A: It's totally obvious, isn't it? B: Yeah. There was no point trying to hide it.
'Barebare desu ne' is a casual spoken expression used when something being hidden, such as a secret or someone's real intention, is completely obvious to others. 'Bareru' means that something concealed becomes known. The repeated form 'barebare' emphasizes that the attempt to hide it has failed so completely that anyone can see through it. The ending 'desu ne' adds a sense of confirming and sharing that judgment with the listener.
2026.07.14 Tue #825: There's nothing else like it.
他では味わえない。
Hoka de wa ajiwaenai.
There's nothing else like it.
A「この料理、美味しいね」 B「他では味わえないよ」
A: This dish is amazing. B: There's nothing else like it.
'Hoka de wa ajiwaenai' is a casual spoken expression used when the speaker feels that something is truly unique after comparing it with other places or experiences. 'Ajiwau' literally means 'to taste,' but it also refers to fully appreciating or enjoying an experience, atmosphere, or emotion. Rather than simply stating that something is unavailable elsewhere, the expression highlights its distinctive value.
2026.07.13 Mon #824: What was I doing again?
何してたんだっけ？忘れちゃった。
Nani shitetan dakke? Wasurechatta.
What was I doing again?
A「何してたんだっけ？忘れちゃった」 B「よくある、よくある」
A: What was I doing again? B: Happens all the time.
'Nani shitetan dakke? Wasurechatta.' is a casual spoken expression used when the speaker suddenly realizes they have forgotten what they were doing and tries to recall it. The ending '... dakke?' expresses an attempt to search one's memory, while 'wasurechatta' is the colloquial form of 'wasurete shimatta,' lightly acknowledging the momentary lapse of memory. It is a very common expression in everyday conversation.
2026.07.13 Mon #824: What was I doing? I forgot.
何してたんだっけ？忘れちゃった。
Nani shitetan dakke? Wasurechatta.
What was I doing? I forgot.
A「何してたんだっけ？忘れちゃった」 B「よくある、よくある」
A: What was I doing? I forgot. B: Happens all the time.
'Nani shitetan dakke? Wasurechatta.' is a casual spoken expression indicating that the speaker cannot remember what they were doing. The phrase 'shitetan dakke?' carries a nuance of trying to recall a past action, while 'wasurechatta' lightly expresses the inability to remember. This is a common phrase used in everyday conversation.
2026.07.12 Sun #823: Okay, let's move on.
じゃ、つぎ、いこう。
Ja, tsugi, ikou.
Okay, let's move on.
A「この問題、できたね」 B「うん、じゃ、つぎ、いこう」
A: We got this one. B: Okay, let's move on.
'Ja, tsugi, ikou' is a casual spoken expression used when the speaker feels that the current topic or task has reached a natural stopping point and it is time to move on. 'Ja' signals a smooth transition from the previous situation, 'tsugi' refers to the next topic or task, and 'ikou' invites everyone, including the speaker, to continue together. Rather than explicitly saying 'We're finished' or 'That's enough,' the speaker signals the completion of the current activity simply by proposing the next one.
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)
