# Learn Japanese with Sword Art Online

> How hard its Japanese is, real words from it with kana and romaji, where to watch it, and what to watch before and after.

[Anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/) › [N3](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n3)

**The short answer:** Ikkimi rates **Sword Art Online** N3 for learning Japanese: clear voices, game words. **Good for a beginner? With some help.** 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.

Ikkimi lists Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. On Crunchyroll, Ikkimi finds a Japanese subtitle file for the episode in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up for you. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles and every word becomes clickable.

The Ikkimi web app and Chrome extension come on one plan. The iPhone app is coming soon.

## 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.

| Fact | Sword Art Online |
| --- | --- |
| Ikkimi’s level | N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed) |
| Why | clear voices, game words |
| Japanese title | ソードアート・オンライン |
| Format | TV series |
| Episodes | 25, about 23 minutes each |
| First aired | 2012 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance |
| Where to watch | [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/search?q=Sword%20Art%20Online), [Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/search?q=Sword%20Art%20Online) |

Format, episodes, year and genres are from [AniList’s entry](https://anilist.co/anime/11757), 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:

| Word | Kana and romaji | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ソード | そーど soodo | sword |
| アート | あーと aato | art |
| オンライン N1 | おんらいん onrain | online |

## 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](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ikkimi-%E2%80%94-learn-japanese/kknpmodmojiodjhbgapdgpabdehpnfcb) 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

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Dragon Ball](https://ikkimi.app/anime/dragon-ball/)** ドラゴンボール | N4 to N3 | simple adventure talk, shouting | Crunchyroll |
| **[Digimon Adventure](https://ikkimi.app/anime/digimon-adventure/)** デジモンアドベンチャー | N4 to N3 | children talking, monster names that repeat | Crunchyroll |
| **[Pokémon](https://ikkimi.app/anime/pokemon/)** ポケットモンスター | N4 | made for children, simple adventure talk | Netflix |

### Also N3

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Inuyasha](https://ikkimi.app/anime/inuyasha/)** 犬夜叉 | N3 | a modern schoolgirl among period speakers | Netflix, Crunchyroll |
| **[ONE PIECE](https://ikkimi.app/anime/one-piece/)** | N3 | loud and clear, pirate words that repeat | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Naruto](https://ikkimi.app/anime/naruto/)** NARUTO -ナルト- | N3 | clear voices, ninja words that repeat | Crunchyroll, Netflix |

### Harder

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-](https://ikkimi.app/anime/re-zero-starting-life-in-another-world/)** Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | N3 to N2 | fast emotional monologues, fantasy words | Crunchyroll |
| **[HUNTER×HUNTER](https://ikkimi.app/anime/hunter-x-hunter/)** | N3 to N2 | long explanations of invented rules | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind](https://ikkimi.app/anime/nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind/)** 風の谷のナウシカ | N3 to N2 | a film, formal and old-fashioned speech | Netflix |

See [every N3 anime](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n3) or all 192 [anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/), and read [how to learn Japanese by watching anime](https://ikkimi.app/learn-japanese-with-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](https://anilist.co); 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](https://ikkimi.app/credits/). Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [hello@ikkimi.app](mailto:hello@ikkimi.app).

Tonight’s episode is a lesson.

Get Ikkimi

---

Source: https://ikkimi.app/anime/sword-art-online/ · Updated 2026-10-30 · Contact: hello@ikkimi.app · More: https://ikkimi.app/llms.txt