Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary?

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - Printable Version

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Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

There is Oxford Learner's, Oxford Advanced Learner's, Merriam Webster Learner's / Kids, etc., for English learners. Is there a similar thing for Japanese learner's?

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - Bokusenou - 2012-05-10

No, the closest thing is monolingual kid's dictionaries as far as I know.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

That's what I thought, sigh. Could you recommend a kid's one?.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - howtwosavealif3 - 2012-05-10

just get a normal japanese dictionary that japanese people use? lol. are you sure the children's one will have the word that you look up

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - cjon256 - 2012-05-10

There are at least a couple books that are approximately what you want:

外国人のための楽しい日本語辞典

日本語を学ぶ人の辞典英語・中国語訳つき

The first is really only useful for beginners (~750語), but the second is good up through intermediate (~11000語). The second is the only one I would recommend. Although it is not pure monolingual, it does the put Japanese definitions first. By which I mean they both come first in the entry and the English+Chinese definitions are given less room between them than the Japanese. Has several example sentences per entry (usually clear enough that no translation is needed or given). I found it useful for smoothing the transition to monolingual.

For kid's dictionaries I recommend チャレンジ小学国語辞典 and くもんの学習小学国語辞典. Those looks the most approachable of the several I flipped through when I was buying them (several editions ago). I think チャレンジ is a more fun (sidebar articles, cartoony illustrations).

Hope this helps,

CJ

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - dtcamero - 2012-05-10

the defs in childrens' dictionaries aren't that much simpler... they just use less kanji, which for someone who has completed RTK is more difficult than a standard jpnese dic.

use daijirin. doesn't get much simpler than that.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - cjon256 - 2012-05-10

@dtcamero

This just isn't true. I tried a couple words at random (both very basic words) just now:

きちょうめん and はかり

And in both had long complex definitions in 大辞林 (iphone version), and short simple ones in チャレンジ. Here's the entry for the latter word:

はかり [名詞]　物の重さを量る道具。さおばかり・台ばかり・天びんばかり・ばねはかりなどがある。

It has ふりがな over everything (except the part of speech indicator), and a small diagram with pictures of the four types of scales it talks about. Compared to the definition in 大辞林 it is very simple and easy to follow.

Being able to draw kanji, tap to hyperlink, and tweet definitions does make at least the iphone version of 大辞林 a good companion tool though. It is a must for advanced learners IMHO.

CJ

[corrected unclear phrasing]

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

@howtwosavealif3 Really? I wouldn't advice a beginner/intermediate English learner to use anything but a learner's dictionary. If the kid's dict doesn't have the word I want I can just go back to my other J-E dictionary.

Truth is, I wanted 大辞林 since there is a very nice iPhone app out there but the definitions are IMO too hard for intermediate learners, so of course it has to get simpler than that, are you kidding me?.

Thanks @cjon256 that's what I wanted. A book with Japanese definitions for common things that I already know like "car" or "water" explained in a more approachable Japanese that I can flip through just for fun.

Here is a good view of チャレンジ. Looking good Big Grin

http://image.books.rakuten.co.jp/books/img/booking/naka/_h475_cha.jpg

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - Katsuo - 2012-05-10

Off-topic posts deleted.

Topic for this thread is: Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary?

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - dtcamero - 2012-05-10

cjon256 Wrote:@dtcamero

This just isn't true. I tried a couple words at random (both very basic words) just now:

きちょうめん and はかり

And in both had long complex definitions in 大辞林 (iphone version), and short simple ones in チャレンジ. Here's the entry for the latter word:

はかり [名詞]　物の重さを量る道具。さおばかり・台ばかり・天びんばかり・ばねはかりなどがある。

大辞林's def of the same word:
物の重さをはかる器具の総称。竿秤さおばかり・天秤てんびん・棒秤ぼうばかり・台秤だいばかりなどがある。
Virtually identical. Is your paper dic's furigana worth the 5minute lookup? This is much more efficient.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - yudantaiteki - 2012-05-10

Also you shouldn't worry too much about using J-E dictionaries; I used them exclusively for a long time and still use them quite a bit.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - chamcham - 2012-05-10

Since IOS 5.0, the iphone comes with a Japanese-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries built-in. Just highlight a japanese word and click "define". Macbooks also have the same dictionaries. Start the "Dictionary" program, go to preferences and turn on the japanese dictionaries.

IMHO, instead of running away from standard dictionaries, you should take them head on :-)

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

Sure. I have nothing against J-E. At the moment チャレンジ is looking good for what I want because I will be using the dictionary mostly for my reading pleasure and not because I need to lookup a word, for that I might still go with Midori, OS/iOS built-in one, or whatever I can get online.

@dtcamero Correct me if I am wrong but are you trying to make a point about 大辞林 being equally as approachable to beginner/intermediate learners as a kid's dictionary?.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - dtcamero - 2012-05-10

Well as far as electronic j-dictionaries go I believe it does have the simplest definitions, and the most accessible examples.

My last post illustrates two things. First the daijirin is equivalently accessible as the learner's dic, sans the furigana. Second a lot of j-dics get their definitions from the same source...(perhaps someone can explain better than I why that is), and therefore it frequently does't make much difference. The 'learner's' definition was virtually identical to the daijirin.

But lastly, except for perusing pleasure, I just don't think a paper dictionary is remotely accessible to a learner looking for the meaning of a word.

If there were a good electronic learner's J-J dictionary I would have been using it a long time ago. I would love to be shown how wrong I am here but I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist. Moreover after wrestling with daijirin for a year or so I can read it pretty easily now.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

Well, if the 大辞林 was really more accesible I wouldn't hesitate getting it, so what's the problem here? Am I failing to see that 大辞林 actually has equivalently accesible definitions or are you just being fanatic?. Ideally, we could settle this by comparing more a couple more words besides 'scales'.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - chamcham - 2012-05-10

Daijirin has a reputation for having the easiest to understand definitions.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

Where can I find more 大辞林 definitions to compare?.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - Bokusenou - 2012-05-10

turvy Wrote:Where can I find more 大辞林 definitions to compare?.

http://dic.yahoo.co.jp has 大辞泉/大辞林 dictionary definitions if you search with 国語 checked.

http://www.sanseido.net's dictionary has shorter definitions though, so I might try that first. Also, if you get your hands on a Meikyou EPWING file, Meikyou is the kokugo dictionary I find easiest, and I love its usage notes on commonly misused words.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - turvy - 2012-05-10

Here is Daijirin definition for

ガールスカウト：
修養と社会奉仕を目的とする少女のための団体。1912年、米国で、ジュリエット＝ロー夫人が英国のガールガイドにもとづいて創始。日本では大正9年（1920）日本女子補導団として発足。第二次大戦中は解散していたが、戦後ガールスカウトとして再発足。

Not excruciatingly difficult but...

Here is the one I got recommended in this thread:

ガールスカウト：
少女たちの心や体をきたえ、社会のためにつくす人を育てることを目的とした団体。

You are right, 大辞林 is not that hard... but I kind of still prefer the kid'd dict though, I think it's a bit easier. Plus is nicer / cuter.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - juniperpansy - 2012-05-11

chamcham Wrote:Since IOS 5.0, the iphone comes with a Japanese-Japanese and ... Start the "Dictionary" program, go to preferences and turn on the japanese dictionaries.

I have an ippod touch with ios5 and i can get definitions to work... but there is no 'dictionary' program on my ipod... How do I turn on the Japanese dictionaries?

Thankss

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - squarezebra - 2012-05-11

juniperpansy Wrote:
chamcham Wrote:Since IOS 5.0, the iphone comes with a Japanese-Japanese and ... Start the "Dictionary" program, go to preferences and turn on the japanese dictionaries.
I have an ippod touch with ios5 and i can get definitions to work... but there is no 'dictionary' program on my ipod... How do I turn on the Japanese dictionaries?

Thankss

There is no built in dictionary "App" per se. The dictionaries are built into the device and can be accessed by apps that allow it. So the 'defnintions you are getting to work' is the Japanese dictionary that's in-built. If you want an app, then you can go buy one ^^

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - blackbrich - 2012-05-11

Theres this one which looks similar to the built in one to me, for free.

辞書

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - chamcham - 2012-05-11

juniperpansy Wrote:
chamcham Wrote:Since IOS 5.0, the iphone comes with a Japanese-Japanese and ... Start the "Dictionary" program, go to preferences and turn on the japanese dictionaries.
I have an ippod touch with ios5 and i can get definitions to work... but there is no 'dictionary' program on my ipod... How do I turn on the Japanese dictionaries?

Thankss

You misquoted me.
Read my post again.

"Since IOS 5.0, the iphone comes with a Japanese-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries built-in. Just highlight a japanese word and click "define". Macbooks also have the same dictionaries. Start the "Dictionary" program, go to preferences and turn on the japanese dictionaries."

When I said "turn on the japanese dictionaries", I was referring
to the Macbook. To start the dictionary program,
run Spotlight and type "Dictionary".

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - dtcamero - 2012-05-11

on an Iphone whenever you highlight a word you get an option (in most apps) to use a dictionary. You just have to turn your global language settings to japanese, and then that dictionary will be the 大辞泉.

It's a little tougher than daijirin, and the examples aren't as good... but it's pretty much the same, being that all these dics seem to just paraphrase each other.

Is there a monolingual Japanese learner's dictionary? - Omoishinji - 2012-05-11

turvy Wrote:That's what I thought, sigh. Could you recommend a kid's one?.

Just get a children's dictionary. There are differences between the regular dictionaries, and the children one. For starters the definitions of the words are simpler, have pictures to aid in the definition of some words, and other features. The number of words are less, but they do cover words using all Jyoyou Kanji.

I will give you some recommendations a little later.