Learn Japanese with Nichijou

Anime by Japanese level › N4 to N3

How hard is the Japanese in Nichijou?

Ikkimi rates Nichijou at N4 to N3 (everyday talk). What sets its level: short sketches, everyday words, sudden shouting. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 16 are easier and 148 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, 日常, is a first lesson in itself. Its word, as a dictionary lists it:

How to learn Japanese with Nichijou

Ikkimi lists Nichijou 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 Nichijou 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 Nichijou, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4K-On!けいおん!school club chatter, everyday wordsNetflix
• N4Sweetness & Lightning甘々と稲妻a father and a small child, cooking wordsCrunchyroll
• N4Crayon Shin-chanクレヨンしんちゃんa five-year-old’s cheeky speech, family talkNetflix

Also N4 to N3

• N4 to N3Horimiyaホリミヤcasual school talk, short scenesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N4 to N3Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid小林さんちのメイドラゴンhome and office talk, one very polite speakerCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Komi Can’t Communicate古見さんは、コミュ症です。short lines, written notes on screenNetflix

Harder

• N3Mob Psycho 100モブサイコ100casual speech, one fast talkerCrunchyroll
• N3SPY×FAMILYfast, with spy wordsCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Toradora!とらドラ！school romance, quick argumentsCrunchyrollNetflix

See every N4 to N3 anime or all 192 anime by Japanese level, and read how to learn Japanese by watching anime from zero.

Questions

Is Nichijou good for learning Japanese?

Yes, as an early show. Ikkimi rates it N4 to N3 (everyday talk). What sets its level: short sketches, everyday words, sudden shouting. It is a step up from the very easiest shows, and a good second or third show.

What Japanese level is Nichijou?

N4 to N3, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 16 are easier and 148 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

Where can I watch Nichijou with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Nichijou 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 日常 mean, word by word?

日常 (nichijou) means “everyday; daily; ordinary”.

How many episodes does Nichijou have?

AniList’s entry lists 26 episodes of about 23 minutes, first aired in 2011. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Nichijou?

Shows a little easier than Nichijou, with genres in common: K-On! (N4), Sweetness & Lightning (N4) and Crayon Shin-chan (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.