Learn Japanese with The Apothecary Diaries

Anime by Japanese level › N2

How hard is the Japanese in The Apothecary Diaries?

Ikkimi rates The Apothecary Diaries at N2 (fast talk on many topics). What sets its level: court titles, medicine and poison words. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 139 are easier and 15 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, 薬屋のひとりごと, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with The Apothecary Diaries

Ikkimi lists The Apothecary Diaries 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 The Apothecary Diaries 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). 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.

Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of The Apothecary Diaries, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N3 to N2Tokyo Ghoul東京喰種トーキョーグールdark inner monologue, invented termsCrunchyrollNetflix
• 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
• N3 to N2Oshi no Ko【推しの子】show-business words, fast monologuesNetflix

Also N2

• N2Attack on Titan進撃の巨人military words, fastCrunchyroll
• N2ODDTAXIオッドタクシーnatural adult conversation, comedy-duo banterCrunchyroll
• N2PLUTOpolice and robot words, serious speechNetflix

Harder

• N2 to N1Neon Genesis Evangelion新世紀エヴァンゲリオンmilitary, science and psychology wordsNetflix
• N1Bakemonogatari化物語wordplay, very fastCrunchyroll
• N2 to N1STEINS;GATEnet slang, science talk, fastCrunchyroll

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

Questions

Is The Apothecary Diaries good for learning Japanese?

Not for beginners. Ikkimi rates it N2 (fast talk on many topics). What sets its level: court titles, medicine and poison words. It suits learners who already follow easier shows. Expect to click a lot of words at first.

What Japanese level is The Apothecary Diaries?

N2, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 139 are easier and 15 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

Where can I watch The Apothecary Diaries with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists The Apothecary Diaries 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 薬屋のひとりごと mean, word by word?

薬屋 (kusuriya) means “pharmacy; drugstore; chemist's (shop)”; 独り言 (hitorigoto) means “soliloquy; monologue; speaking to oneself”. Words the title writes in another form are shown here as a dictionary lists them.

How many episodes does The Apothecary Diaries have?

AniList’s entry lists 24 episodes of about 23 minutes, first aired in 2023. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before The Apothecary Diaries?

Shows a little easier than The Apothecary Diaries, with genres in common: Tokyo Ghoul (N3 to N2), Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (N3 to N2) and Oshi no Ko (N3 to N2).

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.