Learn Japanese with TikTok

Everyone from Ariana Grande to your best friend’s dog is on TikTok right now and it’s easy to spend countless hours enjoying the creative, funny – and sometimes outright weird – content.

But did you know you can learn Japanese from TikTok too? With several great Japanese-language accounts and creators making Japan-related content, there’s no good excuse to not level-up your Japanese skills while enjoying everything that TikTok has to offer.

We look at how you can learn Japanese with TikTok and who to follow for the best Japan content.

Japanese-learning accounts

Nihongo no Mori 

@nihongonomori

Originally a YouTube channel with the same name, Nihongo no Mori is a popular and fun account to learn some useful Japanese from. Explanations are super easy to understand, always presented in a fun way and relevant to daily life, making it great for beginners and more advanced learners alike who want to learn Japanese from TikTok.

Andy Watabe 

@andydesu

This account is a great one for beginner Japanese learners as Andy does all his explanations in English and the Japanese he teaches is relatively simple. It’s often related to daily life and he often creates videos according to requests from his followers.

TakoAki Japanese

@takoakijapanese

The videos on this account are best enjoyed with some Japanese knowledge, as well as some knowledge of Japanese culture and society. He teaches useful and natural Japanese in context, often ending the video with a humorous twist.

@takoakijapanese聞いたことない日本語(Japanese I’ve NEVER heard)【Part58】##オリジナルネタ募集中 ##memes ##japanese♬ original sound – TakoAki Japanese🐙

Go! Go! Nihon

@gogonihon

This list wouldn’t be complete without our very own account, where we publish entertaining and educational videos related to studying in Japan. Throughout the month of April, we published one Japanese language video every day, teaching everything from basic numbers to how to express love in Japanese. Check us out here.

To look for more Japanese-learning accounts, simply search for #learnjapanese on TikTok!

Japanese culture and society

あちまゆ (achimayu) 

@a2mayu

Get ready for cuteness overload – this Japanese couple makes relatively easy-to-understand videos about moments in their daily lives. To fully enjoy the videos and understand the subtexts, we recommend this account for intermediate Japanese learners.

@a2mayuカップルあるある〜立場逆転編〜 ##tiktokバレンタイン ##カップルの日常 ##tiktok日常教室 ##カップルあるある♬ オリジナル楽曲 – あちまゆ🐶

Maydaysan

@maydaysan

Maydaysan is rapidly gaining popularity for his comedic and easy-to-follow videos on Japanese life and society. Formerly an assistant language teacher, he makes videos commenting on all aspects of life in Japan. He also likes to mention Japanese pop culture, so anime and manga fans will appreciate the references he makes in some of his videos.

@maydaysanKit-Katsu! #japan #japanese #funny #anime #weeb #otaku #comedy #日本　#日本語　#日本人　#笑笑　#面白い　#foryou #fyp♬ original sound – maydaysan

マリーヌさん家のヤバい同棲生活 (Marinesan ka no yabai dousei seikatsu)

@marine.ryo.videos

Marine and Ryo are an international couple (she’s French, he’s Japanese) who turn moments in their daily lives into cute anime videos. There is no English or furigana readings for the kanji, so we recommend this account for intermediate to advanced learners.

Popular Japanese TikTok accounts

柴犬コマリ (Shibainu Komari)

@shibakoma

One of a plethora of dog accounts on the internet, this is one of the most popular accounts with over 4 million followers. Involves many shots of Komari the shiba looking adorably into the camera.

@shibakoma2 years later🐶 ##時を戻そう ##柴犬 ##tikdog ##dog ##fyp ##foryou♬ I’m Just a Kid – Simple Plan

じゅんや (Junya)

@junya1gou

The comedy of this account might fly over the heads of those who don’t relate to slapstick humour. But, more than 3 million people enjoy following him as he attempts various “challenges” for comedic purposes.

Hinata 

@hinata_0512

A 13-year-old Japanese schoolgirl with almost 3 million followers. Videos are primarily of her lip syncing.

はやたく(hayataku)

@wd7754

Hayashi Takuma, also known as Hayataku, was already a bit of a social media star in Japan before joining TikTok. His videos feature lip syncing, some dancing, humour and Japanese male idol haircuts.

Famous Japanese people on TikTok

Naomi Watanabe

@naomiwatanabe

Famous comedian and actress.

@naomiwatanabe実質初TIKTOK🙋♀️本当は可愛いやつやりたい😂 ##何も意味がない物語♬ Level Up – Ciara

Gackt

@gackt

Musician and singer with a long career in entertainment.

Pikotaro

@pikotaro

The pen-pineapple-apple-pen guy.

Arashi

@arashi_5_official

Arguably the most famous Japanese boy band of the moment.

@arashi_5_officialダンスはもう完璧？🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻Have you perfected the new dance yet? Show us what you’ve got using ##ARASHIR3HABChallenge##ARASHIChallenge ##R3hab ##嵐 ##ARASHI♬ Turning Up (R3HAB Remix) – 嵐

Perfume

@perfumeofficial

Japanese girl pop group from Hiroshima prefecture.

What’s your favourite Japanese TikTok account? Tell us in the comments.

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