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.
2026.02.03 Tue #664: Isn't it amazing?
すごいじゃないですか。
sugoi ja nai desu ka.
Isn't it amazing?
A「新しい車、買ったんだ」 B「へえ、すごいじゃないですか。どんな車？」
A: I bought a new car. B: Wow, isn't it amazing? What kind of car is it?
'Sugoi ja nai desu ka.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to express praise or emotion towards the listener's actions or achievements. 'Sugoi' means 'amazing' or 'wonderful', indicating a positive evaluation. 'Ja nai desu ka.' carries a nuance of emphasis, strongly conveying the speaker's feelings. The speaker shares with the listener that the object in question is being highly evaluated.
2026.02.02 Mon #663: I take walks and do various things,...
散歩したりしてるんですけど、
sanpo shitari shiteru n desu kedo,
I take walks and do various things,...
A「最近、暇なの？」 B「うん、散歩したりしてるんですけど、何かいい趣味があれば教えてほしいな」
A: Are you free lately? B: Yes, I take walks and do various things, but if you have any good hobbies, I'd like you to tell me.
'(Sanpo) shitari shiteru n desu kedo,' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to convey that they are doing various things. 'Shitari shiteru n desu kedo,' means 'doing various things,...', and is used as a prelude to listing specific activities. In this case, taking walks is mentioned as one example of various activities.
2026.02.01 Sun #662: Just right.
丁度いい。
choudo ii.
Just right.
A「この服、サイズ、丁度いいね」 B「うん、似合ってるよ」
A: This clothing is just right in size. B: Yes, it suits you.
'(Choudo) ii.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to convey that a certain matter or situation is appropriate and satisfactory. '(Choudo) ii.' means 'just right', indicating suitability and satisfaction. The speaker shares with the listener that the object in question is being evaluated positively.
2026.01.31 Sat #661: Ah, somehow, I said something weird,
ああ、なんか、変なこと、言っちゃって、
ā, nanka, hen na koto, icchatte,
Ah, somehow, I said something weird,
A「昨日、会ったとき、変なこと、言っちゃって、ごめんね」 B「ううん、気にしないで」
A: Sorry for saying something weird when we met yesterday. B: No, don't worry about it.
'Ah, nanka, hen na koto, icchatte,' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker recognizes that their statement was inappropriate or strange and wants to express an apology or self-reflection about it. 'Ah' indicates surprise or realization, while 'nanka' adds ambiguity. 'Hen na koto, icchatte,' means 'I said something weird', indicating the speaker's self-assessment of their statement. The speaker apologizes to the listener for their statement and tries to soften the atmosphere of the conversation.
A: I wonder if she won't come. B: Yes, I have a feeling that even if she comes, she'll be quite late.
'Sonna kanji ga suru.' is a colloquial expression used when the speaker wants to convey that they have an intuitive feeling about a certain situation or event. 'Sonna' means 'that kind of', referring to a specific situation or sensation. 'Kanji ga suru.' means 'I have a feeling', indicating the speaker's intuition or premonition. The speaker shares their sensation with the listener and conveys their intuitive understanding of the situation.
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)
