Hello! Minasan! Welcome to "Dictation for Every Day" (D4E: version 5) a.k.a. Mainichi no Kikitori
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PDF Workbook (volume 1, 2, and 3) is available from
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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.
2026.07.27 Mon #838: It just doesn't fit.
どうもしっくりこない。
Doumo shikkuri konai.
It just doesn't fit.
A「この色、キッチンとしてはいいんだけど、玄関としてはねぇ」 B「うん、どうもしっくりこない」
A: This color works well in the kitchen, but for the entrance... B: Yeah, it just doesn't fit.
'Doumo shikkuri konai' is a casual expression used when one thing does not fit naturally with another thing, place, role, idea, or explanation and therefore fails to form a satisfactory whole. It does not simply mean that the speaker feels personally uncomfortable. Rather, it evaluates the relationship or combination between two or more elements as not fitting properly. 'Doumo' indicates that something seems wrong even when the speaker cannot yet identify or explain the precise problem. In the example, the color itself is not being judged as bad. It works in the kitchen, but it does not fit naturally with the entrance.
2026.07.26 Sun #837: I'm not sure that's appropriate.
A: We'd like to start next month with this proposal. B: I'm not sure that's appropriate. A: Which part do you think is problematic?
'Ikaga na mono ka to omoimasu' is used in meetings and similar settings to indicate a negative position without directly saying 'I oppose it' or 'It is not good.' Although its form appears to ask how something should be evaluated, it often functions as a signal that the proposal should not proceed as it stands. Used by itself, however, it does not tell the other person what the problem is or how the proposal could be improved. When repeatedly used without specific reasons, it may be understood as rejection of the proposer rather than criticism of the proposal. Learners need to recognize the opposition conveyed by this expression when they hear it, but they are advised not to use it themselves. It may disadvantage the speaker by making them sound unable to give a concrete opinion or personally opposed to another participant. When disagreeing, it is better to identify the specific concern and, where possible, suggest an improvement.
2026.07.25 Sat #836: Oh, that's a bit iffy.
あ、それ微妙。
A, sore bimyou.
Oh, that's a bit iffy.
A「ええと、このデザイン、形はいいんだけど、色がねぇ」 B「うん、微妙」
A: Well, I like the shape of this design, but the color... B: Yeah, it's a bit iffy.
'A, sore bimyou' is a casual expression that gives an immediate negative evaluation of something just presented. In this use, 'bimyou' does not simply mean that something lies somewhere between good and bad, nor does it mean 'subtle.' The speaker actually feels that it is not very good or does not work well, but uses 'bimyou' to avoid sounding too direct or rude. 'A' marks the speaker's immediate reaction, while 'sore' points to the thing just mentioned without describing it again. The particles and copula that could appear in 'sore wa bimyou da' are also left unspoken, leaving only the short evaluation. In the example, the color is being judged negatively, but the speaker avoids directly calling it bad.
2026.07.24 Fri #835: Oh, if you can't, just say so.
あ、無理なら無理と。
A, muri nara muri to.
Oh, if you can't, just say so.
A「手伝ってほしいんだけど、無理なら無理と言ってもらってもいいからね」 B「うん、大丈夫だよ」
A: I'd like you to help me, but if you can't, it's okay to say so. B: Yeah, I can.
'A, muri nara muri to' is a casual expression added after a request or proposal to give the other person immediate permission to decline. 'A' signals that the speaker has just remembered an important qualification and is quickly reducing the pressure created by the request. Repeating 'muri' indicates that the listener may state directly that something is not possible. The final 'to' marks the quoted content, while a verb such as 'itte' or 'tsutaete' remains unspoken because the situation makes it recoverable. The utterance therefore communicates the requested response without completing the sentence.
2026.07.23 Thu #834: What? You're going to do that?
えっ！そんなことするの？
E! Sonna koto suru no?
What? You're going to do that?
A「ねえ、そこのチョコレート、とって、カレーに入れるから」 B「えっ！そんなことするの？」
A: Hey, pass me that chocolate. I'm going to put it in the curry. B: What? You're going to do that?
'E! Sonna koto suru no?' is a casual expression that immediately reacts with surprise and seeks confirmation when another person proposes an unexpected action. 'E!' occurs before any explanation or considered judgment and presents the speaker's immediate response. 'Sonna koto' points to the action just mentioned without describing it again, treating it as already shared within the situation. 'Suru no?' does not merely ask about a plan; it presents the action back to the other person for confirmation, with surprise or disbelief. In the example, the speaker does not repeat the idea of putting chocolate in the curry but immediately refers to it as 'sonna koto.'
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)
