Learn Japanese with Space Brothers

Anime by Japanese level › N3 to N2

How hard is the Japanese in Space Brothers?

Ikkimi rates Space Brothers at N3 to N2 (faster talk with more unusual words). What sets its level: adult workplace speech, space 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, which may cover only the first season.

The words in the title

The Japanese title, 宇宙兄弟, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Space Brothers

Ikkimi lists Space Brothers 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 Space Brothers 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). 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.

With 99 episodes on AniList’s entry, the same words get many chances to come back.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Space Brothers, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N3One-Punch Manワンパンマンdeadpan casual speech, hero titlesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3Mob Psycho 100モブサイコ100casual speech, one fast talkerCrunchyroll
• N3SPY×FAMILYfast, with spy wordsCrunchyrollNetflix

Also N3 to N2

• N3 to N2Dandadanダンダダンvery fast banter, slangCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2The Way of the Househusband極主夫道short episodes, gangster speech about houseworkNetflix
• N3 to N2Kakushigotoかくしごとpuns, manga-making wordsCrunchyroll

Harder

• N2The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱fast, wordy narrationCrunchyroll
• 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
• N2Dr.STONEscience words, shoutingCrunchyroll

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 Space Brothers 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: adult workplace speech, space 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 Space Brothers?

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 Space Brothers with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Space Brothers 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 宇宙兄弟 mean, word by word?

宇宙 (uchuu) means “universe; cosmos; space”; 兄弟 (kyoudai) means “brothers and sisters; siblings”.

How many episodes does Space Brothers have?

AniList’s entry lists 99 episodes of about 24 minutes, first aired in 2012. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Space Brothers?

Shows a little easier than Space Brothers, with genres in common: One-Punch Man (N3), Mob Psycho 100 (N3) and SPY×FAMILY (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.