Hi!
I'm currently using my DS sonomama jiten for looking up words while reading books etc.
That's good and all, but I was wondering if there was a similar dictionary for computers and/or the iPhone? Like drawing the kanji with the trackpad on your Macbooks etc?
I usually carry my iPhone / Macbook with me, and I've had a lot of "MAAAN! I wanna know that word! Where's my DS!? (Answer: @home)" situations lately.

If there is one, please tell me!
Thanks!

Z

I don't quite know what you're reading level is yet but I have and use the same gear as you and what I found was that in the beginning I needed the DS a lot but as I've become able to read tonnes of kanji the DS is only needed on rare occasions.

My tip is if you don't have the DS with you you can still look the word up most of the time hopefully so long as you know just 1 of the readings of 1 of the kanji in the word. Look for it in the IME then search that kanji and kotoba will bring up all the words listing that kanji and your word should also come up. It can be a little slow sometimes but I often use this trick as it's become faster than reaching for the DS.

Hope it might help.　頑張れ

It's amazing how many OSX users don't know that it comes with kanji (hanzi) handwriting support and good pro dictionaries by default.

Mezbup - Yeah, I've been doing that lately (entering one of two kanji etc). But sometimes it's pretty hard/time-consuming, when the only thing you know is 同 and like 200 words ++ starts with that kanji! =)

Jarvik7 - I did know about the dictionaries, but handwriting support?? Help a newb?

You don't seem to be using a PC so I'm not sure why you mentioned that in the title, but just in case you are wondering, you can use the IME's built-in IME pad to draw any characters, and then use them in any dictionary software/website you want.

Yeah I know what you I've had that happen on 2 occasions and it's rather unbearable. In Kotoba you can also search for kanji by radical/grade/stroke count and so on and so forth if that helps.

[ファブリス]

JimmySeal Wrote:You don't seem to be using a PC so I'm not sure why you mentioned that in the title, but just in case you are wondering, you can use the IME's built-in IME pad to draw any characters, and then use them in any dictionary software/website you want.

Well if you work on a Mac you have basically a PC and a Mac. Absolutely kickass emulation with Windows fullscreen on an extended desktop for example. Or just rebooting natively under Windows for games ^^. And you still benefit from all the Apple hardware (iSight cal, microphone, Magic Trackpad, etc) from within Windows. *whips fanboy back into its cave* Ahem.

Edit: so anyway, is there a good tutorial somewhere for how to use the kanji drawing input on OSX ? That would rock with the trackpad.

Thank you guys so much!
I found out (might be old news, but anyway) that the iPhone comes with handwriting recognition by default - but only if you use the Chinese keyboard. So if you enable the Chinese 手書き keyboard and combine it with Kotoba = Win! And last but not least - Free! Finally I found that /&R#//$# word 同胞
About a computer based solution - I'm all ears!

[Katsuo]

J-E dictionaries were included in Macs as of OS 10.5, and handwriting input of Chinese characters became possible in 10.6.

I'm still on 10.5, so haven't tried the handwriting input, but I presume it's similar to iOS (the iPhone/touch OS) where the input is for Chinese. If you want to write Japanese kanji then most can be input via the Chinese setting (maybe about 80% are recognised). It doesn't recognise kana.

As for iPhone apps, I don't think any of the Japanese J-E dictionaries (Kenkyusha, Wisdom, Progressive, etc) have handwritten input. The Daijirin does but that's J-J.