Languages
Free Japanese Listening Practice: 20 Exercises with Audio
Twenty short Japanese listening exercises, from JLPT N5 to N2, each with audio, a task, the answer, a full transcript and an English translation.
Most learners do not need more theory to improve their listening. They need short, clear audio, a reason to listen closely, and a way to check exactly what they missed.
That is what this page gives you. The exercises use four formats: comprehension questions, fill-in-the-gap, true/false and dictation. Each one takes two to five minutes.
When you finish, you can keep going with real videos on Corodomo. Any YouTube video is split into sentences with bilingual subtitles and furigana, so you can repeat the same method on content you actually enjoy.
- How to use these exercises
- N5 listening exercises (1–5)
- N4 listening exercises (6–10)
- N3 listening exercises (11–15)
- N2-level listening exercises (16–20)
- What to do after the 20 exercises
- FAQ
- Conclusion
How to use these exercises
Do not read the transcript first. The point is to find out what your ears catch on their own. Use the same four steps for every exercise.
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Listen twice | Read the task, then play the clip two times. No pausing on the first play. | The real JLPT plays each item once. Two plays is a fair training level. |
| 2. Answer | Write your answer before you open the details box. | A guess you commit to teaches you more than a guess you keep in your head. |
| 3. Read | Open the transcript. Mark every word you did not hear or did not know. | This shows whether your problem is sound (you knew the word but missed it) or vocabulary. |
| 4. Shadow | Play the clip again and repeat each line right after the speaker, three times. | Saying the line trains your ear to recognise it next time at full speed. |
- Start at your level, then try one level up. If you get fewer than half right, go back down.
- The N5 clips (1–4) are read a little slower. From exercise 5 on, the pace is normal.
- The audio uses synthesized (TTS) voices. They are clear but a bit flatter than real people. Use them for training, then move to real speech.
- For dictation items, write in hiragana first. Kanji can come later.
N5 listening exercises (1–5)
At N5 the main traps are numbers, times and long vowels. English speakers often hear kyo instead of kyō, or skip the small っ. Listen for the length of each sound, not only the consonants.
Each transcript below shows Japanese, a hiragana reading, Hepburn romaji and English.
Exercise 1 – Making plans (comprehension)
Task: What time will they meet, and where?
Show transcript and answer
Answer: At 10:00, in front of the station. Nine o'clock is mentioned first, but it is rejected.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: 明日、何時に会いましょうか。 あした、なんじに あいましょうか。 | Ashita, nanji ni aimashō ka. | What time shall we meet tomorrow? |
| B: 九時はどうですか。 くじは どうですか。 | Kuji wa dō desu ka. | How about nine? |
| A: 九時はちょっと早いです。十時はどうですか。 くじは ちょっと はやいです。じゅうじは どうですか。 | Kuji wa chotto hayai desu. Jūji wa dō desu ka. | Nine is a bit early. How about ten? |
| B: いいですよ。じゃあ、十時に駅の前で会いましょう。 いいですよ。じゃあ、じゅうじに えきの まえで あいましょう。 | Ii desu yo. Jā, jūji ni eki no mae de aimashō. | Sure. Then let's meet in front of the station at ten. |
Exercise 2 – A self-introduction (true/false)
Task: True or false? (1) Maria is from Indonesia. (2) She studies Japanese in Osaka. (3) Her hobby is reading.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) False – she is from the Philippines. (2) True. (3) False – her hobby is cooking (料理, ryōri).
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| はじめまして。マリアです。フィリピンから来ました。 はじめまして。マリアです。フィリピンから きました。 | Hajimemashite. Maria desu. Firipin kara kimashita. | Nice to meet you. I'm Maria. I'm from the Philippines. |
| 今、大阪で日本語を勉強しています。趣味は料理です。 いま、おおさかで にほんごを べんきょうしています。しゅみは りょうりです。 | Ima, Ōsaka de nihongo o benkyō shite imasu. Shumi wa ryōri desu. | I'm now studying Japanese in Osaka. My hobby is cooking. |
| どうぞよろしくお願いします。 どうぞ よろしく おねがいします。 | Dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. | Pleased to meet you. |
Exercise 3 – Morning routine (fill in the gaps)
Task: Fill in the three gaps.
わたしは毎朝（ 1 ）に起きます。朝ごはんはいつも（ 2 ）を食べます。コーヒーも（ 3 ）。
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) 六時 (ろくじ, rokuji) – (2) パン (pan) – (3) 飲みます (のみます, nomimasu)
わたしは毎朝六時に起きます。朝ごはんはいつもパンを食べます。コーヒーも飲みます。
わたしは まいあさ ろくじに おきます。あさごはんは いつも パンを たべます。コーヒーも のみます。
Watashi wa maiasa rokuji ni okimasu. Asagohan wa itsumo pan o tabemasu. Kōhī mo nomimasu.
I get up at six every morning. I always eat bread for breakfast. I drink coffee too.
Exercise 4 – Last Sunday (dictation)
Task: Write the whole sentence in hiragana.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: にちようびに ともだちと えいがを みました。
日曜日に友だちと映画を見ました。
Nichiyōbi ni tomodachi to eiga o mimashita.
I watched a movie with a friend on Sunday.
- にちよび is a common mistake. 曜 is よう, a long vowel: に・ち・よ・う・び.
- えいが is said like "eega". Write it えいが, not ええが.
- The し in みました often sounds like just "sh" (the vowel is devoiced), but you still write した.
Exercise 5 – Buying shirts (comprehension)
Task: How much does the man pay in total?
Show transcript and answer
Answer: 6,000 yen. One shirt is 3,000 yen, and he buys two (二枚, nimai).
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: いらっしゃいませ。 | Irasshaimase. | Welcome. |
| B: すみません、このシャツはいくらですか。 すみません、この シャツは いくらですか。 | Sumimasen, kono shatsu wa ikura desu ka. | Excuse me, how much is this shirt? |
| A: こちらは三千円です。 こちらは さんぜんえんです。 | Kochira wa sanzen-en desu. | This one is 3,000 yen. |
| B: じゃあ、白いのを二枚ください。 じゃあ、しろいのを にまい ください。 | Jā, shiroi no o nimai kudasai. | Then two white ones, please. |
Note: 三千 is さんぜん (sanzen), not さんせん. 枚 (mai) is the counter for flat things like shirts and paper.
N4 listening exercises (6–10)
N4 dialogues add a classic trap: the plan changes halfway through. Words like でも (but), その前に (before that) and じゃあ (then) often come right before the real answer.
You will also hear more verb forms: 〜てもらえますか, 〜そうです (I hear that...) and 〜てもいいですか. Romaji is still included.
Exercise 6 – At the office (comprehension)
Task: What will the man do first? (a) Copy the documents (b) Send an email to the manager (c) Go to the meeting
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (b). The key words are でもその前に – "but before that".
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: 山田さん、会議の前にこの資料をコピーしてもらえますか。 やまださん、かいぎの まえに この しりょうを コピーして もらえますか。 | Yamada-san, kaigi no mae ni kono shiryō o kopī shite moraemasu ka. | Mr. Yamada, could you copy these documents before the meeting? |
| B: はい。何部ですか。 はい。なんぶですか。 | Hai. Nanbu desu ka. | Sure. How many copies? |
| A: 五部お願いします。あ、でもその前に、部長にメールを送ってください。 ごぶ おねがいします。あ、でも その まえに、ぶちょうに メールを おくって ください。 | Gobu onegai shimasu. A, demo sono mae ni, buchō ni mēru o okutte kudasai. | Five, please. Oh, but before that, please send an email to the manager. |
| B: わかりました。すぐ送ります。 わかりました。すぐ おくります。 | Wakarimashita. Sugu okurimasu. | Understood. I'll send it right away. |
Exercise 7 – Weekend plans (true/false)
Task: True or false? (1) She will go to the beach on Saturday. (2) The forecast says it will rain on Saturday. (3) She may go to the beach on Sunday.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) False – she was planning to (つもりでした), but she will stay home. (2) True. (3) True – 行こうかな means "maybe I'll go".
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: 週末、どこか行きますか。 しゅうまつ、どこか いきますか。 | Shūmatsu, dokoka ikimasu ka. | Are you going anywhere this weekend? |
| B: 土曜日は海に行くつもりでしたが、雨が降るそうなので、うちで映画を見ます。 どようびは うみに いく つもりでしたが、あめが ふる そうなので、うちで えいがを みます。 | Doyōbi wa umi ni iku tsumori deshita ga, ame ga furu sō na node, uchi de eiga o mimasu. | I was going to go to the beach on Saturday, but I hear it will rain, so I'll watch a movie at home. |
| A: そうですか。日曜日は晴れるそうですよ。 そうですか。にちようびは はれる そうですよ。 | Sō desu ka. Nichiyōbi wa hareru sō desu yo. | I see. I hear Sunday will be sunny. |
| B: じゃあ、日曜日に行こうかな。 じゃあ、にちようびに いこうかな。 | Jā, nichiyōbi ni ikō ka na. | Then maybe I'll go on Sunday. |
Exercise 8 – A teacher's notice (fill in the gaps)
Task: Fill in the three gaps.
来週の月曜日は（ 1 ）なので、宿題は（ 2 ）に（ 3 ）ください。
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) 休み (やすみ, yasumi) – (2) 火曜日 (かようび, kayōbi) – (3) 出して (だして, dashite)
来週の月曜日は休みなので、宿題は火曜日に出してください。
らいしゅうの げつようびは やすみなので、しゅくだいは かようびに だして ください。
Raishū no getsuyōbi wa yasumi na node, shukudai wa kayōbi ni dashite kudasai.
Next Monday is a day off, so please hand in your homework on Tuesday.
Exercise 9 – Asking to leave (dictation)
Task: Write the whole sentence in hiragana.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: ねつが あるので、きょうは はやく かえっても いいですか。
熱があるので、今日は早く帰ってもいいですか。
Netsu ga aru node, kyō wa hayaku kaette mo ii desu ka.
I have a fever, so may I go home early today?
- かえても is wrong. 帰る is a godan verb, so the te-form has a small っ: かえって.
- きょう has a long vowel. きよう or きょ are both mistakes.
- The topic particle is は, even though you hear "wa".
Exercise 10 – Booking a table (comprehension)
Task: What time is the booking, and for how many people?
Show transcript and answer
Answer: 8:00, for four people (四人, yonin). 6:30 was full.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: はい、さくら食堂です。 はい、さくら しょくどうです。 | Hai, Sakura Shokudō desu. | Hello, Sakura Diner. |
| B: すみません、今晩六時半に四人で予約したいんですが。 すみません、こんばん ろくじはんに よにんで よやく したいんですが。 | Sumimasen, konban rokuji-han ni yonin de yoyaku shitai n desu ga. | Excuse me, I'd like to book a table for four at 6:30 tonight. |
| A: 申し訳ありません。六時半はいっぱいなんです。八時なら大丈夫ですが。 もうしわけ ありません。ろくじはんは いっぱいなんです。はちじなら だいじょうぶですが。 | Mōshiwake arimasen. Rokuji-han wa ippai na n desu. Hachiji nara daijōbu desu ga. | I'm very sorry. 6:30 is full. Eight o'clock would be fine, though. |
| B: じゃあ、八時でお願いします。 じゃあ、はちじで おねがいします。 | Jā, hachiji de onegai shimasu. | Then eight, please. |
N3 listening exercises (11–15)
At N3, speakers start to use casual speech and say one thing before the real point. The first reason you hear is often not the true reason.
From here, transcripts show Japanese and English, plus readings for the key words. Romaji is dropped, because at this level reading kana is faster than reading romaji.
Exercise 11 – Cycling to work (comprehension)
Task: Why does the woman cycle to work now? (a) For her health (b) The trains are too crowded (c) She moved near the office
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (b). 健康のためって言いたいところなんだけど means "I'd like to say it's for my health, but...". The real reason comes after 本当は (actually).
A: 最近、自転車で会社に来てるんだって？
B: うん。健康のためって言いたいところなんだけど、本当は電車が混みすぎて、もう無理なの。
A: ああ、朝の電車はひどいよね。
B: でも、乗ってみたら気持ちいいし、続けようと思ってる。
A: I heard you've been cycling to work lately?
B: Yeah. I'd like to say it's for my health, but actually the trains are just too crowded. I can't take it anymore.
A: Oh, the morning trains are terrible.
B: But once I tried it, it felt great, so I'm going to keep it up.
Key words: 自転車 (じてんしゃ, bicycle), 混む (こむ, to be crowded), 来てる = 来ている, 思ってる = 思っている.
Exercise 12 – Store announcement (true/false)
Task: True or false? (1) The sweaters are on the third floor. (2) They are 30% off. (3) The sale continues until tomorrow.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) True. (2) True – 三割引き (さんわりびき) means 30% off, because 一割 is 10%. (3) False – it ends at 6 p.m. today (本日, ほんじつ).
本日もご来店いただき、ありがとうございます。
ただいま、三階の売り場で、冬物のセーターを三割引きで販売しております。
セールは本日の午後六時までです。どうぞお越しください。
Thank you for visiting our store today. Winter sweaters are now 30% off at the sales floor on the third floor. The sale runs until 6 p.m. today. Please come and take a look.
Key words: 冬物 (ふゆもの, winter clothing), 売り場 (うりば, sales floor), お越しください (おこしください, please come – polite).
Exercise 13 – Instructions from a boss (fill in the gaps)
Task: Fill in the three gaps.
この仕事が（ 1 ）、少し休んでもいいですよ。ただ、明日までに（ 2 ）を出すのを（ 3 ）ください。
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) 終わったら (おわったら) – (2) 報告書 (ほうこくしょ) – (3) 忘れないで (わすれないで)
この仕事が終わったら、少し休んでもいいですよ。ただ、明日までに報告書を出すのを忘れないでください。
When you finish this job, you can take a short break. But don't forget to hand in the report by tomorrow.
Listen for ただ (however). In JLPT listening it often introduces the condition that changes the answer.
Exercise 14 – Weather forecast (dictation)
Task: Write the whole sentence. Kana is fine; add kanji if you can.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: 天気予報によると、週末は山のほうで雪が降るらしいです。
てんきよほうに よると、しゅうまつは やまの ほうで ゆきが ふる らしいです。
According to the weather forecast, it seems it will snow in the mountains this weekend.
- 予報 is よほう (long vowel at the end), and 週末 is しゅうまつ, not しゅまつ.
- らしい (it seems) and そうだ (I hear) both report information. Write what you hear, not the one you expect.
Exercise 15 – Paper books (main idea)
Task: What is the speaker's main point? (a) E-books are more convenient (b) He prefers paper books (c) He reads less than before
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (b). He admits phones are convenient (便利なのは確かですが), but the ですが turns the sentence. やっぱり then signals his real opinion.
最近、スマホで本を読む人が増えています。便利なのは確かですが、私はやっぱり紙の本のほうが好きです。
ページをめくる感じや、本の匂いが好きなんです。それに、紙の本だと目が疲れにくい気がします。
More and more people read books on their phones these days. It's certainly convenient, but I still prefer paper books. I like the feel of turning the pages and the smell of books. Also, I feel my eyes get less tired with paper books.
Key words: めくる (to turn a page), 匂い (におい, smell), 疲れにくい (つかれにくい, hard to get tired).
N2-level listening exercises (16–20)
These last five are at roughly N2 level. They use business phrasing, news-style sentences and indirect answers. The words are harder, but the bigger challenge is that people rarely say "yes" or "no" directly.
If you understand the general meaning but miss details, that is normal at this stage. Use step 3 (read) and step 4 (shadow) seriously here.
Exercise 16 – A delayed product (comprehension)
Task: Why is the release delayed? (a) A quality problem (b) A client asked for changes to the package design (c) The price is not decided
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (b). 品質には問題ないんですが rules out (a) directly.
A: 例の新商品の件なんですが、発売を一か月遅らせることになりました。
B: えっ、また延期ですか。原因は何なんですか。
A: 品質には問題ないんですが、パッケージのデザインについて、取引先から修正を求められまして。
B: なるほど。それなら仕方ないですね。
A: About that new product – it's been decided to push the release back one month.
B: What, postponed again? What's the cause?
A: There's no problem with the quality, but a client asked us to revise the package design.
B: I see. Then it can't be helped.
Key words: 例の (れいの, the one we talked about), 延期 (えんき, postponement), 取引先 (とりひきさき, business partner/client), 求められまして (もとめられまして, we were asked – the sentence stops at the te-form, which is common when giving a reason politely).
Exercise 17 – City notice (true/false)
Task: True or false? (1) Plastic collection will happen less often. (2) Some days for burnable garbage will change. (3) Details will be sent to each home by mail.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) False – it increases from once to twice a week. (2) True – 一部変更 means "partly changed". (3) False – details are on the city website.
さくら市では、来月から、家庭から出るプラスチックごみの回収を、週一回から週二回に増やすことになりました。
これに伴い、燃えるごみの回収日が一部変更されます。詳しくは、市のホームページをご確認ください。
From next month, Sakura City will increase the collection of household plastic waste from once a week to twice a week. Because of this, some collection days for burnable garbage will change. For details, please check the city website.
Key words: 回収 (かいしゅう, collection), 〜に伴い (〜にともない, along with / because of), 燃えるごみ (もえるごみ, burnable garbage).
Exercise 18 – A bad morning (fill in the gaps)
Task: Fill in the three gaps.
（ 1 ）早起きしたのに、電車が止まっていた（ 2 ）、（ 3 ）遅刻してしまいました。
Show transcript and answer
Answer: (1) せっかく – (2) せいで – (3) 結局 (けっきょく)
せっかく早起きしたのに、電車が止まっていたせいで、結局遅刻してしまいました。
I went to the trouble of getting up early, but because the trains were stopped, I ended up being late anyway.
せっかく〜のに (after all that effort), 〜せいで (because of – blaming something) and 結局 (in the end) often appear together in complaints.
Exercise 19 – Business reply (dictation)
Task: Write the whole sentence. Try to use kanji.
Show transcript and answer
Answer: この件については、上司と相談したうえで、改めてご連絡いたします。
この けんに ついては、じょうしと そうだん した うえで、あらためて ごれんらく いたします。
Regarding this matter, I will discuss it with my manager and then contact you again.
- 上司 is じょうし. If you write じょし, it becomes 女子 (girls) – a long vowel changes the word.
- 〜たうえで means "after doing ~". It is a fixed business pattern, so learn it as one chunk.
Exercise 20 – An invitation (comprehension)
Task: Will the man come to the barbecue?
Show transcript and answer
Answer: No. He never says "no", but 行きたいのはやまやまなんだけど ("I'd really love to go, but...") and 前から約束があって (I've had plans for a while) make it a polite refusal.
A: 来週の土曜日、みんなでバーベキューするんだけど、来られそう？
B: 土曜日かあ。行きたいのはやまやまなんだけど、その日はちょっと、前から約束があって。
A: そっか、残念。また今度ね。
B: うん、次は絶対行くから、また誘って。
A: We're all having a barbecue next Saturday. Do you think you can come?
B: Saturday, huh. I'd really love to go, but that day is a bit... I've had plans for a while.
A: I see, too bad. Next time, then.
B: Yeah, I'll definitely go next time, so invite me again.
Key words: 来られそう (こられそう, looks like you can come), 誘う (さそう, to invite).
What to do after the 20 exercises
Short exercises are good for diagnosis. But your listening improves most from a lot of real speech that is just a little above your level. Once you can do most exercises at your level, move to real videos.
The method stays the same: listen, check, read, shadow. The only difference is that the material is longer and more natural.
- Pick one short video a day. On Corodomo's video lessons, paste a YouTube link and the video is split into sentences with bilingual subtitles and furigana. Replay any sentence you miss.
- Turn hard sentences into dictation. The writing path has dictation and fill-in-the-blank with instant feedback, which is exercises 4, 9, 14 and 19 on a bigger scale.
- Shadow the sentences you missed. Use shadowing practice with adjustable speed. Start slow, then go back to normal speed.
- Add graded news. Our guide to NHK Easy News shows how to use simple news articles with audio.
A simple weekly routine works well for most learners:
| Day | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon / Wed / Fri | One short video: listen, read, shadow 5 sentences | 20 min |
| Tue / Thu | Dictation of 5–10 sentences you missed | 15 min |
| Sat | Redo 5 exercises from this page without the transcript | 15 min |
| Sun | Rest, or watch something just for fun | – |
Corodomo has a Free plan with a limited number of videos and limited AI use. Full AI features, such as pronunciation scoring, are in the Plus plan. For a bigger picture of your study path, see the Learn Japanese hub.
FAQ
Where can I practice Japanese listening for free?
The 20 exercises on this page are free, with audio, transcripts and answers. NHK News Web Easy also offers simple news with audio. The JLPT official site lists the test sections, including listening, on its test sections page. Corodomo has a Free plan with limited videos if you want to practise with real YouTube content.
How can I improve my Japanese listening quickly?
Listen every day to short audio you can almost understand, and always check a transcript afterwards. Shadowing the lines you missed helps a lot, because you learn the sound of each phrase, not just its spelling. Expect steady progress over weeks, not days.
Should I use Japanese subtitles or English subtitles?
For listening practice, listen first with no subtitles. Then use Japanese subtitles to check what was said. English subtitles are useful only at the end, to confirm the meaning. If you read English while listening, your brain stops working on the Japanese.
Is JLPT listening harder than reading?
For many learners, yes. You cannot go back, and the speaker sets the speed. Reading also lets you see kanji, which helps you separate similar words. That is why daily listening practice matters even if your reading is strong.
I understand slow Japanese but not native speakers. What should I do?
Native speakers use contractions like 〜てる and 〜ちゃう, drop particles and leave sentences unfinished. Learn these spoken forms on purpose. Then practise with real conversation, sentence by sentence, at normal speed.
Conclusion
- Use one method for every clip: listen twice, answer, read the transcript, then shadow.
- Find your real weak spots: long vowels, っ, numbers and plan changes cause most mistakes at N5–N4; indirect answers cause most mistakes at N3–N2.
- Move to real videos soon: short exercises show your gaps, and daily practice with real speech closes them.
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