NicoNico Douga - Japan's YouTube Alternative

NicoNico Douga (ニコニコ動画 - Nikoniko Douga) currently known only as nico nico is a very popular Japanese video sharing site in Japan. The word niko niko indicates the onomatopoeia of laughter while douga literally means video. The site gets a lot of prominence because of its real-time comment system where they appear over the video. The site is also famous for streaming and lives, especially among otakus and Japanese gamers.

The site was founded by Niwango and launched in 2006 using youtube as video hosting. The site grew so big that youtube was forced to block access and Nico Nico had to create his own video hosting service. Nico Nico douga was the first site to introduce a way to embed tags and comments directly into videos, allowing 2channel It's from youtube were displayed simultaneously.

While Japanese people turn to youtube for quick news and information, nico nico douga is the real place where Japanese people can enjoy jokes, vocaloid, game covers, dances, lives, music, anime scenes and much of Japanese pop culture. The Nico Nico Site already has more than 53 million registered users, receiving more than 338 million monthly visits. The niconico Site is perfect for socializing with Japanese people and learning Japanese!

Niconico Douga - the YouTube of Japan

Getting to know Nico Nico Douga

To access the website nico nico douga you must enter the link https://www.nicovideo.jp/

To upload, comment and view videos you need to register and be logged in. To see the Japanese comments on the video, you need to change the site language to Japanese at the bottom of the page. Watching videos on nico nico can be a lot of visual pollution, but that's the intention! You'll find a flurry of comments popping up in the video, and you can make yours at the right moment! Despite being strange, this commenting strategy ends up keeping people on the site longer.

The real-time on-screen comment system allows users to exchange and share their emotions of the exact moment that is happening in the video. Niconico's comments tend to contain a lot of cross-references and inside jokes. The site is also a great source of virals and memes. The otaku community feeling is the main reason for Niconico Douga's success. That's because it's difficult for some adults to admit or talk about anime in person, since niconico allows them to do that.

Niconico Douga - the YouTube of Japan

NicoNico also has a mylist system where users can create up to 25 folders as a kind of bookmarks. The site also has an exclusive section for lives called niconico live, a community of illustrators called niconico seiga, and an encyclopedia section called niconico pedia.

You can comment at any time through the text box below the video and specify the position the text will appear, font size and color. You also see a list of comments next to the video and the time they appear. The site also has a premium membership system that allows for some features and perks.

Terms used in NicoNico

Niconico users often use a unique vocabulary, a set of phrases and characters that are widely used on the platform. If you are new to niconico, you might get confused. That's why we've prepared a guide to terms and vocabulary for you to understand what people are saying.

  • Shoken (初見) = First time watching a video;
  • Namanushi (生主) = Live broadcast - abbreviation of 生放送主;
  • WWWWWW = Laughs
  • BBA = Abbreviation of babba which means old woman;
  • 888888888 = Means palms, the reading is pachi pachi which forms an onomatopoeia of palms;
  • KP = Kanpai which means a toast, cheers;
  • こy = A mixture and abbreviation of kowaii from Japanese and scary from English which means scary;
  • おk = means "Okay";
  • おこk = Another way of saying OKOK;
  • ひy = Abbreviation of hiwai meaning obscene, crazy;
  • Arashi Troll
  • NG = Not good (no good);
  • ggrks = Abbreviation for guuguru kensaku (google search);
  • JK/JD/JC/JS = Joshi (female) from (Kou) High School, (Dai) College, (Chu) High School, (Shou) Elementary;
  • 実況プレイ = GamePlay;
  • 演奏してみた = Music presentation;
  • 歌ってみた = Attempt to sing a song, cover;
  • 踊ってみた = Attempt to dance to a song;

Have you had the chance to use this site that is very popular among Japanese and otakus? What is your experience with him? Have you seen any references in anime? Hope you enjoyed this little article, thanks for the comments and shares.

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