A: Do you know the meaning of this word? B: Um, what was it again? A: You know, the one I just explained. B: Oh, right! Thanks!
'Eeto, nan da kke?' keeps the conversation going while the speaker is trying to remember something. It does not simply mean that the speaker does not know the answer. It shows a state of almost remembering and leaves room for the listener to offer a hint.
2026.05.20 Wed #770: Can I come in?
入っていい？
Haitte ii?
Can I come in?
ねぇ、今、入っていい？
Hey, can I come in now?
'Haitte ii?' is used before entering a room or someone else's space. The speaker is outside the boundary and asks whether entering is acceptable. Although short, it works as an immediate check before crossing into the listener's space.
A: What kind of questions will be on the exam? B: Difficult questions will be on it. A: Then how are you going to calculate? B: Oh, yes. I always use my calculator.
This entry records a classroom exchange that actually took place in English, but it is presented here with Japanese and English counterparts. The student first asks what kind of questions will be on the exam. The teacher answers, "Difficult questions will be on it." Formally, this is an answer, but it does not reveal the actual contents of the exam. The student then asks, "How are you going to calculate?" The intended meaning is about the grading formula: what proportions of attendance, class performance, homework, and the final exam will be used to calculate the final grade. The student is asking about the evaluation system, not the tool used for calculation. The teacher answers, "I always use my calculator." This is a joking literal response. It shifts the focus from the grading formula to the physical tool used for calculation. Both responses formally answer the questions, but pragmatically they avoid giving the specific information the student is seeking. The immediate quality lies in noticing the wording of the student's question and replying through a literal or overly general reinterpretation.
2026.05.18 Mon #768: Could you pass that to me?
それ取ってもらえる？
Sore totte moraeru?
Could you pass that to me?
A「ちょっと、それ取ってもらえる？」 B「うん、いいよ」
A: Could you pass that to me? B: Yeah, sure.
'Sore totte moraeru?' is a casual request used when asking someone to pick up or pass something near them. 'Sore' points to an object shared by gaze or situation. The speaker does not need to name the item, and that is where the immediacy of the expression appears.
2026.05.17 Sun #767: I have a quick question.
ちょっと聞きたいことあるんだけど、...
Chotto kikitai koto arun dakedo,...
I have a quick question.
A「ちょっと聞きたいことあるんだけど、...」 B「うん、何？」
A: I have a quick question. B: Yeah, what is it?
'Chotto kikitai koto arun dakedo,...' is a way to enter a question softly. By stopping at 'dakedo', the speaker leaves space for the listener to accept the question.
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)
