Hi, everyone! I am going to try to set up a good Japanese review system on a Palm TX. I'm using the instructions detailed on the page below. I was wondering, is there any kanji dictionary software available for Palm OS? I'm not sure if the 'Super Dictionary' setup will give you readings for kanji. I tried to find an answer already posted but couldn't find one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.peterrivard.com/Pages/SuperDictionary.html

PS - I've just barely started RTK1 so I certainly don't need this functionality in a rush. However, it seemed to be a good feature to add while I'm setting the system up.
Thanks!

markbir21 Wrote:I'm using the instructions detailed on the page below. I was wondering, is there any kanji dictionary software available for Palm OS?

The dictionary I use for my Palm is PADict.

For reviewing I use Twinkle.

In this thread, laxxy gave me some good advice about setting up my Palm.

I went for the cheapest option and got a Palm Z22 without realizing it doesn't support the high res fonts. That said, low res fonts are still pretty good.

Sorry, I'm not understanding. Can I use PAdict for learning/looking up readings? (I don't currently have a Palm, so I can't really try it out yet)

Many thanks!

I found my answer. I just didn't look hard enough at the documentation - sorry. Thank you for your time.

PAdict is a must have. Before it I was using several other softwares together, but now I carry only it (with big dictionaries and best fonts), and Twinkle.

BTW, I just made a Twinkle database including all kanjis on this site (covering Heisig's RTK 1 and 3) with the stroke number. It's more complete than the one available with the Twinkle samples (I still have to send them this file)... but I'm not sure if I will use it, as I would rather keep using Fabrice's site on my Palm TX.

BTW, I regret that I didn't buy a Palm TX before - the speed, memory, screen and WiFi are fabulous! It's really worth the price. If you're on a budget, I'd suggest you to save some money and buy a TX sometime later than jump into a too limited device. But my best advice is for you to try the Palm Emulator and install all your software on it before you buy your device. Go to Palmgear.com (or do a Google search if you prefer) and you can kind of "test drive" it on your PC. ;-)

[]s!

I looked into setting up an emulator, but it seemed quite complicated (joing the developer network, getting skins, etc.). Really all I want is a spaced repetition kanji flashcard program that allows you to write the kanji as you review. Does this exist? Maybe I could use a memo DA to accomplish this? [kana]doumosumimasen[/kana]

markbir21 Wrote:I looked into setting up an emulator, but it seemed quite complicated (joing the developer network, getting skins, etc.).

Hmm... I didn't look at it since Access acquired Palm, but a couple of years ago the process was only to fill a small online form, receive and e-mail, click in the given link and download the emulator (the skins are optional).

markbir21 Wrote:Really all I want is a spaced repetition kanji flashcard program that allows you to write the kanji as you review. Does this exist?

None that I'm aware of.

You can't use Twinkle to write the kanji as you review (AFAIK). But you could:
- use Twinkle to review the kanjis
- swap to PAdict to write a kanji (you'll see if it was written correctly, and you can also get the meanings, readings, etc.)
- then switch back to Twinkle to see the next kanji

It's easy and fast to swap between most Palm programs, but it also depends on the device and software configuration. One problem though is that PAdict uses the Taka Kanji Database, which is incomplete (so it won't recognize all kanjis you draw - but you can search them from meaning, reading and radicals).

Of course, as these programs are open sourced, someone could end up combining the functions from one into another, increase the Taka database, etc. ;-)

[]s!

Thanks for all the help Ricardo, synewave. I tend to search for answers for hours on end and get nowhere - so it's much appreciated. I've decided on the TX and if writing the kanji in PAdict turns out to be too cumbersome, I'll just stick a pad of paper to the back.

[kana]jaa,arigatougozaimashita.[/kana]

markbir21 Wrote:Thanks for all the help Ricardo, synewave. I tend to search for answers for hours on end and get nowhere - so it's much appreciated. I've decided on the TX and if writing the kanji in PAdict turns out to be too cumbersome, I'll just stick a pad of paper to the back.

[kana]jaa,arigatougozaimashita.[/kana]

No worries. Yeah, the TX looks cool.

You can write the kanji within Twinkle itself. There is an option that you have to turn on. Off the top of my head I think it's 'write answer'. What's good about it is that you can turn it on on a per stack basis. So for my writing review, I obviously have it on but when it comes to my reading practice stacks, it's off.

EDIT N.B. Twinkle doesn't validate your answer.

And another thing, with an English OS on your palm, you need to download the fonts for the dictionary and Twinkle (they use the same ones). So the flashcards in Twinkle look great. But there is another view where you can see a list of all your cards. However the Japanese fonts aren't applied to this list so all you see is hieroglyphics. Apparently the only way round this is to use a Japanese OS. That said, you soon get used to it and it's not a big problem.

If you have a look at the Twinkle site you'll see there is a desktop application, Twinkedit, that's used to edit your cards. The way I create my cards is:

1. create a tab seperated text file (saved as Japanese EUC)
2. import into Twinkedit (as Japanese EUC)
3. save the file in Twinkedit (remembering to change the column encoding to J-EUC and font to Japanese, for all columns that you want to display Japanese characters)

I think laxxy does it copying and pasting from Excel but for some reason I find pasting into Twinkedit a bit tricky...

synewave Wrote:But there is another view where you can see a list of all your cards. However the Japanese fonts aren't applied to this list so all you see is hieroglyphics. Apparently the only way round this is to use a Japanese OS.

Actually, you can use a software to enable Japanese text on your Palm. I use CJKOS, but there are other options...

Ricardo Wrote:Actually, you can use a software to enable Japanese text on your Palm. I use CJKOS, but there are other options...

Looks good but I'm a cheapskate. For my needs, 28 USD is too much to pay!

synewave Wrote:And another thing, with an English OS on your palm, you need to download the fonts for the dictionary and Twinkle (they use the same ones). So the flashcards in Twinkle look great. But there is another view where you can see a list of all your cards. However the Japanese fonts aren't applied to this list so all you see is hieroglyphics. Apparently the only way round this is to use a Japanese OS. That said, you soon get used to it and it's not a big problem.

If you have a look at the Twinkle site you'll see there is a desktop application, Twinkedit, that's used to edit your cards. The way I create my cards is:

1. create a tab seperated text file (saved as Japanese EUC)
2. import into Twinkedit (as Japanese EUC)
3. save the file in Twinkedit (remembering to change the column encoding to J-EUC and font to Japanese, for all columns that you want to display Japanese characters)

I think laxxy does it copying and pasting from Excel but for some reason I find pasting into Twinkedit a bit tricky...

For me it works -- unless you change the column order in TwinkEdit, which is why I don't do that.

Usually I insert a new row below last, and paste there -- one slightly tricky thing is that if the data you copied does not include category names, you select the 2nd cell from the left as active (so that the upper left corner of your copied data table corresponds to the correct field).

Apparently it is possible to copy and paste data with category names (categories have to be defined in TwinkEdit first though, and first line will still paste as 'Untitled') -- in that case you need to pick the leftmost cell (i.e. category) as active, which is done by selecting a cell next to it and moving the selection with the arrow keys.

Of course you can also paste from excel into JWPce and do what you are doing in steps (2) and (3) then.

Hey, just got my Palm. Everything seems to be working fine - it seems that CJKOS doesn't support hi-res screens (as far as I can tell), but the free Twinkle fonts work fine. synewave, I looked for that written answer option you mentioned but couldn't find it. Paper on the back should work fine though.

markbir21 Wrote:I looked for that written answer option you mentioned but couldn't find it. Paper on the back should work fine though.

It's in the Details menu (tap the little triangle to the left of the file name to get there) -> check Write Answer. It will not come up if you use number keys to enter answers, which is very nice I think.

Found it. Wow, what a great feature. Thanks!

Also, is your database for RTK available online anywhere, Ricardo? It would be nice to have the stroke count.

はい、どうぞ！

I also wrote a bit about CJKOS and alternative high-res fonts for it, so take a look. ;-)