Top Anime I Used to Learn Japanese as a Beginner
One of the best things about learning Japanese is that there’s no dearth of entertainment options that you can use to learn and practice Japanese. Be it books, manga, dramas or anime, you’ll find media suitable to your level and interests that can aid in your studies.
In this post I’ll be reviewing the anime that I used for immersion when I was learning Japanese as a beginner. I’ll be going over them in the order of the easiest to the most advanced.
Wondering about how to use anime to learn Japanese in the first place? Check out how to learn Japanese from anime.
1. Chi’s Sweet Home
This anime is about a kitten, Chi, who gets lost from its family and is subsequently adopted by a boy and his parents. Each episode is only a few minutes long and shows the daily life of the kitten adapting to its new domestic environment.
In terms of Japanese level, this anime has to be the easiest I’ve ever seen since it’s probably aimed towards pre-schoolers. While the language used isn’t difficult, the overly cute and childlike speaking style of Chi, can make what is being said hard to follow initially. Regardless of how much of a beginner you may be in Japanese, you’ll grow out of this one pretty quickly.
It also has a sequel which is animated in 3D but I haven’t seen it because I found out about it when it was already below my level.
2. Shirokuma Cafe
Shirokuma cafe follows the adventures of a panda and other animals that frequent a cafe run by a polar bear. That description might make you think that this anime is also childish but that’s far from the truth. Unlike Chi’s Sweet Home, it’s an anime that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and intellectual capacities. In fact, it’s so funny that I would recommend it to people who are interested in a fun slice of life anime even if they’re not using it to learn Japanese.
The vocabulary used in the show is suitable for beginners. A really strong point of this anime is that typical anime language and expressions that would sound weird in normal conversation aren’t used as much here. Additionally, the unhurried spoken pace of the dialogues makes following along easier. Since most of the episodes feature situations from everyday life, you’ll come across vocabulary that you can use in a wide range of common occasions. The best part of this anime is that you also get to learn much about everyday Japanese life, culture, traditions and customs.
With over a hundred episodes, this anime should keep you busy for a good while. This is the anime that I would credit as giving me the bulk of the Japanese practice and exposure as a beginner that prepared me for JLPT N3.
3. Cardcaptor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura is an anime I first watched during a time when I didn’t even know what anime was. Learning Japanese from this anime will be nostalgic for anyone who remembers watching this as a kid on TV.
I would peg it a little bit higher than Shirokuma Cafe in terms of Japanese difficulty. Aside from a few special expressions, the vocabulary is mostly suitable for beginners. However, the real challenge was that characters spoke quite a bit faster in their excitement, compared to the lazy relaxed pace of Shirokuma Cafe. A nice bonus is that the anime familiarises you with Kansai-ben (関西弁) which is the dialect of Japanese spoken in and around Osaka.
Something that annoyed me when watching this to practice Japanese was that the anime is full of long sequences such as action scenes where nothing much is actually spoken. In other words, dead time from the perspective of Japanese practice.
4. Clannad and Clannad After Story
Among fans of anime, Clannad needs no introduction. I could describe it as a slice of life anime that shows the life and challenges faced by a diverse crew of high school students; but that wouldn’t accurately describe the tear-jerker that is the final part of Clannad After Story.
Though the language in this anime is the most stereotypically anime-ish of all in this list, I feel that it still accurately captures everyday conversations. Given how long it is, you’ll find a lot of practice out of it.
That said, I admittedly didn’t enjoy this anime except for the final few episodes of After Story. However, as first foray into a typical slice of life anime, it’s opened my eyes to the language learning potential of this genre. Hitherto I had only watched anime like Death Note and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure that, while entertaining, are extremely unsuited for beginners in Japanese.
5. Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden is about the emotionally robotic titular character as she discovers her past involvement in war while working as a letter writer who visits clients and captures the emotions they want to convey in a letter. Through empathising with her clients over the course of this journey, she is gradually able to emotionally open up.
Unlike the other anime in this list, I didn’t watch this one as a beginner. Thus, I may remember it as being easier than it is. Nonetheless, most dialogues are about practical daily life activities. One thing that can trip up beginners is the amount of polite and formal expressions used. On the other hand, that is great practice for anyone aiming to practice intermediate Japanese.
The anime is only a few episodes long but it has some of the most visually enrapturing scenes that enhance its emotionally simple yet deep subplots.
I won’t claim that the anime in this list are the only ones beginners can use to learn Japanese, or that they’re even the best. It’s always recommended to use any list as just a starting point to find and discover what’s the best for you. There’s no point in sticking to an anime just because it’s good for beginners if you don’t end up actually watching and practicing from it. Hence, it’s important that you enjoy what you choose to watch so that you can stick to it for the long run. For me that anime was Shirokuma Cafe. Let me know what you use and why.
Don’t forget to check out how to learn Japanese from anime if you’re wondering about how to use these anime to study in the first.
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