book of Friends on Crunchyroll. 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.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Natsume’s Book of Friends, 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 N3Fruits Basketフルーツバスケットa polite lead, family talkCrunchyroll
• N4Kiki’s Delivery Service魔女の宅急便a film, 1 h 43Netflix

Also N3

• N3NarutoNARUTO -ナルト-clear voices, ninja words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Mob Psycho 100モブサイコ100casual speech, one fast talkerCrunchyroll
• N3Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Dayあの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。friends talking, everyday words, strong feelingsCrunchyrollNetflix

Harder

• N3 to N2Violet Evergardenヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデンformal polite speech, letters read aloudNetflix
• N2Demon Slayer鬼滅の刃old-fashioned speech, a lot of shoutingCrunchyrollNetflix
• N2Mushishi蟲師quiet, old-fashioned and nature 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 Natsume’s Book of Friends good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: gentle pace, spirit and folklore words. 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 Natsume’s Book of Friends?

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 Natsume’s Book of Friends with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Natsume’s Book of Friends on Crunchyroll. 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.

What does the title 夏目友人帳 mean, word by word?

友人 (yuujin) means “friend”; 帳 (chou) means “book; register”.

How many episodes does Natsume’s Book of Friends have?

AniList’s entry lists 13 episodes of about 24 minutes, first aired in 2008. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Natsume’s Book of Friends?

Shows a little easier than Natsume’s Book of Friends, with genres in common: Spirited Away (N4 to N3), Fruits Basket (N4 to N3) and Kiki’s Delivery Service (N4).

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.