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.
2025.09.18 Fri #526: Do you know?
知ってる？
shitteru?
do you know?
A「ねえ、これ知ってる？」 B「うん、前に見たよ」
A: Hey, do you know this? B: Yeah, I saw it before.
'Shitteru?' is a colloquial way to check whether the other person knows something. It is often used to introduce a topic or express surprise. In casual contexts, it is light and friendly, while in formal situations it can be replaced with 'gozonji desu ka' (do you happen to know?).
2025.09.17 Wed #525: You're good at it! / Not bad!
できるねぇ
dekiru nee
you're good at it! / not bad!
A「見て、この絵、どう！」 B「できるねぇ！」
A: Look at this painting, how do you think? B: Not bad!
'Dekiru nee' is an immediate expression of praise or admiration for someone's ability or action. It is casual and used in close relationships, often with a tone of surprise or shared feeling. In formal contexts, it can be replaced with 'jouzu desu ne' (you're skilled) or 'yoku dekimasu ne' (you do it well).
2025.09.15 Mon #524: Well, you see...
うーん、それはね
uun, sore wa ne
well, you see...
A「なんで行かなかったの？」 B「うーん、それはね、ちょっと...」
A: Why didn't you go? B: Well, you see, it's a bit...
'Uun, sore wa ne' is a prefatory phrase used while thinking, signaling that an explanation will follow. It conveys hesitation or consideration, and creates a natural pause in conversation. In formal contexts, it can be replaced with 'sore ni tsuite wa desu ne' (regarding that...).
2025.09.14 Sun #523: Oops, I ... / I ended up ...
ちゃった
chatta
oops, I ... / I ended up ...
A「宿題どうした？」 B「忘れちゃった！」
A: What about the homework? B: I forgot (oops)!
'Chatta' is the colloquial contraction of '...shite shimatta.' It expresses mistakes or unintended actions with a light, immediate tone, often implying embarrassment or mild apology rather than deep regret. In formal contexts, it is expressed as '...shite shimaimashita.'
2025.09.13 Sat #522: You got me? / Busted!
バレた？
bareta?
You got me? / Busted!
A「本当は行きたくなかったんでしょ？」 B「バレた？」
A: You actually didn't want to go, right? B: Busted!
'Bareta?' is used when your true feelings or a secret have been noticed by someone else. It usually carries a playful or embarrassed tone rather than seriousness. In formal contexts, it can be expressed as 'Did you notice?'
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)
