Japanese Language
This is a general guide for UMass students studying Japanese language.
Dictionaries 辞典 字典（じてん）
- Jisho.org - Online Japanese Dictionarylook up words, kanji, sample sentences.
Denshi Jisho and Breen are commonly used dictionaries. The other ones (Rikai, Pop Jisyo, Reading Tutor) are tools help turn your mouse into a dictionary. It is very addictive and can really help speed up your reading - but the lack of pain may mean that you don't remember kanji or words as well as when you look them up one by one.
- Jim Breen's WWWJDICThis is a favorite of many because of the extensive word lists. You can also look up kanji by a variety of indexes.
- Reading TutorChoose the JP->JP conversion to get English explanations of Japanese terms and sample sentences.
- RikaiYou have 2 choices, either input a URL and Rikai will follow you wherever you go on the web or copy and paste in text to see readings and definitions. NOW ALSO AS AN EXTENSION FOR YOUR BROWSER
- Honyaku Star"For Translators and Serious Students of Japanese
Honyaku Star is made for translators and serious students of Japanese. Translators and students need translations from all subject areas, from science to language to video games. A good dictionary should provide as many translations as possible, and show those terms in context." - 違いがわかる事典This is a fascinating dictionary that explains the differences in usage between words for example: 見る 観る 診る 看る
Collections of Dictionaries
- KotobankVery nice collection of more than 50 dictionaries, each one provides source information.
I think that these are my top picks for free online dictionaries. You may have other suggestions, please let me know and I'll add them.
- WeblioCollection of dictionaries: kokugo, ruigo, waei/eiwa, shugo (sign). Note that Weblio includes Kenkyusha's Japanese-English dictionaries.
- On'yaku no heya 音訳の部屋This is a very interesting collection of resources for people who read aloud to the blind. It includes a lot of readings that people would just guess at if they were reading silently, therefore a good tool for Japanese language learners.
Subscription Databases
- Japan KnowledgeCollection of many dictionaries and two encyclopedia (Japanese and Kodansha's Encyclopedia of Japan).
Specialized Dictionaries
- Giongo, gitaigo jiten 擬音語・擬態語辞典Call Number: UM East Asian Reference / PL685 .A73
- A Thesaurus of Japanese mimesis and onomatopoeiaCall Number: UM East Asian Reference / PL685 .C43 1990
Sometimes you really need to use a special dictionary to find particular words. Here are some examples: onomatepeia, slang, etc.
- Ruigo Daijiten 類語大辞典Call Number: UM East Asian Reference / PL667 .R85 2002ISBN: 4061232908
- Ingo Daijiten 隠語大辞典Call Number: UM East Asian Reference / PL697 .I54 2000ISBN: 4774402850
- Last Updated: Mar 8, 2024 11:02 AM
- URL: https://guides.library.umass.edu/jpn
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