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.
2026.01.10 Sat #640: Somehow, it's weird.
なんか、変。
nanka, hen.
Somehow, it's weird.
A「このデザイン、どう？」 B「うーん、なんか、変」
A: How about this design? B: Hmm, somehow, it's weird.
'Nanka, hen.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to express that they have a sense of discomfort about something. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'nanka' means 'somehow' or 'somewhat', indicating a vague feeling. 'Hen' means 'weird' or 'strange'. The speaker shares their discomfort and conveys that the matter is not suitable for them.
2026.01.09 Fri #639: How have you been?
元気してる？
genki shiteru?
How have you been?
A「久しぶり！元気してる？」 B「うん、元気だよ」
A: Long time no see! How have you been? B: Yeah, I'm fine.
'Genki shiteru?' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to check the listener's health status and recent news, and to initiate a conversation. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'genki' means 'health' or 'well-being', and 'shiteru?' means 'are you doing?'. The speaker is inquiring about the listener's condition and creating an opportunity for conversation.
2026.01.08 Thu #638: It doesn't click.
ピンと来ない。
pin to konai.
It doesn't click.
A「このデザイン、どう思う？」 B「うーん、ピンと来ない」
A: What do you think of this design? B: Hmm, it doesn't click.
'Pin to konai.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to express that they have an intuitive sense of mismatch about something. The speaker shares their discomfort and conveys that the matter is not suitable for them.
2026.01.07 Wed #637: I made fish.
魚、作ったよ。
sakana, tsukutta yo.
I made fish.
A「夕食、何にする？」 B「魚、作ったよ」
A: What should we have for dinner? B: I made fish.
'Sakana, tsukutta yo.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to report what they have cooked and suggest it as a meal. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'sakana' means 'fish', and 'tsukutta yo' means 'I made' or 'I cooked'. The speaker is conveying the content of the cooking to the listener and proposing it as a meal option.
2026.01.06 Tue #636: What I just saw was,
今、見たのは、
ima, mita no wa,
What I just saw was,
A「今、見たのは、何だったの」 B「あれは流れ星だよ」
A: What was that I just saw? B: That was a shooting star.
'Ima, mita no wa,' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to share a recent experience or information and draw attention. To explain the structure of this phrase in more detail, 'ima' means 'just now' or 'recently', indicating temporal proximity. 'Mita no wa,' means 'what I saw was', reporting on an experienced event. The speaker intends to capture the listener's attention and generate interest in the information that follows.
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)
