Customer Reviews

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Learner's Dictionary

5 star:		(3)
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I found this dictionary to be an excellent tool. Couple of things make this dictionary stand out above the others:

1. The accent of each word is marked. Most other dictionaries leave you guessing how the word is accented...is it unaccented (saru), is it accented on the first syllable (SAru), or is it accented on the last syllable (saRU)? This is absolutely necessary.

2. Most words have several examples, and they are given in romanization, written in Japanese, and translated into English.

3. There are illustrations that show items from Japanese culture that need explanation (kadomatsu, ikebana, shooji, koto, etc).

4. Although not a lot, there are some grammatical and syntactical explanations, for example, the difference between 'kaeru' and 'modoru'.

This dictionary will serve you well into the advanced stage of Japanese. Highly recommended!

My mother teaches Japanese language at the college level. She has searched through all the major bookstores for her teaching texts, including ones in Tokyo. She selected this dictionary and requires it for all her students-- beginners and advanced.

This is the most comprehensive Japanese to English Dictionary that I have found. It does not include an English to Japanese Dictionary, but my need was for a Japanese to English Dictionary only.

Unlike many dictionaries, this one marks entries with pitch accent marks, which are important in contrasting some apparent homonyms. Most words are illustrated with several sentences in romanization, Japanese script, and translation. The pages are also peppered with salient usage boxes, as well as culturally revealing visual illustrations. Look up "kozuku", for example, and one is treated to a family tree identifying the basic familial terms of address.

Particles are patiently explained, as are informal or colloquial variants not usually found in most dictionaries oriented toward the polite language. (It is, however, not a slang dictionary.) The appendices include a list of must-know high-frequency words and essential grammar points.

I particularly appreciate the cross-referencing throughout the dictionary, e.g. between polite and informal varieties. Serious learners looking for a user-friendly one-way reference should consider getting a used copy.