Learn Japanese with Ranma ½

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in Ranma ½?

Ikkimi rates Ranma ½ at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: slapstick, martial arts 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.

How to learn Japanese with Ranma ½

Ikkimi lists Ranma ½ 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 an episode

   Open Ranma ½ 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.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Ranma ½, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4 to N3Horimiyaホリミヤcasual school talk, short scenesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N4 to N3Komi Can’t Communicate古見さんは、コミュ症です。short lines, written notes on screenNetflix
• N4 to N3Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You君に届けschool romance, a polite leadNetflixCrunchyroll

Also N3

• N3My Dress-Up Darlingその着せ替え人形は恋をするcasual slang, sewing and cosplay wordsCrunchyroll
• N3Mob Psycho 100モブサイコ100casual speech, one fast talkerCrunchyroll
• N3SPY×FAMILYfast, with spy wordsCrunchyrollNetflix

Harder

• N3 to N2Dandadanダンダダンvery fast banter, slangCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2Porco Rosso紅の豚a film, adult banter, flying wordsNetflix
• N2Kaguya-sama: Love Is Warかぐや様は告らせたい～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～a fast narrator, formal and scheming speechCrunchyrollNetflix

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

Questions

Is Ranma ½ good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: slapstick, martial arts 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 Ranma ½?

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 Ranma ½ with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Ranma ½ 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.

How many episodes does Ranma ½ have?

AniList’s entry lists 18 episodes of about 24 minutes, first aired in 1989. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Ranma ½?

Shows a little easier than Ranma ½, with genres in common: Horimiya (N4 to N3), Komi Can’t Communicate (N4 to N3) and Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You (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.