Martin's Concise Japanese Dictionary: English-Japanese Japanese-English (Tuttle Language Library) [Paperback]

Samuel E. Martin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0804819122 | ISBN-13: 978-0804819121 | Publication Date: January 15, 1994 | Edition: Bilingual

This affordable and comprehensive kanji and kana dictionary contains over 18,000 entries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samuel E. Martin received his undergraduate and masterÆs degree in Oriental languages from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. in linguistics from Yale University. At Yale he has served as chairman of the Department of East and South Asian Languages and Literatures, and the Department of Linguistics. He is the author of numerous books and papers on Japanese and Korean, including the definitive A Reference Grammar of Japanese and A Reference Grammar of Korean.

Product Details

• Paperback: 760 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Bilingual edition (January 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804819122
• ISBN-13: 978-0804819121
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Limited, October 20, 2000

By 

John B Kirkpatrick (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin's Concise Japanese Dictionary: English-Japanese Japanese-English (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

This book is wholeheartedly recommended for beginners and short-term travellers. Beyond that, however, this book just isn't enough. I brought this book with me to Japan, and while I never left home without it until it was replaced, it proved all too limited. The word selection is eclectic but restricted (e.g. it has "subactue myelo-optico neuropathy", but neither "oak" nor "saxophone"). Additionally, the book itself is not suited for the long term: after two months of everyday use, the binding fell apart and the cover began to peel. All the entries are in roman characters, which further restricts its usage to native English speakers who have not learned their hiragana and katakana (so forget about handing this book to your new, inebriated Japanese friends). Nonetheless, the size is just about right for portability, and you won't ruin your eyes by trying to read a small font or your back by carrying a thirty pound hardcover. All in all, think about what it is you need before you buy this book. It could fit the bill, but it might not.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for true beginners, April 13, 2001

By 

Natalie McDowell (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin's Concise Japanese Dictionary: English-Japanese Japanese-English (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

I bought this dictionary before going to Japan, but I now find it to be too basic. There are lots of entries on different verb forms, so if you don't know the plain form it can be very helpful. But as you get better, you'll probably find that there aren't enough sophisticated words. Good for looking up colloquial words, but not a good choice for anyone but beginner level.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough Words!!, September 8, 2000

By 

Jeff Runyan (Lincoln, NE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin's Concise Japanese Dictionary: English-Japanese Japanese-English (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

I lived in Japan for 5 years and bought this to help teach Japanese students English (to look up words they had a problem understanding) - Very frequently it did not have the words I was looking for - ended up buying a different dictionary - there are others out there!