Japanese Dictation Practice: Improve Your Listening Step by Step

Dictation is the most honest listening test there is: you write down exactly what you hear, and every missing sound shows up on the page. This guide shows you how to do Japanese dictation step by step, with 10 graded audio exercises from N5 to N3.

Many learners feel they "understood" a clip, then cannot write it down. That gap is where your listening problems hide: a missing particle, a short vowel that should be long, a small っ you never noticed.

Below you will learn what dictation reveals, a simple method (kana first, then kanji), and how to keep an error log. Then you can practise with three levels of exercises. Every answer matches the audio exactly.

When you want more, Corodomo's writing path turns real video sentences into dictation and fill-in-the-blank exercises with instant feedback.

• What Japanese dictation is (and why it works)
• 5 gaps that dictation exposes
• How to do dictation: a 5-step method
• Level 1: N5 dictation (exercises 1–3)
• Level 2: N4 dictation (exercises 4–6)
• Level 3: N3 dictation (exercises 7–10)
• FAQ
• Conclusion

What Japanese dictation is (and why it works)

Dictation means you listen to a sentence and write it down word for word. In Japanese this is sometimes called 書き取り (かきとり, kakitori). You can write the whole sentence, or only fill in the missing words.

Normal listening practice lets you guess. If you catch 70% of the words, your brain fills in the rest and you feel fine. Dictation removes that comfort. You must decide on every mora, every particle and every ending.

That is why dictation works well for English speakers in particular. English trains you to listen for stressed syllables and to ignore short, weak sounds. In Japanese, those short sounds – は, が, っ, the second half of a long vowel – often change the meaning.

• Use dictation for accuracy: it shows exactly what you missed.
• Use extensive listening (longer audio, no stopping) for fluency: it builds speed and stamina.
• Do both. Dictation 10–15 minutes a day is enough for most learners.

5 gaps that dictation exposes

After a few sessions, most learners see the same types of mistakes again and again. Knowing the categories helps you notice them faster.

Gap	Typical mistake	Correct	Why it happens
Particles	学校休みました / がっこうわ	学校を休みました / がっこうは	Particles are short and unstressed. は and へ are also pronounced "wa" and "e".
Verb endings	聞いたら	聞いてみたら	Endings are said quickly at the end of a phrase, where English speakers stop paying attention.
Long vowels	とうきょ, がこう	とうきょう, がっこう	English vowel length does not change meaning, so the ear does not track it.
Small っ	みつ, かえて	みっつ, かえって	っ is a beat of silence. It feels like "nothing", but it is a full mora.
Numbers and counters	いちほん, よんじ, じゅうふん	いっぽん, よじ, じゅっぷん	Counters change sound: 一本 いっぽん, 三本 さんぼん, 十分 じゅっぷん.

Two more small traps: 十分 read as じゅうぶん means "enough", not "ten minutes", and 上司 (じょうし, boss) becomes 女子 (じょし, girls) if you drop the long vowel. One mora can change the word.

How to do dictation: a 5-step method

The method is simple. The important part is steps 4 and 5, which most learners skip.

1. Listen once without writing. Get the general meaning first.
2. Write in kana. Play the clip again, pausing after each phrase. Write everything in hiragana (katakana for loanwords). Do not stop to think about kanji.
3. Add kanji. Now convert the words you know into kanji. This is a separate skill, so do it as a second pass.
4. Check and mark. Compare with the answer, mora by mora. Circle every difference, even one small っ.
5. Categorise and log. Put each mistake into one of the five categories above and add it to your error log.

Your error log can be a simple table in a notebook or spreadsheet. Review it once a week. You will see your personal patterns very quickly.

Clip	I wrote	Correct	Category	Note
Ex. 2	みつ	みっつ	Small っ	三つ = み・っ・つ, 3 morae
Ex. 6	じゅうふん	じゅっぷん	Counter	十分 (ten minutes) ≠ 十分 (enough)
Ex. 8	いてた	いってた	Small っ / verb ending	言ってた = 言っていた

• Allow yourself up to 5 plays per sentence. If you still cannot hear a part, leave a gap and check the answer.
• After checking, shadow the sentence 3 times. Saying it helps you hear it next time.
• The audio here uses synthesized (TTS) voices. N5 clips are a little slower; N4 and N3 clips are at normal speed.

Gap-fill or full sentence?

Both formats are useful, but they train different things. Gap-fill keeps your attention on one or two words, so it works well for beginners and for specific problems such as counters. Full-sentence dictation is harder, because you must hold the whole sentence in memory and catch every particle.

Format	Best for	Tip
Gap-fill	N5–N4, numbers, new grammar	Read the printed sentence before you play the clip, and guess the word type (verb, noun, number).
Full sentence	Particles, endings, overall accuracy	Pause after each phrase. Write the phrase, then continue. Never try to write the whole sentence from one play.

A good mix is about half and half. If full sentences feel impossible, go back to gap-fill for a week, then try again. The exercises below use both formats, so you can feel the difference.

Level 1: N5 dictation (exercises 1–3)

Write all three in hiragana. Focus on long vowels, っ and counters. Readings and Hepburn romaji are in the answers.

Exercise 1 – Fill in the gaps

昨日は頭が（　1　）ので、（　2　）を休みました。

Show transcript and answer

Answer: (1) 痛かった (いたかった) – (2) 学校 (がっこう)

Full sentence: 昨日は頭が痛かったので、学校を休みました。
Kana: きのうは あたまが いたかったので、がっこうを やすみました。
Romaji: Kinō wa atama ga itakatta node, gakkō o yasumimashita.
English: I had a headache yesterday, so I stayed home from school.

• いたかた (missing っ). The past of い-adjectives is 〜かった, always with っ.
• がこう or がっこ. 学校 has four morae: が・っ・こ・う.

Exercise 2 – Full sentence

Show transcript and answer

Answer: りんごを三つと、牛乳を一本ください。

Kana: りんごを みっつと、ぎゅうにゅうを いっぽん ください。
Romaji: Ringo o mittsu to, gyūnyū o ippon kudasai.
English: Three apples and one bottle of milk, please.

• みつ instead of みっつ. 三つ is み・っ・つ.
• ぎゅにゅう or ぎゅうにゅ. 牛乳 has two long vowels: ぎゅう・にゅう.
• いちほん. With the counter 本, one is いっぽん, two is にほん, three is さんぼん.

Exercise 3 – Full sentence

Show transcript and answer

Answer: 来週の日曜日、父と東京へ行きます。

Kana: らいしゅうの にちようび、ちちと とうきょうへ いきます。
Romaji: Raishū no nichiyōbi, chichi to Tōkyō e ikimasu.
English: Next Sunday, I'm going to Tokyo with my father.

• ときょ, とうきょ or ときょう. 東京 is とう・きょう, two long vowels. Romaji "Tokyo" hides this, which is one reason to stop reading romaji early.
• The direction particle is written へ, although you hear "e". Writing え is a very common beginner mistake.
• らいしゅ (missing う).

Level 2: N4 dictation (exercises 4–6)

At N4, the hard part moves to verb endings: 〜てみたら, 〜ば, 〜たら, 〜そうです. Listen to the end of each phrase carefully. That is where the grammar lives.

Exercise 4 – Fill in the gaps

先生に（　1　）、宿題は来週までに（　2　）そうです。

Show transcript and answer

Answer: (1) 聞いてみたら (きいてみたら) – (2) 出せばいい (だせばいい)

Full sentence: 先生に聞いてみたら、宿題は来週までに出せばいいそうです。
Kana: せんせいに きいてみたら、しゅくだいは らいしゅうまでに だせば いい そうです。
Romaji: Sensei ni kiite mitara, shukudai wa raishū made ni daseba ii sō desu.
English: I asked the teacher, and apparently we just need to hand in the homework by next week.

• 聞いたら instead of 聞いてみたら. 〜てみる (try doing) is easy to miss because it is said quickly.
• 出してもいい instead of 出せばいい. Both are possible Japanese, but only 出せばいい is in the audio. Write what you hear.
• Here そうです after a plain form means "I heard that", not "it looks like".

Exercise 5 – Full sentence

Show transcript and answer

Answer: 駅に着いたら、電話してください。車で迎えに行きます。

Kana: えきに ついたら、でんわ してください。くるまで むかえに いきます。
Romaji: Eki ni tsuitara, denwa shite kudasai. Kuruma de mukae ni ikimasu.
English: Call me when you get to the station. I'll come and pick you up by car.

• ついてから instead of ついたら. Both mean "after arriving", but the sound is different.
• でんは. The word 電話 is でんわ. Only the particle は is written は and read "wa".
• The し in してください is often whispered. You may hear "shte", but you still write して.

Exercise 6 – Fill in the gaps (dialogue)

A：すみません、次のバスは何時ですか。
B：（　1　）です。でも、道が（　2　）ので、（　3　）ぐらい遅れるかもしれません。

Show transcript and answer

Answer: (1) 四時十分 (よじじゅっぷん) – (2) 混んでいる (こんでいる) – (3) 二十分 (にじゅっぷん)

A: すみません、次のバスは何時ですか。
B: 四時十分です。でも、道が混んでいるので、二十分ぐらい遅れるかもしれません。

Kana: すみません、つぎの バスは なんじですか。/ よじ じゅっぷんです。でも、みちが こんでいるので、にじゅっぷん ぐらい おくれるかもしれません。
Romaji: Sumimasen, tsugi no basu wa nanji desu ka. / Yoji juppun desu. Demo, michi ga konde iru node, nijuppun gurai okureru kamo shiremasen.
English: Excuse me, what time is the next bus? / It's at 4:10. But the roads are busy, so it may be about twenty minutes late.

• よんじ. Four o'clock is always よじ.
• じゅうふん or じゅうぶん. "Ten minutes" is じゅっぷん (じっぷん is also correct). じゅうぶん means "enough".
• こんでる. In casual speech you will hear 混んでる, but this speaker says 混んでいる. Write the form you actually hear.

Level 3: N3 dictation (exercises 7–10)

N3 sentences are longer and include casual speech, grammar patterns and bigger numbers. Try to write with kanji now, but always do the kana pass first.

From this level, romaji is no longer given. Use the kana reading to check yourself.

Exercise 7 – Fill in the gaps

この店は、（　1　）が安い（　2　）、料理がおいしいと（　3　）です。

Show transcript and answer

Answer: (1) 値段 (ねだん) – (2) わりに – (3) 評判 (ひょうばん)

Full sentence: この店は、値段が安いわりに、料理がおいしいと評判です。
Kana: このみせは、ねだんが やすい わりに、りょうりが おいしいと ひょうばんです。
English: This restaurant is known for food that tastes good for the price.

• ひょばん (missing う). 評判 is ひょう・ばん.
• わりと instead of わりに. 〜わりに means "considering ~", while わりと means "fairly". They sound close; the meaning decides.

Exercise 8 – Full sentence (casual dialogue)

Show transcript and answer

Answer:

A: 会議、何時からだっけ？
B: 三時からだよ。でも、部長が少し遅れるって言ってた。

Kana: かいぎ、なんじから だっけ？ / さんじから だよ。でも、ぶちょうが すこし おくれるって いってた。
English: What time does the meeting start again? / From three. But the manager said he'd be a little late.

• だけ instead of だっけ. 〜っけ is used when you try to remember something.
• いてた instead of いってた. 言ってた is the casual form of 言っていた.
• The particle は after 会議 is dropped in casual speech. Do not add it. Dictation means writing what was said.

Exercise 9 – Full sentence

Show transcript and answer

Answer: 引っ越してきたばかりなので、まだこのへんのことがよくわかりません。

Kana: ひっこして きた ばかり なので、まだ このへんの ことが よく わかりません。
English: I've only just moved here, so I don't know this area well yet.

• ひこして (missing っ). 引っ越す is ひ・っ・こ・す.
• このへん is often written この辺. Both are correct; kana is used here because it is the form in the audio script.
• 〜たばかり means "just did". Do not confuse it with 〜ているばかり ("only doing").

Exercise 10 – Fill in the gaps (numbers)

参加者は全部で（　1　）ですが、資料は念のため（　2　）用意してください。

Show transcript and answer

Answer: (1) 八十人 (はちじゅうにん) – (2) 百部 (ひゃくぶ)

Full sentence: 参加者は全部で八十人ですが、資料は念のため百部用意してください。
Kana: さんかしゃは ぜんぶで はちじゅうにん ですが、しりょうは ねんのため ひゃくぶ よういしてください。
English: There are eighty participants in total, but please prepare a hundred copies of the handout just in case.

• Writing 18 or 800 instead of 80. Japanese numbers are built in blocks: はち (8) + じゅう (10) = 80.
• 部 (ぶ) counts copies of documents. 百部 is ひゃくぶ, not ひゃっぷ.
• よいして (missing う). 用意 is よう・い.

Finished all ten? Do them again in a week, without looking at your first answers. Then move to real speech. On Corodomo's video lessons you can paste a YouTube link, get sentence-by-sentence subtitles with furigana, and practise dictation on the lines you find hard. For a wider study plan, see the Learn Japanese hub.

Related reading: JLPT N4 Listening Practice: 15 Everyday Dialogues with Audio · Intermediate Japanese Listening Practice for N3 and N2 Learners

FAQ

Is dictation good for learning Japanese?

Yes, especially for listening accuracy. It shows exactly which sounds you miss, such as particles, long vowels and っ. It is slow, so combine it with longer listening practice for speed and stamina.

Should I write Japanese dictation in kana or kanji?

Write in kana first, then add kanji in a second pass. If you think about kanji while listening, you lose the sound. Kana also shows clearly whether you heard every mora.

How many times can I replay a sentence?

Up to about five plays is a good rule. After that, extra plays rarely help. Leave a gap, check the answer, and add the sound to your error log.

What level do I need to start dictation?

You can start once you know hiragana and katakana. At N5, use short, slow sentences with familiar words, like Level 1 above. Choose material where you know most of the words, so you are training your ear, not guessing vocabulary.

Where can I find Japanese dictation practice online?

The ten exercises on this page are free. For more, Corodomo's writing path offers dictation and fill-in-the-blank with instant feedback. Corodomo has a Free plan with limited videos and AI use; full AI features are in the Plus plan.

Conclusion

• Dictation shows what you really hear: particles, verb endings, long vowels, っ and counters.
• Follow the method: kana first, kanji second, then check mora by mora and log every mistake by category.
• Practise a little every day: 10–15 minutes of dictation, followed by shadowing the same sentences.

Practice with Corodomo: Learn Japanese · Learn with videos · JLPT practice