Hello! Minasan! Welcome to "Dictation for Every Day" (D4E: version 5) a.k.a. Mainichi no Kikitori
Workbook
PDF Workbook (volume 1, 2, and 3) is available from
[here]!
It includes the notes of words, phrases and grammars.
News and Story
2024.07.14: Volume 3, episode 101-150 starts.
An episode is updated every day.
A.E.A.D. (An Expression A Day)
If you want to learn Japanese expressions more,
visit the A.E.A.D. (An Expression A Day) page:
AEAD Search.
2025.11.15 Sat #584: to have something to talk about / to have a matter to discuss
話がある
hanashi ga aru
to have something to talk about / to have a matter to discuss
A「ちょっと話があるんだけど、今いい？」 B「うん、どうしたの？」
A: I have something to talk about, is now a good time? B: Yeah, what's up?
'Hanashi ga aru' is a colloquial expression used when there is something to convey or discuss. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'hanashi' means 'talk' or 'matter to discuss', and 'aru' means 'to have'. Therefore, 'hanashi ga aru' has the same meaning as 'to have something to talk about' or 'to have a matter to discuss'.
2025.11.14 Fri #583: not good / not quite right
あんまりだ
anmari da
not good / not quite right
A「先生、明日、急に試験するって」 B「うん、そりゃ、あんまりだよ」
A: The teacher said there will be a sudden exam tomorrow. B: Oh, no way, that's not fair.
'Anmari da' is a colloquial expression used to immediately express that something is in a terrible state or is unfair. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'anmari' means 'not good' or 'not quite right', referring to a state where something is inappropriate.
2025.11.13 Thu #582: number / turn / order
番
ban
number / turn / order
A「次は誰？」 B「私の番」
A: Who's next? B: It's my turn.
'Ban' is a colloquial expression used to indicate order, number of times, or ranking. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'ban' means 'number', 'turn', or 'order', referring to the sequence, frequency, or ranking of things.
2025.11.12 Wed #581: I'll take this / I'll have this
これにする
kore ni suru
I'll take this / I'll have this
A「何にする？」 B「うん、これにする」
A: What will you have? B: I'll take this.
'Kore ni suru' is a colloquial expression used to immediately express selection or intention. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'kore' means 'this', and 'ni suru' means 'to choose' or 'to decide on'. Therefore, 'kore ni suru' has the same meaning as 'I'll take this' or 'I'll have this'.
2025.11.11 Tue #580: in the first place / to begin with
そもそも
somosomo
in the first place / to begin with
A「彼は仕事が遅いよね」 B「うん、そもそも時間にルーズなんだよ」
A: He's slow at work, isn't he? B: Yeah, to begin with, he's not punctual.
'Somosomo' is a colloquial expression used to indicate the fundamental cause or starting point of a matter. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'somosomo' means 'in the first place' or 'to begin with', and it is used to emphasize the starting point of a discussion or basic premise. However, this expression often carries a nuance that suggests something should be reconsidered from the ground up, and it is not always used in a positive context. For example, it is typically used in phrases like 'the whole thing was wrong from the start.'
Let's practice every day!
Let's learn Japanese through dictation practice!
PDF Workbook (volume 1 and 2) is available from
[here]!
It includes the notes of words, phrases and grammars.
This is the dictation practice site operated by Japanese Language Teaching Section, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
This practice involves a variety of natural expressions in daily conversation.
You can practice 10 sentences a day depending on your language ability.
It's a very simple exercise. You just follow the audio you hear and type in Roman letters.
Your comments and bug reports are very welcome. Please submit from here.
Zen and the Art of Dictation
Let's learn Japanese through drill and practice!
You will practice 10 sentences in an episode.
It's a very simple exercise.
You just follow the audio you hear and type in roman letters.
The first objective is to learn the basic Japanese sounds
and hiragana/katakana combinations.
You can practice as many times as possible.
The more you practice, the better you will get.
Please regularly contribute your time to this practice.
It is important to practice every day rather than to practice a lot at once.
The following is the psychological evidence of the importance of regular practice:
Figure 1: The forgetting curve described by Hermann Ebbinghaus.
Here, b represents 'Savings' expressed as a percentage, and t represents time in minutes, counting from one minute before end of learning. The constants c and k are 1.25 and 1.84 respectively. Savings is defined as the relative amount of time saved on the second learning trial as a result of having had the first. A savings of 100% would indicate that all items were still known from the first trial. A 75% savings would mean that relearning missed items required 25% as long as the original learning session (to learn all items). 'Savings' is thus, analogous to retention rate.
Drill for Every Day (D4E: V5)
