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.
2026.05.03 Sun #753: I would be happy if I could do it, but...
できるとうれしいけど。
Dekiru to ureshii kedo.
I would be happy if I could do it, but...
この仕事、できるとうれしいけど、ちょっと難しいかもね。
This job, I would be happy if I could do it, but it might be a little difficult.
2026.05.02 Sat #752: Everyone is doing it.
みんな、やってるよ。
Minna, yatteru yo.
Everyone is doing it.
A「こんな変なことしちゃだめ！」 B「えーっ、みんな、やってるよ」
A: You shouldn't do such a weird thing! B: Eh, everyone is doing it.
'Minna, yatteru yo.' is a colloquial expression used to convey that a certain behavior is common or widely accepted. 'Minna' means 'everyone', and 'yatteru' means 'doing'. For example, when talking about a new fashion trend or a popular food, you can say this to indicate that the behavior is widely accepted.
2026.05.01 Fri #751: Ah, I'm just looking.
見てるだけ。
miteru dake.
I'm just looking.
A「これ、ほしいの？」 B「いや、見てるだけだよ」
A: Do you want this? B: No, I'm just looking.
'Miteru dake' is a colloquial expression used to say that you are only looking and not actively doing anything else. 'Dake' limits the action to looking, and suggests that there is no further intention or action. It can be used when browsing items in a shop or when someone asks what you are doing.
2026.04.30 Thu #750: It's not that easy.
そんなに簡単じゃないよ。
Sonna ni kantan ja nai yo.
It's not that easy.
A「この問題、簡単だね！」 B「うーん、そんなに簡単じゃないよ」
A: This problem is easy! B: Well, it's not that easy.
'Sonna ni kantan ja nai yo' is a colloquial expression used to convey that something is more difficult than expected. 'Sonna ni' means 'that much', and 'kantan ja nai' means 'not easy'. For example, when someone says that a certain task or problem is easy, and you feel that their perception is too optimistic, you might respond with this phrase.
2026.04.29 Wed #749: Could you help me a little?
ちょっと、手伝ってもらえる？
Chotto, tetsudatte moraeru?
Could you help me a little?
A「この荷物、重いんだけど、ちょっと、手伝ってもらえる？」 B「もちろん！どこに運ぶの？」
A: This luggage is heavy, could you help me a little? B: Of course! Where should I carry it to?
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)
