Learn Japanese with Sword Art Online

Anime by Japanese level › N3

How hard is the Japanese in Sword Art Online?

Ikkimi rates Sword Art Online at N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: clear voices, game 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, ソードアート・オンライン, is a first lesson in itself. Its 3 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Sword Art Online

Ikkimi lists Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll and 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 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.

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 Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll or 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 Sword Art Online, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N4 to N3Dragon Ballドラゴンボールsimple adventure talk, shoutingCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Digimon Adventureデジモンアドベンチャーchildren talking, monster names that repeatCrunchyroll
• N4Pokémonポケットモンスターmade for children, simple adventure talkNetflix

Also N3

• N3Inuyasha犬夜叉a modern schoolgirl among period speakersNetflixCrunchyroll
• N3ONE PIECEloud and clear, pirate words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3NarutoNARUTO -ナルト-clear voices, ninja words that repeatCrunchyrollNetflix

Harder

• 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 N2HUNTER×HUNTERlong explanations of invented rulesCrunchyrollNetflix
• N3 to N2Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind風の谷のナウシカa film, formal and old-fashioned speechNetflix

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

Questions

Is Sword Art Online good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: clear voices, game 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 Sword Art Online?

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 Sword Art Online with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll and Netflix. 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. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player where they are offered, and Ikkimi makes every word clickable.

What does the title ソードアート・オンライン mean, word by word?

ソード (soodo) means “sword”; アート (aato) means “art”; オンライン (onrain) means “online”.

How many episodes does Sword Art Online have?

AniList’s entry lists 25 episodes of about 23 minutes, first aired in 2012. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Sword Art Online?

Shows a little easier than Sword Art Online, with genres in common: Dragon Ball (N4 to N3), Digimon Adventure (N4 to N3) and Pokémon (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.