Learn Japanese with Crunchyroll

How it works

1. Play an episode on Crunchyroll

   Open any episode in Chrome on your computer, on your own account. Ikkimi reads which show, season and episode it is.

2. Ikkimi finds the Japanese subtitles

   It searches Jimaku, a public catalogue of Japanese subtitles, for that exact episode (or film), picks the right season, and loads the file. No account or key needed.

3. It lines them up with your video

   A file made for TV or Blu-ray is shifted again after every ad break. Ikkimi matches it to Crunchyroll’s own subtitle timing, stretch by stretch.

4. Click any word

   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 it with one click; it comes back as a flashcard on the Ikkimi website.

Good anime on Crunchyroll to start with

The easiest shows on Crunchyroll by Ikkimi’s levels, from N5 (easiest) up. Where a show streams varies by country.

• N5Polar Bear Caféしろくまカフェslow, polite everyday talkCrunchyroll
• N5 to N4Teasing Master Takagi-sanからかい上手の高木さんtwo speakers, short linesNetflixCrunchyroll
• N4Flying Witchふらいんぐうぃっちslow everyday talk, clear voicesCrunchyroll
• N4Sweetness & Lightning甘々と稲妻a father and a small child, cooking wordsCrunchyroll
• N4Non Non Biyoriのんのんびよりslow countryside life, children talkingCrunchyroll
• N4Soaring Sky! Pretty Cureひろがるスカイ！プリキュアmade for children, clear voices, catchphrases that repeatCrunchyroll
• N4Kemono Friendsけものフレンズsimple cheerful speech, animal factsCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Laid-Back Campゆるキャン△calm talk, camping words, text messages on screenCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You君に届けschool romance, a polite leadNetflixCrunchyroll
• N4 to N3Horimiyaホリミヤcasual school talk, short scenesCrunchyrollNetflix

See every anime by level.

Questions

Does Crunchyroll have Japanese subtitles?

Rarely. Most Crunchyroll anime only has subtitles in English and other languages, not in Japanese. Ikkimi fills the gap: on a Crunchyroll episode it finds a matching Japanese subtitle file in Jimaku’s public catalogue and loads it by itself.

Are the Japanese subtitles in time with the episode?

Jimaku’s files are often timed for a TV or Blu-ray release, so they drift. Ikkimi moves each stretch of lines onto the timing of Crunchyroll’s own subtitles for that episode. In our tests on real episodes this brought a TV-timed file from about 9.5 seconds late to within about 0.2 seconds. You can still nudge it with Z and X while you watch.

Do I need a Crunchyroll Premium account?

You need a Crunchyroll account that can play the episode. Ikkimi works on top of your own account and does not stream anything itself.

Can I see the English line too?

Yes. The English line under the Japanese comes from the episode’s official English subtitles. Turn it on or off with the EN button.

What if Jimaku has no file for my episode?

Search by hand in the Ikkimi popup (a show can be listed under its Japanese name), or load a subtitle file from your computer. When Jimaku has several shows that could match, Ikkimi lists them and loads the episode from the one you pick.