The Meaning of kakitori [書き取り] In Japanese

書き取り
かきとり
Romaji: kakitori N5

What does 書き取り mean?

Translation and Meaning

writing down, dictation, transcription

Definition

書き取り means the act of writing down spoken words or text as it is spoken, serving as dictation or transcription. In education it describes exercises where learners reproduce heard material in written form and can also refer to the practice of copying text to reinforce handwriting.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Dictation and transcription of spoken content into written form, including classroom dictations and transcription tasks.
  • Educational practice focusing on handwriting, kanji or vocabulary recall by copying text or phrases.
  • Record keeping or archiving of spoken language by producing a written transcript.

Composition

  • 書 to write or script, the core idea is writing
  • 取り from 取る taking or capturing, here used as the noun form indicating taking down information

Usage

Primarily used in formal and educational contexts to refer to the act of writing down spoken words or text; common in language learning, dictation tests, and transcription tasks. It is less common in casual conversation, where more general terms like writing or copying would be used.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic tip: picture a pen that both writes and takes notes as you listen to convert speech into text; combine write and take to remember the sense of writing down spoken words

Variations

  • 書写 — copying by hand; shosha
  • 書き写し — transcription or copying from a source; kakiutsushi

Example Phrases

  • 授業 の 書き取り を 家で 友達 と 一緒に 練習する。
    jugyō no kakitori o ie de tomodachi to issho ni renshū suru
    I practice the class’s dictation at home with my friends.
    Lista:
    • 授業 (jugyō) – class
    • の (no) – of
    • 書き取り (kakitori) – dictation
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 家で (ie de) – at home
    • 友達 (tomodachi) – friend
    • と (to) – with
    • 一緒に (issho ni) – together
    • 練習する (renshū suru) – to practice
    In this sentence, 「書き取り」 is a noun meaning dictation; 「授業の」 marks possession (the class’s), and 「を」 marks the direct object of 練習する.
書き取り