News Headline Summary
- 1きのう、おおきなじしんがありました。
昨日、大きな地震がありました。
Yesterday, there was a big earthquake.
- 2おおくのひとがひなんしましたが、さいわい、ひがいは少なかったです。
多くの人が避難しましたが、幸い、被害は少なかったです。
Many people evacuated, but fortunately, the damage was minimal.
- 3せいふはしえんをていきょうすることをやくそくしました。
政府は支援を提供することを約束しました。
The government promised to provide support.
- 4わたしたちは、ひさいしゃをたすけるために、きふをあつめています。
私たちは、被災者を助けるために、寄付を集めています。
We are collecting donations to help the victims.
- 5みんなでちからをあわせて、ささえていきましょう。
みんなで力を合わせて、支えていきましょう。
Let's all join forces and support each other.
Coaching notes
The headline is about a big earthquake that occurred yesterday. It focuses on the societal response and unity in helping those affected.
Pronunciation focus
- 昨日 (きのう) — Pay attention to the こ which is short and not drawn out.
- 避難 (ひなん) — Notice the pitch drop from ひ to なん.
- 幸い (さいわい) — Ensure clear pronunciation of the い sounds.
- 被害 (ひがい) — Pitch rises on ひ and falls on がい.
- 寄付 (きふ) — Pitch goes up on き and down on ふ.
Rhythm & pacing
The sentences are steady with a moderate pace. Suitable pauses exist between sentences, making it easier to shadow each one individually.
Key grammar
- 〜ました (past tense polite form)
- 〜が、(but, linking two contrasting ideas)
- 〜ことを約束しました (promised to do something)
- 〜ために (in order to)
Natural speech features
- 幸い、被害は少なかったです is often spoken smoothly with しestr sound blending into は.
Practice strategy
Listen twice to understand the rhythm, then shadow sentence by sentence. Focus on sentence-ending intonations which are important in conveying politeness and emotional tone.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the pitch accent, especially with words like 避難 and 被害.
- Rushing through conjunctions like が, which should be clearly pronounced.
- Dropping です endings in fast speech; ensure they are still audible.
Practice shadowing on the go
The Kanji 360 app adds recording, playback comparison, and dozens more shadowing clips with stroke-order kanji and SRS review.