Customer Reviews

Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary: Japanese-English English-Japanese

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kodansha's Furigana dictionary is simply one of the best Japanese<->English dictionaries I have seen on the market, especially for students of Japanese. The English-Japanese volume of this wonderful dictionary is simply indispensable to beginners of the language once they have mastered the two kana scripts, viz, hiragana and katakana, as would be expected of any serious student, since the dictionary does not contain any Romanised entries.

One great feature about this dictionary particularly valuable to beginners who may not know many kanji is that all the kanjis, be they in the entries or the examples, have small kanas printed over them indicating their pronunciation, i.e., furigana. The definitions themselves are up-to-date, clear, being written for English speakers, and most entries contain illustrative example sentences indicating of usage.

The English-Japanese section lists some 14,000 entries of commonly used English words. This section is rather limited in scope, for the native English speaker is likely to find that the word he wishes to translate into Japanese is not listed, and an alternative need be found.

In the Japanese-English section, the entries are listed in kana, in the kana order, which is much better than other Romanised dictionaries which list Japanese words in English alphabetical order. If kanji exists for that entry, then it immediately follows the headword, after which comes the definition. Synonyms are also indicated in the entries, and ample example sentences are given. Three appendices are included, listing verb conjugations, numerical counters and place names.

The book itself is physically well produced, with a hardcover. The paper is of good quality, and the print is clear although none too large. Moreover, the size of the book is neither so large nor so heavy as to become cumbersome or inconvenient to use. Many of the typographical errors in the previous separate editions have been corrected in this combined edition.

In summary, then, the Kodansha's Furigana English & Japanese dictionary is a great boon to any serious beginning or intermediate student of Japanese. For the advance learner, however, its limited scope of some sixteen thousand words makes it perhaps not quite as useful. Two of its features, i.e., doing away with romaji (Romanised script), which is very irritating to users familiar with kana, by using kana instead (as the Japanese would, in any case), and indicating the reading of all kanjis with furigana, sets this dictionary apart from others in the market, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to any serious student embarking on a study of the Japanese language.

This dictionary is one of the best that I've used for 3 reasons. First, it gives very useful, clear example sentences with most words that leaves no doubt as to how to use the word in a sentence. A must for any dictionary used to help with conversation. Second, it is a furigana dictionary to help us foreigners through those annoying, yet important, characters known as kanji. Third, it has a very useful appendix section which, among other things, includes a listing of most (all?) counter words (dai, to, mai, etc.) and when to use each.

The biggest shortcoming of this dictionary is its word coverage. All too often I have needed a word for a conversation only to find that it's not in the dictionary. Don't get me wrong, the coverage is decent, just not superb.

All in all, though, on its own, this is a good dictionary to use for most conversations. But for more advanced ones, using it in conjunction with another, more comprehensive dictionary may be necessary.

Paying the extra dollar for this dictionary will make all the difference in the world. Here is a summary of its good points:

1) All words come with extremely useful example sentences. This feature along is valuable beyond comparison. I can't tell you how many practical expressions I gleaned from this book.

2) All Kanji are spelled out in Furigana (Hiragana), so you will never get lost. This is such an important feature, as looking up Kanji seperately is a difficult, time-consuming task that will drive you crazy.

3) It's extremely compact and durable, so you can take with you anywhere without fear of damaging it. The lather binding makes it practically indestructable. After using mine everyday for over three years now, it is still good as new.

4) Although compact, the selection is superb, and the translations are very clear and modern (perhaps the best feature of this dictionary). Although Japanese is full of difficult idioms and metaphors, this dictionary is both clear and accessible.

For those you who are not yet compitent with Hiragana and Katagana, Kodansha also makes a "Roma-ji" version (aka, an English version) which I highly recommend. This version is also useful for those who are already compitent in the Kana, because entries are listed in alphabetically order, as opposed to Kana order (a, i, u, e, o, etc); and the example sentences are written in both Roma-ji and Japanese, with their corresponding English translations.

Whether you buy the Furigana or Romaji edition, you will not be disappointed. Kodansha is the best out there, hands down.

Any learner of Japanese needs a decent furigana dictionary. Kodansha is in the business of publishing the best Japanese learning aids available, and it only makes sense that their furigana dictionary is the one to buy.

A student of the Japanese language is wasting time with romaji. The sooner you learn the kana, the better. A good furigana dictionary serves a dual purpose of familiarizing you with the kana, as you need to know it in order to look up words, as well as being a functional dictionary.

While too basic for advanced students, the number of words should be sufficient for beginner and intermediate students. Of course, a bound dictionary will never be able to compete with an electronic dictionary for number of words and convenience, but the arduous process of looking up words the old fashioned way seems to help with retention, as well as mastering the kana.

Even absolute beginners should walk into their first Japanese class with this dictionary in their pocket.

Unless you're reading material targeted for Japanese children, you will always need to face kanji in printed Japanese. If you want to read anywhere away from you computer (where you can easily use an electronic dic), you need a printed kanji dic, either one with kana readings (Kodansha's essential kanji dic) or one with romanji readings (Kodansha's Kanji learner's dic)

Kanji dictionaries contain only words written in kanji, so, anyway, you'll also need a dic that covers kana-only words and that is ordered by kana alphabetic order, and this dictionary here is a good one. By the way, this one is kana/kanji only. First learn the kana. If you don't feel that you need the kana because you're only going to stay in Japan for a short time and want to concentrate in the spoken language, look for a romanized dic, instead.

So, you will always need at least:
-two dictionaries for reading or
-one for listening comprehension.

If you're serious about learning Japanese (not just a short time tourist) and want to develop writing abilities, avoid romanji (Japanese written in English letters) at all costs. Learn the kana.

This dictionary is not complete. Then, if you can't afford (or find... in fact, I couldn't find any) a more complete dictionary, get yourself a free electronic one to complement this one. Jim Breen's EDICT database together with a dictionary search program like Kanjibrowze will be just fine. This combination is a powerful one: When you're reading on the Net, you can use the electronic dic only. However, it does not provide any hint in word usage, so use Kodansha's furigana dic when writing in Japanese or for further understanding.

No dictionary can substitute a language course, unless you're an absolute genius and have the ability to decipher completely unknown grammar patterns and verb/adjective inflections. Also take into account that unlike european languages, Japanese usually has no space between words, so you really need to know at least the basics of grammar in order to be able to use any dictionary.

I bought this dictionary based on good reviews it received on this site. I liked the idea of having all entries written using furigana - definitely a good way to practice reading Japanese texts. However, I was not quite satisfied with the purchase: given the book's bulky size, the vocabulary is very limited. I could not find words I would otherwise find in a pocket dictionary one-quarter the size of this book! Its size and weight make it too difficult to carry around (especially on a Japan-trip). Agreed, the font is large and easy to read, but a beginner who does not know the Kanji well yet is forced to read the miniature hiragana readings, which means that magnifying glass still remains a required accessory.
The dictionary abounds in examples of word and phrase usages. The examples are presented in complete sentences to illustrate the proper context. The examples make it appear more as a textbook than a dictionary. But here is my point: if you want a Japanese textbook - find a proper one with grammar and writing lessons; if you need a dictionary, either a small and handy one for travel or big and complete for an advanced study - this dictionary is not the right one.

While many people bemoan it's (granted) limited vocabulary, the one thing that made me jump on this dictionary the moment I saw it is its inclusion of particle usage and examples for so many verbs. Other dictionaries may have more words, and be better suited as reading companions, but this is the only one that tells me which particle I need to use for one particular meaning of a verb. It's actually making a difference in my grades, and makes free writing assignments much faster.
Although I can see myself outgrowing this dictionary's vocabulary in a couple of years, it has already become an indispensible writing aid, much easier to use than referring to numerous other individual guides to kanji, verbs, particles, usage et cetera.
Incidentally, the furigana, while resembling "authentic" Japanese texts, is not that unique. I have seen other dictionaries that are listed by kanji, followed by pronounciation guides in hiragana or katakana that serve the same purpose. And this edition's furigana are *very* small - not for the far-sighted!
Overall, a great writing companion. Keep the big ones at home for reference and take this one to the coffee shop to do your homework.

Kodansha really offered up a great dictionary with this one. I truly have to disagree with a certain other reviewer on this one. Using romaji is futile in learning real Japanese except for at the MOST basic level, which this dictionary goes far above. The vocabulary listed is FAR from basic, just compare it to similar dictionaries. Check out the E-J section on ANY page and see what I mean. I guarantee beginning through intermediate students will find EVERYTHING they need and more WITH great usage examples in this book. I must admit that I am only an intermediate student, but this dictionary has put me a head and shoulders above my classmates in sheer lexical ability! Thanks.

I've been using this dictionary for over 3 years now. The organizers started out with a great concept, which apparently went out the window in execution. BOTTOM LINE:: IT'S FULL OF ERRORS!!! A Dictionary! And the more I use it, the more I find. The result is, I don't trust it and have to verify EVERYTHING. So I end up using it as a starting point only. MY SUGGESTION:: buy a J-E-J dictionary (with Furigana) for Japanese students (Internet sites for J-products). You may not be able to read the explanations at first, etc. but use it just as a good dictionary. (As I wrote below, the explanations, etc. in THIS dictionary have errors in them anyway.) Use your textbooks for details of grammar. If you want to know specifics of what's wrong with it, please read below.

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The greatest features of this dictionary are that it frequently (appears to) provide generous usage examples and important notes. In addition, it (appears to) provide very useful appendices such as for verb and adjective conjugations, counters, etc. It's also nicely hardbound with good quality pages. That's where the pros end.

** =WAY= OUT OF DATE: Forget about blogging on Japanese language websites if you're going to rely on this dictionary. I can't remember finding even ONE modern term I needed in this dictionary while blogging in Japanese. Sad because that's a great way to learn the language. The copyright is 1999, so you'd THINK they'd have SOME of these terms. In comparison, my French dictionary not only has every such term you can think of, but it has drawings of Cell Phones w/ common contractions used by French people.

** THE ENTRIES: It's a thick dictionary, but not many entries (says 30,000, I'd guess that includes repeat words (J<->E) so more like ~15-20K . . . my pocket English dictionary for ex. has 55,000). Also, many of those are wasted. For ex. they have 3 SEPARATE entries for "meow" on the English side, all w/ same EXACT def. & part of speech (n.): ("meow", "mew", "miaow"). When I was ready to write my 1st sentences, I had to use alternate words frequently. Also, it often lists many options for the same word, BUT USUALLY fails to note the differences (when to use which) in spite of the fact that this is clearly a student dictionary. You have to guess from examples (IF the words are even used - see next).

** THE EXAMPLES: Many do not include the entries given. Sometimes NONE of the entries are used in ANY example and with NO explanation, leaving you ==VERY== uncertain about usage. In addition, MANY have ERRORS (found dozens . . . and I'm the STUDENT!!!). Also, I often find the EXACT sentence I need (yay!) . . . and have been told in no uncertain terms by Japanese that they are (I am) WRONG!

** THE CONJUGATIONS: There are ERRORS in them! And they are incomplete and not even consistent between sides (J-E). Also, some tenses are often left out of one verb type but not the others; leaving a beginner VERY confused. In 2 cases I found they incorrectly labeled one tense and left out another!

** THE IMPORTANT NOTES: I've found some to be misleading. Such as the adjective intro. It states that "Every Japanese adjective [basic form] ends in -i", with no mention of "-na" adjs at all. This is confusing to a beginning student (one sees adjs that DON'T end in -i throughout). It's not until they happen to read somewhere else that there are such things as "-na" adjectives and that they typically are not native to Japanese that they understand this statement refers to the etymology; not usage . . . which is not even relevant in the context of a usage dictionary that SHOULD address ALL adjs! The Japanese borrowed words, and they BECAME ==JAPANESE== ADJS.

** THE FURIGANA: I've found more than a few that were FLAT WRONG! For ex., I was trying to understand an ex. sentence involving the (adj) "long" & (n) "hair". They switched the furigana so when I looked up the meaning, it was the wrong word! I recognized the unbelievable error for reasons a beginner would not. (... how could the writers & editors make that kind of mistake?!!!) And I've seen other furigana with extra or wrong kana chars that makes it very hard/impossible to look up the meaning. Since I can't trust the Furigana, I HAVE to look up EVERY Kanji in a Kanji dictionary, making the Furigana USELESS (unless I don't care that it MAY be wrong). Also, they're so tiny that even with perfect close vision, it's hard to differentiate between kana modifiers (the tiny circle & dashes). You may need a magnifying glass.

** GENERAL ASSORTED ERRORS: There are COUNTLESS errors of every sort imaginable. I have a LONG list. They range from 1st letters cut off of entry words ([i]nevitable & [f]ellow), to incorrectly labeled parts of speech, to NOT noting that an Ichidan form verb conjugates like a Godan (e.g. "join"), to inconsistent use of symbols, to out-of-order entries, to ending sentences with conjunction particles, to using Kanji (or kana) for words that Japanese writers never do (my computer even knew), to poor English grammar (ALL which makes you wonder how good the translations really are).

I half-wonder if this is a big Joke (like a Japanese TV show) where the editors think it's funny to teach foreigners incorrect language. I can't imagine how anyone making a dictionary could honestly make these types and number of mistakes.

This book is no doubt an excellent dictionary for beginning or intermediate students of Japanese; it provides good examples of usage for most entries.

BUT BE WARNED: Don't buy it if you're looking for depth or difficult/advanced words. This dictionary is basically a pocket dictionary with frills; in fact, my tiny Random House pocket dictionary has words that this book doesn't. Anyone with a few years of study completed will be far better served by a more comprehensive dictionary that doesn't waste space with examples of usage.