Is It Possible To Learn Japanese Through Anime?

As a fellow anime fan, I know how many of us who love anime also love Japan, so learning the language would only make sense.

Some people may just prefer to watch anime without subtitles and enjoy the visuals as well as the story (instead of focusing on the subtitles most of the time).

However, can we actually learn Japanese through anime?

Several factors determine the answer to that question.

In the past 4-5 years, I have watched anime, and I can honestly say that I have learned some Japanese through it. You won’t be able to maintain a comprehensive conversation with it, but you’ll be able to understand Japanese to a very limited extent. (Disclaimer: I never actually attempted/put effort into learning Japanese from anime, so you might be able to make more progress than I did.)

Even if I didn’t intend to learn Japanese through anime or any other method, the repetition of certain words in most anime makes them stick in your mind whether you want to memorize them or not.

As an example,

I will protect you – Watashi ga mamoru!

Run – Nigerou!

Good morning – Ohayou

Is everything okay with you?/Genki desu ka? – Are you feeling well?

Itekimasu – I’m going now/See you

This list could go on and on. I can think of somewhere within 100-150 Japanese words without even thinking hard, but you get the idea.

Whether you like it or not, these words and sometimes even sentences are just drilled into your head.

It depends on how much anime you’ve watched and how long you’ve been watching.

Having just heard how an uncommitted guy can manage somewhere between 100-150 words so easily, let’s hear about some people who are actually committed.

I heard that a friend of mine studied spoken Japanese initially through anime and then studied normal courses to obtain certification in the language.

Their love of anime led them to learn Japanese and move to Japan.

Guess what? They did. Now they’re studying in Japan! How crazy is that? I never even considered it.

As a student, I always thought I would finish my college in my home country, and then visit Japan as a tourist.

As a result of my perception that the language would be a barrier, I never considered living there or pursuing my studies there.

What I learned is that if you are committed to learning Japanese, you will succeed.

To perfect your Japanese language skills, you might want to take up an actual Japanese course after you’ve gained a solid grounding in the basics watching anime.

I’ve never watched anime with a learning mindset. I watch anime for fun. But I suppose, there are people who will watch anime with a learning mindset for the sake of their dreams and still have fun.

Unless you work hard, learning Japanese won’t be easy.

If you just watch anime and do nothing more, you’ll only go as far as I did. Though if you take proper action, you’ll probably surpass what I learned in 5 years.

However, what actions should be taken?

The process consists of taking notes and talking (thinking) to yourself in Japanese.

If you can’t find the right words, you can always seek help from Google-senpai.

In order to learn a lot in one day, you need to learn a little every day, and repeat and refresh what you have already learned.

However, this is too simple for some people, and they overlook these things totally. There is no magical technique to learn it.

I admit, it’s hard to “think” in Japanese. I’m guilty too.

In order to think anything, I have to go to Google-senpai or look at the (non-existent) notes I took while watching anime if I want to think something like, “Damn, this day sucks”.

Imagine doing this all day! It will exhaust you.

The ‘learn little a day’ part comes into play. A little progress a day is fine. If you learn 20 sentences a week, you’ll be at 80 sentences in a month.

It’s only for the lazy people. If you are able to write down every word of an episode and study it, then by all means do so!

Don’t forget to review it later to reinforce what you’ve learned.

The answer to this question is yes, but only if you work hard. If you think to learn japanese through anime will be easy, you’d better change your mindset.

Not because it is easy, but because you are passionate about it.

You’ll be doing all the work yourself and won’t have a guide, so this is just as difficult as taking a Japanese course.

As a plus, you can manage your time and learn at your own pace, and it is actually fun to learn from anime rather than just “learning to learn.”

Where do you begin learning Japanese from anime? You’ve decided to learn Japanese from anime, but where do you begin?

I have some tips to help you get started on your Japanese learning journey!

If you are a beginner, the best place to start is with one liners. They won’t help you in an actual conversation, but they will help you learn Japanese nonetheless.

You can use those one-liners in your daily life if you take out your notes and write them down.

You should study every word of an episode! Knowing the words comes before grammar and other advanced stuff. Once you feel you’ve learned enough words, move on to grammar and sentence formation.

During the first episode, you should concentrate solely on learning the words and sentences. In your second watch, try to understand the anime without subtitles. Once you can do this perfectly, you’ll be able to meet the requirement to learn while watching. As a result, you won’t have to watch the same thing twice, and can do it all at once.

Make sure you choose the right anime to learn from: this is critically important if you want to learn the language correctly. For example, let’s say you are a boy, and you are learning Japanese from an anime. How would you sound if you were speaking in the language like that? Obviously like a girl, right? So it is crucial to choose the right anime to learn from if you want to speak the language correctly. There are some highly recommended anime that are perfect for beginning learners of Japanese (I’ve linked the post from our site on Top 5 Best Anime For Beginner Lovers! here.) You just have to do a little bit of research and pick the one you like, that’s all.

Make a party: Find people who are interested in learn japanese through anime, and join them! Two is always better than one, right? It’s more fun that way, too. If you can’t find any like-minded people, it’s okay. Just play it alone if that’s the case. That’s not a problem either!

So that’s everything you need to know about learning Japanese from anime. If you take anything away from this post, it’s this:

If you put in the effort and are persistent, you can achieve whatever you desire.

I wish you the best of luck learning Japanese (^^)

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