TsukuBlog

Electronic dictionaries are good because they can help you look things up quickly when you are on the go, and they often have a few tools to help you study. However, most Japanese-English electronic dictionaries are designed for Japanese people, so some of them cannot be used well unless you already know kanji. It is important to find a dictionary that is “foreigner-friendly”, meaning that you can use it even if you do not know how to read kanji (yet).

I have owned two electronic dictionaries in the past. Both of them were Canon Wordtanks. However, the last time I bought an electronic dictionary was in 2001 and they have changed a lot since then. It used to be that Canon was the only one that foreigners could use, but now there are lots of choices. (And I am not sure if the current model of the Wordtank is still foreigner-friendly.)

If you are thinking of buying an electronic dictionary, you might want to try asking around to see what people are buying these days. A good place to ask about this is TAIRA, a local mailing list that includes about 1000 members. There should be a few people on the list who have recently purchased an electronic dictionary and who are willing to give you advice. This topic comes up on TAIRA every now and then, so you can also look in the archives for some general advice.

Advice about models
* Japan Shop (Since this shop is mainly for people who are not already in Japan, you might want to use this site to compare models and then buy the one you choose at one of the local electronics shops.)

See also…
* Electronic Dictionaries: A Buyer’s Guide (Dated, but still useful.)
* How to Choose a Good Dictionary (Mainly for paper dictionaries, but some general points to consider.)
* Article on Kanji Dictionaries in Alien Times

December 12 is Kanji Day. The kanji that represents the current year is announced at Kiyomizudera (temple) in Kyoto on this day every year.

Two years ago, the kanji was 災 (wazawai), which means “disaster”, because of the huge earthquake in Niigata that happened that year. Last year, the kanji was 愛 (ai), which means “love”. I believe the choice of that character had something to do with the Expo held in Aichi and the marriage of the imperial princess, Norinomiya (now known as Sayako Kuroda). This year, the kanji is 命 (inochi), which means “life” because of the birth of the imperial prince’s son, Hisahito, and also the lose of life due to bullying.

What kanji (or word) represents this year for you?

Read a short satirical commentary on the practice of choosing a kanji to represent the year. Funny stuff.

Have you seen the ads on TV of people using Nintendo DS to learn kanji? I just saw one on TV this morning and I have been trying to find out more information about the whole thing. The software is called Kanken DS (漢検DS) because it is made by the people who produce the Kanji Proficiency Test (漢字能力検定, kanji nouryoku kentei, which is often shortened to 漢検, kanken).

It seems that the software is available through Amazon.co.jp for 3391 yen (which is less than it sells for at K’s Denki where it was about 3900 yen). The Nintendo DS machine itself costs about 22,000 yen and is also available through Amazon.co.jp (or for a bit less than that on kakaku.com).

Here is a little thingy that will let you test out the interface. Unfortunately the sample questions are quite hard, but you should be able to get a feel for the software anyway.