Free Lessons on How to Improve Japanese Listening

Hello hello Junkies,

Here you’ll learn how to improve Japanese listening skills – and not with just “tips” – but actual Japanese lessons. That’s right. Let’s read less advice and actually IMPROVE your Japanese.

✅ Hey, if you REALLY want to learn & speak Japanese with a complete learning system, (2,000+ audio/video courses, apps, study tools and more) Sign up at JapanesePod101 (click here) and start learning! I recommend ’em as a teacher & learner.

How to improve Japanese listening – Rules & Free Lessons

But before you start on how to improve Japanese listening… here are 2 rules that’ll help you become a listening master. Follow them.

1. You NEED to script to read along with. Why?
   • You never miss a word: you see every word by reading.
   • Quickly learn the words you didn’t know.
   • The greatest way to understand Japanese conversations.
   • Otherwise you’ll be lost… That sucks.
     
2. You need to listen & re-listen and re-listen.
   • The Japanese gets drilled into your head. You get used to it.
   • Soon, you can listen without reading  with enough reviews.
   • Soon, you’ll be able to instantly understand what you hear.

Got it? Good. Today, I’ll show how with 2 free Japanese lessons and exercises. Each lesson will come with 1) the script so you can read along and 2) the translations so you know what you’re hearing.

Japanese Listening Lesson #1 – At a Japanese Bookstore.
This is a great Japanese listening lesson by JapanesePod101. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what you hear. You will MASTER IT 100% – with a script you can read with – as mentioned above in Rule #1.

Please reserve a good 3-5 minutes for this lesson.

• Press the play button
• Scroll down to the script below to read along

The script for this lesson from JapanesePod101.com

• Honya san de, onna no hito ga, ten’in ni tanonde imasu.
  • 本やさんで、女の人が、てんいんにたのんでいます。
  • A woman is asking a store clerk something at a bookstore.
• Onna no hito wa dono hon ga mitai desu ka.
  • 女の人はどの本が見たいですか。
  • What book does the woman want to see?
• Sumimasen, ano tana no ue no hon o mitai no desuga.
  • すみません、あのたなの上の本を見たいのですが。
  • Excuse me, I’d like to see the book on that shelf…
• Dono hon desu ka?
  • どの本ですか。
  • Which book?
• Kuruma no hon desu.
  • 車の本です。
  • The book about cars.
• Chotto matte kudasai. Kore desu ka?
  • ちょっとまってください。これですか。
  • Please wait. Is this it?
• Hai, sou desu.
  • はい、そうです。
  • Yes, that’s right!
• Douzo.
  • There you go.
  • どうぞ。

Did you play the lesson and read along? This is the best way on how to improve Japanese listening. Notice that just by reading  and listening – even if you didn’t know these phrases before – you know them now with the translations.

Let’s try an audio lesson now.

It’ll be a LOT easier.

Japanese Listening Lesson #2

This is an easier JapanesePod101 lesson in which you’ll just listen to common Japanese phrases. If you’re a beginner, this is perfect for you. Again, be sure to read along as you listen.

And to MASTER IT 100% – follow rule #2 – review and re-listen again and again and again and again. I’m dead serious about “again.”

The script for this lesson:  Just press play, listen and read along with the phrases below.

•  ごめんなさい。 Gomennasai.
  • I’m sorry.
• ありがとう。 Arigatō.
  • Thank you!
• 本当？ Hontō?
  • Really?
• 私は～です。 Watashi wa ~desu.
  • I’m…(name).
• お願いします。 O-negai shimasu.
  • Please.
• お元気ですか。 O-genki desu ka?
  • How are you?
• 素晴らしい！ Subarashii!
  • Awesome!
• 好きです。 Suki desu.
  • I like it.
• 嫌いです。 Kirai desu.
  • I don’t like it.
• すみません。 Sumimasen.
  • Excuse me.

So, for Serious Japanese Listening Practice and how to improve Japanese Listening…

• I absolutely recommend reading along. Will it be awkward at first? Yes! But like mentioned above, you absolutely must listen and re-listen and drill into your head.
• It gets SUPER EASY with enough listens. Just a matter of you reviewing more and more.
• I also recommend reading out loud. The faster you can read, the faster your speech and speaking skills become.

Now you know how to improve Japanese listening and how to make progress with two rules: 1) read along and 2) review and review. Now, let me know how these lessons were for you?

Be sure to listen to them again and again.

Remember repetition is the mother of ALL learning.

Leave me a comment.

Hope you enjoyed this!

– The Main Junkie

P.S. I highly recommend this for Japanese learners. If you REALLY want to learn to Japanese with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at JapanesePod101 (click here) and start learning!