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.
2025.08.08 Fri #486: I hear that a lot.
よく聞く
yoku kiku
I often hear that
A「こんな話、よく聞くよね」 B「うん、たしかに」
A: "We hear this kind of story a lot, right?" B: "Yeah, definitely."
"Yoku kiku" is used to react to things you've often heard. It expresses recognition and connection with familiar topics. Adding "ne" (as in "Yoku kiku ne") adds warmth and shared feeling, making it useful in casual conversation.
2025.08.07 Thu #485: I see that a lot.
よく見る
yoku miru
I often see that
A「こんな写真、よく見るよね」 B「うん、たしかに」
A: "You see this kind of photo a lot, right?" B: "Yeah, definitely."
"Yoku miru" means to frequently see something. It's often used to comment on common or shared experiences, and when used in conversation, it creates a bond over mutual recognition. Adding "ne" (as in "yoku miru ne") can soften the tone and enhance shared feeling.
A: "We have a meeting tomorrow, right?" B: "Yeah... honestly, I'm not looking forward to it."
"Ki ga omoi" literally means "the spirit feels heavy" and figuratively expresses reluctance or emotional burden toward an upcoming task or situation. It's a metaphorical phrase often paired with sighs or pauses, and in immediate grammar, it conveys an unfiltered emotional state tied to the moment.
2025.08.05 Tue #483: At least that's better
ずっとまし
Zutto mashi
Way better / Much better (comparatively)
A「こっちも失敗したけど」 B「でも、前よりはずっとましじゃん」
A: "This one failed too, though..." B: "But still, it's way better than before."
"Zutto mashi" is a casual way to express that something is 'way better' in comparison, especially in less-than-ideal situations. It reflects a soft tone of consolation or reluctant approval. It's rarely used in formal writing but very common in spontaneous, empathetic speech.
2025.08.04 Mon #482: Step by step
一歩一歩
Ippo ippo
Step by step
A「すぐにはうまくならないけど...」 B「うん、一歩一歩、やっていこう」
A: "I won't get good at it right away..." B: "Yeah, let's take it step by step."
"Ippo ippo" conveys the idea of making calm and steady progress. The repetition emphasizes patience and encouragement, often spoken aloud as a way of reinforcing determination or calming oneself. It's an immediate expression of commitment to keep going, little by little.
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)
