Japanese listening practice: short clips with transcripts
Try two beginner Japanese listening exercises with audio, kana readings, meanings and answers. Play a clip and choose the noun you hear, then open the transcript to check. Close the text and listen again, focusing on the part you missed.
In this article
Listen to two short clips and pick the noun
Each clip contains one noun. Play it, choose the word you heard, and open the transcript to check. Replay whenever you need to, or read the text first if the sentence is unfamiliar. These are two practice questions, not a proficiency test.
These are fixed AI-read Japanese clips from the Maho App walkthrough. You can play them here and practise with the accompanying text.
Clip one
Play the clip, then pick the noun you heard.
Playback unavailable? Open this audio file
Which noun is in clip one?
Choose first, then check the explanation.
Show explanation
Clip one says 新しい本です。 The noun is 本 (ほん), book.
Reveal the transcript, readings and meaning
新しい本です。
It is a new book.
新しい (あたらしい) means new; 本 (ほん) means book. The sentence describes a new book.
Close the text and replay the clip. Listen for the part you missed before checking.
Clip two
Play the clip, then pick the noun you heard.
Playback unavailable? Open this audio file
Which noun is in clip two?
Choose first, then check the explanation.
Show explanation
Clip two says 新しい車です。 The noun is 車 (くるま), car.
Reveal the transcript, readings and meaning
新しい車です。
It is a new car.
The noun changes to 車 (くるま), car. 新しい still means new. Compare the clips: what stays the same, and what changes?
Close the text and replay the clip. Listen for the part you missed before checking.
Check the readings and sentence meanings
If you understand the written sentence but missed a word in the audio, connect it with its kana reading and replay the same sentence. If the vocabulary or grammar is unfamiliar too, check the meaning first. Repeating an unexplained sentence does not tell you what to listen for.
Only the noun changes between these sentences. Once you have checked the text, close it and replay each clip. Identify what each one describes and try to say what the sentence means.
- Listen first
Without the text, try to identify a word or understand the sentence.
- Check the transcript
Use the readings and meaning to find an unfamiliar or missed part.
- Hide the text and replay
Listen to the same clip, focusing on the part you just checked.
Use captions and transcripts to support listening
To find out what you can recognize by ear, try one listen with the text closed. If the sentence is too unfamiliar, read the Japanese and meaning first, then listen. Either order can serve a purpose; decide which part you are checking.
Following captions and recognizing speech without them are different tasks. Keep a reliable transcript available so you can check instead of guessing indefinitely. You can return to it when you need help.
Continue with a video or conversation that has a Japanese script
Pick something that interests you and that you can partly understand. Take one sentence or a short exchange, then check that a Japanese caption track or script matches it. An English translation alone cannot tell you which Japanese word was spoken. Automatic captions can contain errors; compare them with the audio, scene or original teaching material.
For a longer exchange, start with the Japan Foundation’s Erin’s Challenge, Lesson 1 basic skit. It covers introductions in a classroom and provides a video, Japanese and English scripts, and script audio. Play a short part on the original site, then check it against the Japanese script.
For more video material, explore our five Japanese YouTube channels and caption guide. You can also use Maho’s sentence analysis for YouTube with videos that have Japanese captions. Check that you can obtain the matching text, then choose a short passage to practise.
Ask Maho about the part you do not understand
Maho’s JLPT vocabulary and grammar courses include meanings, examples and Japanese narration. Tap the Japanese to hear it, then check the meaning and use of a sentence you want to practise.
While viewing an analysis, ask Maho AI to explain a word in that sentence or break down its use. Check the explanation and clarify the meaning, then return to the audio.