Learn Japanese with Porco Rosso

Anime by Japanese level › N3 to N2

How hard is the Japanese in Porco Rosso?

Ikkimi rates Porco Rosso at N3 to N2 (faster talk with more unusual words). What sets its level: a film, adult banter, flying words. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 112 are easier and 53 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, 紅の豚, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Porco Rosso

Ikkimi lists Porco Rosso 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 Porco Rosso 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). At this level, turn on the English line under the Japanese at first, and keep only the words that come back.

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 33, so you can split it over a few evenings and rewatch the scenes you liked.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Porco Rosso, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N3ONE PIECEloud and clear, pirate words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3NarutoNARUTO -ナルト-clear voices, ninja words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Gurren Lagann天元突破グレンラガンrough speech, shouted slogansCrunchyrollNetflix

Also N3 to N2

• 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 N2Dandadanダンダダンvery fast banter, slangCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai青春ブタ野郎はバニーガール先輩の夢を見ないquick banter, some science wordsCrunchyroll

Harder

• N2Rurouni Kenshinるろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-old-fashioned speech, sword termsCrunchyrollNetflix
• N2Demon Slayer鬼滅の刃old-fashioned speech, a lot of shoutingCrunchyrollNetflix
• N2Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMISTalchemy and military wordsCrunchyrollNetflix

See every N3 to N2 anime or all 192 anime by Japanese level, and read how to learn Japanese by watching anime from zero.

Questions

Is Porco Rosso good for learning Japanese?

Not as a first show. Ikkimi rates it N3 to N2 (faster talk with more unusual words). What sets its level: a film, adult banter, flying words. It is harder than most beginner shows. Watch it for fun from the start if you like, but learn your first words from an easier one.

What Japanese level is Porco Rosso?

N3 to N2, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 112 are easier and 53 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

Where can I watch Porco Rosso with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Porco Rosso 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 紅の豚 mean, word by word?

紅 (kurenai) means “deep red; crimson”; 豚 (buta) means “pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)”.

How long is Porco Rosso?

AniList lists Porco Rosso as a film of about 1 h 33, released in 1992.

What should I watch before Porco Rosso?

Shows a little easier than Porco Rosso, with genres in common: ONE PIECE (N3), Naruto (N3) and Gurren Lagann (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.