# Learn Japanese with Crunchyroll

> Japanese subtitles you can click, on the anime you already watch, found and timed for you.

**The short answer:** Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles, which makes it hard to learn from. **Ikkimi**, a Chrome extension, finds a matching Japanese subtitle file for the episode you are watching, lines it up with the video, and makes every word clickable, with its reading in kana and romaji, its meaning and its JLPT level. Words you keep become flashcards with the scene they came from.

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

## 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.

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Polar Bear Café](https://ikkimi.app/anime/polar-bear-cafe/)** しろくまカフェ | N5 | slow, polite everyday talk | Crunchyroll |
| **[Teasing Master Takagi-san](https://ikkimi.app/anime/teasing-master-takagi-san/)** からかい上手の高木さん | N5 to N4 | two speakers, short lines | Netflix, Crunchyroll |
| **[Flying Witch](https://ikkimi.app/anime/flying-witch/)** ふらいんぐうぃっち | N4 | slow everyday talk, clear voices | Crunchyroll |
| **[Sweetness & Lightning](https://ikkimi.app/anime/sweetness-and-lightning/)** 甘々と稲妻 | N4 | a father and a small child, cooking words | Crunchyroll |
| **[Non Non Biyori](https://ikkimi.app/anime/non-non-biyori/)** のんのんびより | N4 | slow countryside life, children talking | Crunchyroll |
| **[Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure](https://ikkimi.app/anime/soaring-sky-pretty-cure/)** ひろがるスカイ！プリキュア | N4 | made for children, clear voices, catchphrases that repeat | Crunchyroll |
| **[Kemono Friends](https://ikkimi.app/anime/kemono-friends/)** けものフレンズ | N4 | simple cheerful speech, animal facts | Crunchyroll |
| **[Laid-Back Camp](https://ikkimi.app/anime/laid-back-camp/)** ゆるキャン△ | N4 to N3 | calm talk, camping words, text messages on screen | Crunchyroll |
| **[Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You](https://ikkimi.app/anime/kimi-ni-todoke-from-me-to-you/)** 君に届け | N4 to N3 | school romance, a polite lead | Netflix, Crunchyroll |
| **[Horimiya](https://ikkimi.app/anime/horimiya/)** ホリミヤ | N4 to N3 | casual school talk, short scenes | Crunchyroll, Netflix |

See [every anime by level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-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.

Tonight’s episode is a lesson.

Get Ikkimi

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Source: https://ikkimi.app/learn-japanese-with-crunchyroll/ · Updated 2026-10-30 · Contact: hello@ikkimi.app · More: https://ikkimi.app/llms.txt