Can You Use Bilibili in English? Language Options for International Viewers

Short answer: yes, with caveats. Bilibili has been investing in international users, but the main site remains a Chinese-first experience. Here’s an honest breakdown of what’s available and how to work around the rest.

The official situation

• The international app offers interface language options and, on some content, AI-generated subtitles or dubbing. Availability varies by region and by video.
• The main website (bilibili.com) is designed for domestic users. Interface translation is not built in; content subtitles depend entirely on what each creator uploads.
• bilibili.tv is a separate international streaming service focused on licensed anime and shows for Southeast Asian markets. It is not the same catalog as the main site.

Because these details change with app versions and regions, treat any specific instruction — including older guides — as time-sensitive. What stays true is the underlying reality: most community-created content on the main site is Chinese-first.

Three practical workarounds

1. Browser page translation. Chrome, Edge and Safari can translate page text, which handles titles, comments and menus well. This is the single most useful tool for navigating the site.

2. Choose Visual-first channels. Some storytelling doesn’t need translation at all. Cinematic travel films, cooking videos, craft and making videos carry their meaning in imagery. Our directory labels every profile so you know before you click — filter by Visual-first to find them.

3. Subtitle-aware picking. A growing number of creators add Chinese subtitles (helpful if you’re learning to read) and a smaller number add English ones. There is no reliable platform-wide way to filter for this yet, so when we verify a channel that genuinely works in English or bilingually, it gets the English / bilingual label rather than a vague promise.

What about AI translation of videos?

Real-time captioning tools are improving fast, and some browser extensions now translate video speech live. They work well enough for gist-watching knowledge content. We don’t recommend relying on them for comedy or culture-heavy channels though — humor dies in machine translation, and half the value of those channels is timing and wordplay.

A realistic expectation-setting table

Content type	Can you follow without Chinese?
Cinematic travel & food	Usually yes — visuals lead
Tech reviews & filmmaking	Often — visuals plus translated key terms
Knowledge explainers	With translation tools, yes
Gaming playthroughs	Partially — reactions translate, jokes often don’t
Guichu remix & meme culture	Not really — context is the content

Where to start

Pick from our Visual-first shelf, learn what danmaku means before your first video, and keep expectations honest: you’re not going to understand every joke at first, and that’s fine. The goal of your first week is finding two or three channels worth returning to — not mastering the platform.