Customer Reviews

The Original Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary: Classic Edition (Tuttle Language Library)

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Great dictionary. I got this "classic" version when it was the current version (1993). I learned with it and used it and never needed another Kanji dic.

After becoming proficient with Nelson, I raced some friends with Wordtanks (an electronic dic). We tied. So this isn't the fastest method, but it is so much more complete than the Wordtank. Someone should test Nelson against an updated electronic dictionary, as my test was done in 1996 and electronics might be really good now.

Nelson is big and heavy, so don't plan on lugging it around campus or bringing it with you on your travels.

The pages are pretty thin so you won't want to make notes in it. The font is small so if you have bad eyesight you might think twice or get a mag-glass. These two "deficiencies" allow a LOT of information. There are tons of combinations here. Unfortunately, it's not all of them - and the best writers have a tendency to get creative with Kanji, so you still might not find one or two combos you would like to see. Nelson includes old and obsolete characters as well.

If you are a casual student, Nelson might be overkill.

Finally, it takes practice to learn how to use a Kanji dictionary. Here's how Nelson is used (There are complete lessons in the book):

First, determine the radical of the character. Nelson gives a lesson on how to do this, something like "all radical, only one radical, left, right, top, bottom, NE, SE, NW, SW,". It's tough until you get used to it, then it becomes second nature.

Second, determine the number of strokes in the radical. Again, there's a lesson how to do this. It is easy to do and you have to know it if you ever want to write.

Third, find the section number based on the number of strokes in the radical (section 5: five stroke radicals). It is easy to find as the number is printed in large text in the top corner.

Fourth, find the section with the correct radical. A list of all radicals with 5-strokes is listed vertically on every page of section 5. They are in character order, and the current radical is circled. Flip pages until you find the right one.

Fifth, now that you are in the section of the character's radical, count the number of remaining strokes in the character. If there are 10 more strokes, go to the section 10 under the current radical.

Finally, scroll down the section until you see your character.

It's easy, but you do need to get used to it. Thing is, you will need to go through a similar process for any Kanji dictionary, so don't be discouraged.

On the other hand - Nelson presents other ways to find characters. For example, if you know the sound of the character, you can look it up in the sound index, which will point you directly to the character's location in the book.

In summary, I have never seen a better Kanji dic, but it will take some time to figure out.

Below are some of my thoughts on kanji dictionaries. First of all, if you intend to study Japanese for more than a couple of semesters, you really ought to invest in one of them. Don't waste your time with a compact dictionary. I relied on one for two semesters trying to find words that weren't in there. It was very frustrating. Personally, I don't care about speed. I want it to be easy for me to use and worth my while when I arrive. My recommendations reflect these priorities.

Second, you should know that the deeper you get into Japanese, the more kanji dictionaries you'll need. I've been relying on Nelson's for years, but at some point I began needing more. I have an electronic one (good for using while traveling on the train, etc.), dictionaries in my computer (great for copying and pasting characters into it), several Japanese (kanwa) dictionaries, and some Chinese character dictionaries. The one dictionary I use the most I actually do not have--Morohashi's Dai Kanwa Jiten. I'll keep using the library copy until I can come up with $500+ for it.

Third, find the dictionary you like to use. You may not like the Nelson dictionaries I recommend. No problem. Some of my friends swear by Halpern's. See the excellent reviews others have written for each of these before you make a decision.

(1) The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary
*If I was starting out again, I would get this one.
PROS
--------
+ Many kanji compounds
+ Useful glosses for characters and compounds
+ In my experience it has more compounds than the original Nelson dictionary
+ Standard look-up system (knowing this will help you with Japanese dictionaries too--I sometimes have trouble finding characters, probably because I am more used to the original version)

CONS
--------
- Minor changes in the glosses from the original, and sometimes with useful information removed


(2) The Original Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary: Classic Edition (Tuttle Language Library)
*I use this one at home, because when I started, the New one wasn't available. Now that I am used to it, if it ever gets too old, I'll probably buy the Original again :)
PROS
--------
+ Many kanji compounds
+ Useful glosses for characters and compounds
+ Standard look-up system (knowing this will help you with Japanese dictionaries too)
+ In places it has more information in the glosses than in the New version

CONS
--------
- Fewer compounds than New Dictionary


(3) The Kanji Dictionary
PROS
--------
+ Many kanji compounds
+ Useful glosses for characters and compounds
+ Kanji for entries appear in both the initial and final positions

CONS
--------
- Look-up system is frustrating (friends tell me it is fine once you get used to it)


(4) NTC's New Japanese-English Character Dictionary
PROS
--------
+ Many kanji compounds
+ Useful glosses for characters and compounds

CONS
--------
- Look-up system is frustrating (as with Spahn's dictionary, friends tell me it is fine once you get used to it)



(5) The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary
PROS
--------
+ Color!
+ Kanji for entries appear in both the initial and final positions

CONS
--------
- Few kanji compounds
- Look-up system is frustrating (as with Spahn's dictionary, friends tell me it is fine once you get used to it)
- Poor glosses in places

====================================
*By the way, some of this is from memory, so if anyone catches a mistake, please make a comment and I'll be happy to edit the review.

Well, I personnaly own the new Nelson dic, and a pocket version(as it's called, but if you haven't got pockets for an A5 format 1000pages book, about half a pound in weight, it does not deserve the name...).
I must say the unabridged version is perfectly suitable for home use, and the so-called pocket abridged version is quite convenient, if not for a pocket, for an ordinary bag, even for a notebook satchel. However, it is abridged, hence my reviewing the original Nelson dic, since I use it at work, in a university library, where it is the (only) available version. Some (ok, most of) the rare characters and combinations you need when using Japanese at a certain level are precisely the ones cut out of the abridged version.
I must however confess that I do not -of course!- know all the character combinations included in that abridged dictionary (!), almost a match to the hardcover unabridged editions, if one does not intend to study classical texts...

That said, and just like the title of this review implies, I consider this dictionary (or these dics, so to say) the best ever made.

Other users detailed perfectly the method to look up a character, so I won't take your time for that.

I however thought it interesting to compare my experiences with the different editions.

First, the classic and revised versions do not differ that much, as far as everyday use is concerned. For some subtleties (i.e. characters with 'more than one key' - in fact characters whose historical key tends to be replaced by another part of the character, normally a key in itself in OTHER characters, but not in that one, but nowadays tend to be regarded as *the* key - for instance, such characters will appear by both keys only in the new revised edition (or only the modern one in the case of the abridged edition), whereas only by the historical key in the original), the differences come in handy, though, in my experience, you only notice them, and their usefulness, when after using the revised edition you go back to the original and one of the (rare) cases an enhancement you made use of without noticing would really be helpful, and you realize it is not there...

Besides this redundant key addendum, the new version includes a new ROMAJI table, to look up words according to their pronunciation, with new entries, especially of irregular purely Japanese readings (kun-yomi). It lacks some of the old ON-yomi readings present in the original, however...

Like I said earlier, the abridged version is quite extensive, despite the characters and combinations that had to be cut off to make space, and produce a smaller, lighter dictionary.

As a conclusion, I would state that:

both original and revised editions are more or less worth one another, each one having some assets and flaws the other does not, but, except if you've got the chance to use one (or both) from a library, either one will do for more or less a lifetime.

the abridged version tends to be a little short for high-level studies, and for professional use. It is however quite enough, in my opinion, to match most electronic devices, even nowadays, and all any student needs during one's fisrt couple of years or so in college. Plus it is handy when it comes to carry it around...
Later on, even when a full edition becomes necessary, I'd suggest the abridged one as a second-in-line reference and in-bag book (mine is therefore quite worn out, I'd tell you)


As a final afterword, I'd suggest something else :
a nintendo DS and the 'Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten' cartridge.

It is originally a dictionary for Japanese students learning English, but is the travel companion I became addicted to, and the only electronic dictionary to equal and sometimes beat (sometimes only, mark my words, but there it is) Nelson's paper version(s).

Actually, it includes a dictionary of definitions, in Japanese for the Japanese, a double entry Japanese-English English-Japanese dictionary, either by hiragana/katana or plain old English alphabet, and, last but not least, makes use of the DS touch screen to recognize the characters!

Unbeatable in that aspect!

It lacks behind the (complete) Nelson's dics for some old characters, but the Japanese-English-Japanese search is definitely an asset.
One might have to get rid off of bad writing habits (when it comes to stroke order, mostly, or to speed -not too fast!) to get the characters recognized, but once you get used to it, it's easy to write a recognizable kanji.
Foreign words, without kanji equivalents, are included as well (like 'fouku' (fork) and the likes), those lacking, by definition, in the Nelson's.


But, that exception apart, at best, some electronic dics equal the Nelson's, most are usually not as complete and/or convenient (except for their weight) as them, many remain, even nowadays, quite lame compared to the Nelson's dics, and none beats them.
Therefore, the Nelson's dictionaries remain a must for any Japanese afficionado having to learn, study, or work with characters!

This is the original kanji dictionary a lot of us who lived in Japan in the late 80s and early 90s used. I've compared it to other Japanese-English Kanji dictionaries, and I still think this one is the most useable (even better than its newer revision). The system for finding radicals and then locating the target kanji works well, and the more often I use it, the more the system becomes intuitive. I've used it for paid translation work when translation engineering documents, for translating martial arts texts, and for composing letters to my Japanese friends. Only rarely do I find that the target kanji is not included. This dictionary rocks!

Okay, so call me a word nerd. I love just sitting down and reading a dictionary. I keep one beside me all day at work.

After studying Japanese for many years, I realized that I needed a comprehensive Kanji-English dictionary since my level is steadily increasing.

Years ago I gave up paper dictionaries in favor of an electronic one. But it's just as hard to look up a kanji in an electronic dictionary as in a paper one; you have to count the strokes or identify the radical. So I've only been using the electronic dictionary to look up Japanese words that I have the reading for or for English to Japanese.

So I got the "original" Nelson only a couple of days ago and I love his system. It doesn't really take all that long to learn, if you take the time to read the appendixes.

I believe the reviewer that said that he beat an electronic dictionary.

Once you've gotten the system, you can just flip the pages and almost immediately find the kanji.

I haven't tried to use the newer version, but after reading these reviews I decided on the original and am very glad that I did!

I just finished japanese 1 at my college and my instructor suggested this dictionary for japanese 2. so as a beginner knowing very few kanji, i found this dictionary a breeze to use.

i have been using this for translating some of my manga and the biggest difficulty is probably counting the number of strokes in the kanji i was looking up; which was a problem with the manga, not the dictionary. even if that is a problem, you can look up the kanji by pronounciation in the back.

there are also a lot of cool features in the back: counters, kanji known by certain grade levels, and even history.

worth the money.

A friend of mine purchased the nice red cloth bound edition for me as a present back in the early nineties and I foolishly sold it. I recently re-aquired it in the orange gloss cover.

Simply put, this is the definitive work. Though it is showing its age somewhat, and though it includes a large number of obscure and older kanji which can be a distraction to the intimidated, until someone does something astounding and delves deeply into the language to produce a work like it but informed by current trends, this is it.

Purchase with confidence, if you are serious about obtaining a solid reference work for the Japanese language.

The only weakness (and not a large one) is that though it addresses the use of a character in the first position, it does not address the use of a character in the second or subsequent postion, as does Spahn and Hadamitzky's also excellent work. To be fair, this would have increased the size of this work and made it a multiple volume affair, so this approach is understandable.