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)
2025.05.22 Thu #407: Oops
うっかり
Ukkari
Oops
A「うっかりして、傘、忘れちゃった」B「それ、安物でしょ？」
A: "I accidentally forgot my umbrella." B: "That was a cheap one, right?"
"Ukkari" is a casual expression used to convey a lack of attention or light regret. It can be translated as "Oops" or "I accidentally." This phrase is commonly used in informal conversations to inform the listener about a mistake. It is not too formal and is often used among close friends.
2025.05.21 Wed #406: What should I do?
どうする？
Dousuru?
What should I do?
A「明日、雨だって。どうする？」B「雨でも、行かなくちゃ」
A: "Tomorrow, they say it's going to rain. What should we do?" B: "Even if it rains, we have to go."
"Dousuru?" is a casual expression used to ask for choices or decisions. It can be translated as "What should I do?" or "What will I do?" This phrase is commonly used in informal conversations to present options to the listener. It is not too formal and is often used among close friends.
2025.05.20 Tue #405: It's delicious, but...
おいしいのに...
Oishii noni...
It's delicious, but...
A「納豆、きらい」B「え、おいしいのに...」
A: "Natto(fermented soybeans) is gross." B: "Huh, but it's delicious..."
"Oishii noni" is a casual expression used to convey emotional conflict or bittersweet feelings. It can be translated as "It's delicious, but..." or "It was so good, but..." This phrase is commonly used in informal conversations to share emotions with the listener. Unlike the word "keredomo," it carries a more negative connotation, suggesting that the speaker disagrees with the listener's opinion.
2025.05.19 Mon #404: I might be able to
できるかも
Dekiru kamo
I might be able to
A「この課題、終わりそう？」 B「うん、できるかも。」
A: “Do you think you can finish the assignment?” B: “Yeah, I might be able to.”
'Dekiru kamo' expresses a tentative possibility without strong confidence. It reflects the speaker’s real-time hesitation or ongoing evaluation, unlike the more formal ‘dekiru kamo shiremasen,’ which is often used in adjusted speech.
2025.05.18 Sun #403: As expected
やっぱり
Yappari
As expected
A「明日は晴れるかな？」B「やっぱり晴れないよ」
A: "Will it be sunny tomorrow?" B: "As expected, it won't be."
"Yappari" is a casual expression used to lightly agree with someone. It can be translated as "As expected" or "Just as I thought." This phrase is commonly used in informal conversations to show a light agreement with the speaker. It is often used when you don't take the statement too seriously but still want to acknowledge it.
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)
