Netflix shows for beginners

14 comments

1. As far as i know, there are no netflix shows for N5 only. But they can still force you to learn new words!

2. Yeah I’m not so sure about N5, maybe one piece because they often use basic phrases that you can pick up on “どこだ” “お前は誰だ” “これは何” -> “where? Who are you? What is this?” That sort of thing. I would also recommend watching shows in English that have Japanese subtitles, a lot of Netflix produced shows have this but not all

3. “Old enough” (in Japanese: hajimete no otsukai”) is a cute show with short episodes and lots of on screen text. Little kids hilariously run errands while being carefully supervised by adults with hidden cameras. Might be fun for casual watching and to pick up some words along the way.

4. I’m not sure how it would be for N5 but Midnight Diner is a great show that should be on Netflix. It is quite slow and relaxed with relatively simple, daily vocabulary, and it should have Japanese subtitles as well. I think it will be tough at first but so is pretty much everything when you first start watching/reading it IMO. Best of luck!

5. Maybe “Old Enough”? It’s about little kids running errands around their neighborhoods, filmed in the typical Japanese game show style. It’s cute, pretty basic vocab.

6. From Me to You was lovely and contained lots of N5 vocabulary and recognisable grammar

7. I think Rilakkuma is probably the most accessible. Nothing will be easy at N5, but I do think this is one of the easiest shows to follow, and it’s short, so you can do the whole watch/rewatch subtitle method in decent time.

8. It’s pretty hard to find a show on Netflix suitable for N5. Try to stick to more of the slice of life shows or shows geared towards kids?

   Kimi Ni Todoke or some Studio Ghibli movies (But not Spirited Away, that can get difficult sometimes) would be your best bet.

   Try to find something with Japanese subs so that you can easily see what exactly they’re saying to make it easier to search in dictionaries or to look up the grammar pattern.

9. I am me – OL Yokos late night overtime

10. Komi Can’t Communicate is a great anime for beginners on Netflix. However I was still learning hundreds of new vocabulary per episode.

11. You will need subtitles but Midnight Diner and Good Morning Call have good enunciation and I’ve found useful at how words are used or what word to use in situations. I’m working towards N5. Long way to go.

12. Makanai on Netflix. Mostly simp,e phrases and idioms. Some good new vocabulary. Plus an excellent story of teenage girls who set out to Kyoto to become Maiko.

13. I’m half way between n4 and n3 and let me tell you i still can’t watch easy japanese shows lol

14. I mined a lot of words out of Teasing-Master takagi san when I was nearing n4, I think it has a lot of awesome vocabulary and following along with JP subtitles and pausing to understand it, helped my Japanese out a lot then.

    Its also a super cute wholesome show.