🇯🇵 Learn Japanese
Learn Japanese with Podcasts
Podcasts fill the dead time — commutes, dishes, walks — with Japanese. But passive listening alone plateaus fast. The fix is studying the transcript: catch the words you missed, save them, and hear them clearly the next time. InputDojo makes any transcript clickable study material.
Why podcasts works for Japanese
Listening volume, painlessly
An hour of podcast Japanese a day is 365 hours a year — acquired during time you'd otherwise waste.
Transcript study closes the loop
Words you almost caught while listening become words you know after five minutes with the transcript.
Learner podcasts scale with you
From slow beginner shows to native talk radio, there's a clearly-graded path.
How it works in InputDojo
- 1
Import a podcast transcript (many learner podcasts publish them) or a YouTube version.
- 2
Read through, saving the words you didn't catch by ear.
- 3
Re-listen after studying — you'll be surprised how much more you hear.
Where to start
Learner podcasts with transcripts
Shows made for study — clear speech, published scripts.
Interview shows
Two-person conversation is the most useful listening register.
News podcasts
Pairs perfectly with reading NHK articles on the same stories.
Frequently asked questions
Should I listen or read first?
Try listening first, then study the transcript, then re-listen. The second listen is where the improvement happens — you hear everything you just studied.
What if a podcast has no transcript?
Many episodes exist on YouTube with auto-captions — paste that link instead. For audio-only shows, focus on ones that publish scripts.