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.
2026.06.12 Fri #793: Knowing this may be asking too much, ...
無理を承知で言えば、...
Muri o shouchi de ieba, ...
Knowing this may be asking too much, ...
無理を承知で言えば、この仕事、明日までにお願いできませんか。
Knowing this may be asking too much, could I ask you to finish this work by tomorrow?
'Muri o shouchi de ieba, ...' is used when the speaker first acknowledges that what they are about to say may be difficult or burdensome for the listener, but still says it. By saying 'muri o shouchi de', the speaker avoids simply imposing the request or opinion and first shows consideration for the listener.
2026.06.11 Thu #792: Realistically, assuming you bought it, ...
実際、買ったとして、...
Jissai, katta to shite, ...
Realistically, assuming you bought it, ...
A「実際、買ったとして、置き場所、困らない？」 B「ああ、置き場所かぁ」
A: Realistically, assuming you bought it, wouldn't you have trouble finding a place to put it? B: Ah, space for it, huh.
'Jissai, katta to shite, ...' accepts the idea of buying something as a hypothesis and then shifts the conversation to realistic issues that would follow. 'Jissai' moves the focus away from desire or ideal plans and back to concrete conditions such as space, cost, or actual use. B's response, 'Ah, space for it, huh,' does not merely name the issue of space; through the form 'Ah, ... huh,' it shows that the listener is noticing and taking in that condition at that moment.
2026.06.10 Wed #791: It does not have to be right away.
後で良いから。
Ato de ii kara.
It does not have to be right away.
A「この仕事、今すぐですか？」 B「いや、後で良いから」
A: Do you need this done right away? B: No, it does not have to be right away.
'Ato de ii kara' tells the listener that they do not need to deal with something right away and helps ease their burden. The final 'kara' works like a soft reason or reassurance, giving the sense of 'It does not have to be now.'
2026.06.09 Tue #790: Ah, you choose first.
あ、先に選んで？
a, saki ni erande?
Ah, you choose first.
A「このケーキ、どれにする？」 B「うーん、あ、先に選んで？」 A「じゃあ、お先に」
A: Which cake do you want? B: Hmm... oh, you choose first. A: Okay, I'll go first.
'A, saki ni erande?' is used when the speaker lets the other person choose before them. The initial 'a' marks the moment the speaker shifts and gives the choice to the listener, and 'erande?' lightly hands over the turn to choose.
2026.06.08 Mon #789: A huge help.
大助かり！
Oodasukari.
A huge help.
A「大助かり！」 B「いえいえ、お役に立てて良かったです」
A: That's a huge help! B: I'm glad I could help.
'Oodasukari' is used when someone's help greatly reduces a burden or solves a problem. It expresses not only gratitude, but also a sense of relief, as in 'That really helped.'
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)
