This article series won't be covering paper-only dictionaries, both because I believe digital dictionaries are more efficient, and because any one of the paper dictionaries found in the language learning section of bookstores is likely fine for beginners.
Most of the dictionaries below are also available in EPWING format, for use with EPWING viewer software, as well as versions for iOS & Android. Although most people might think of dictionaries as somewhat expensive items, a lot of the dictionaries I'll be covering can be purchased fairly inexpensively, or are available online at no cost.
Most of these same dictionaries can also be found in electronic dictionaries, known in Japanese as 電子辞書. (denshi jisho) Inexpensive electronic dictionaries can often be found in electronics shops in Japan, or on import sites, although these days a smartphone with some dictionaries should be more than enough for most learner's needs.
Besides EDICT, these will mostly be useful for intermediates, but beginners could try using something like Rikaikun or Rikaichan to make reading the kanji easier.
For this article series, I'll be using the Japanese word "走る" (hashiru, to run) and the English word "run" as a sample definition. I'll excerpt the definitions if they are long, with links to the full online versions, if available. I'll be using the abbreviations E-J and J-E for "English to Japanese" and "Japanese to English".
Japanese-English & English to Japanese Dictionaries
EDICT/JMDICT
Online: WWWJDIC (official), Tangorin, Jisho.org, and othersiOS: Imiwa, Japanese
Android: Aedict, WWWJDIC for Android, JED, Popup Japanese Dictionary
Definitions:
Japanese:
走る(Common); 奔る; 趨る 【はしる】 (v5r,vi) (1) to run; (2) to travel (movement of vehicles); to drive; (3) to hurry to; (4) to retreat (from battle); to take flight; (5) (esp. 奔る) to run away from home; (6) to elope; (7) (esp. 趨る) to tend heavily toward;
English:
Too long a list of words to list, some of which are barely related
Thoughts:
As you can see, EDICT is more of a gloss than a dictionary. Good for getting a quick gist of a Japanese word, but trying to look-up an English word can take some searching. EDICT does include word type information, and is the only J-E dictionary listed here to do so. In this case, it notes that our verb is a U verb (also known as a godan or group 1 verb) ending with ru, as well as an intransitive verb. This information is useful, especially for beginners. All and all, EDICT is likely the best online beginner dictionary out there, especially going from J-E, but there are better choices for intermediates & advanced learners. JMDICT is an enhanced version of EDICT.Daily Concise E-J & J-E
Japanese Name: デイリーコンサイス英和・和英辞典Online: Sanseido
iOS: Daily Concise, Daily Concise Version 2
Android: Daily Concise, Daily Concise (+ Monolingual)
Definition:
Japanese:
はしる 走るrun； dash； sail（船が）．
・走らせる send（使いを）； ［乗物を］drive； ride．
・走り回る（おりる，込む，出る，抜ける） run about (down, into, out, through)．
Thoughts:
For those who don't want to bother with all the nuances of a word, this is the dictionary for you. This is still a relatively new dictionary, so you likely won't see it as a default dictionary on devices. Nevertheless, this is likely the easiest J-E dictionary to read besides EDICT, although like the others it lacks information on what type of word it is, so readers using it may need to use it in conjunction with EDICT or a monolingual dictionary. The J-E version is viewable online for free, but not the E-J version.
Eijiro Android App
Eijiro
Japanese Name: 英辞郎Online: ALC
Android: Eijiro on the WEB, 英辞Webサーチ
iOS: Eijiro on the WEB for iPhone,Handy Eijiro, iEijiro
Definitions:
Japanese:
走る
cut dirt
cut it
make a run
run in on the 1st or 2nd line with a knight's move《囲碁》
【他動】
course（素早く場所を）
run（道などを）
【句動】
run up（痛みなどが体に）
【形】
running
【自動】
course（素早く）
make〔【用法】make for ［toward］〕
ring（らせん状や円状に）
roll
run（人や動物が / 競技で）〔人間であれば2本足が、馬などであれば4本足がすべて地面を離れる瞬間がある進み方。〕
scamper（ふざけてまたは急いで）
shoot（痛みが体を）
走ること
coursing
run
running
scamper（ふざけてまたは急いで）
走るために作られている靴
shoes made for running
走ると前足と後ろ足がつく犬
kangaroo dog
走ると痛いです。
It hurts when I run.〔患者⇒医者〕
走るな
NO RUNNING《掲》
走るのが速い人だ
be a good runner
More...
English:
More...
- run 【名】
- 走ること、走行｛そうこう｝
- 走った［走行］距離［時間］
- 競走｛きょうそう｝
- 〔機械や工場などの〕連続稼働［運転］
- 《コ》実行｛じっこう｝
- 〔トランプの〕同じスーツの連続カード
- 《野球》得点｛とくてん｝◆【略】R
- 《建築》階段の踏面の奥行き◆階段の踏み板の先端（nosing）から蹴上げ板（riser）までの距離。
- 小旅行、短い訪問
- 《アメフト》ラン◆プレーヤーがボールを持ったまま相手プレーヤーの間を走ること、またはその距離。
- 〔産卵のための魚の〕回遊、遡上｛そじょう｝
- 使用［出入り］許可
・My father gave me free run of his library. : 父は自分の書斎を私に自由に使わせてくれた。- 〔伐採した木材などの〕搬送路｛はんそうろ｝、〔スキーなどの〕コース
- 《ゴルフ》ラン◆打ったボールが着地してから転がること、またはその距離。
- 途切れずに続く出来事、〔演劇などの〕連続公演
・My business was hit hard by a run of poor snow season. : 私のビジネスは雪の少ないシーズンのおかげで散々な目に遭った。- 〔液体などの〕流出入（量［時間］）
- 《runs》下痢｛げり｝◆【同】diarrhea
- 導管、パイプ、樋、水路、小川
- 《地学》鉱脈
- 〔中で自由に動ける大きな〕家畜の囲い場◆【参考】chicken-run
- 〔銀行などへの〕取り付け◆【参考】run on a bank
- 種類、等級、クラス
・This is far superior to the usual run of horror movies. : これは並のホラー映画よりはるかに優れている。- 〈米〉〔ストッキングなどの〕伝線
Thoughts:
Eijirou (often written as Eijiro when romanized) is more of a collection of sentences than a dictionary, and thus works better for English phrases or compound words, things other dictionaries have trouble with. Going from J-E can have mixed results, as this was originally a collection of English sentences translated to Japanese, but this is the best place to look up phrases or idioms.Genius
Japanese Name: ジーニアス英和・和英辞典iOS: Genius
Android: Genius, Genius (+ Meikyou), Genius E-J Only
Definitions:
Japanese:
はしる [走る]
v.
①［人・動物が］
〔かける， 疾走する〕
**run
|自|【D】 走る， 駆ける∥ He can run (《略式》the) fastest in his class. 彼はクラスで一番速く走る / Run (and) close the window. 走って行って窓を閉めなさい / She ran for 20 miles ［3 hours］. 彼女は20マイル［3時間］走った / run zigzag ［in a zigzag］ ジグザグに走る.
jog
|自|ゆっくり走る， ジョギングする.
▲She is a slow runner. 彼女は走るのが遅い(＝She runs slowly.).
②［乗り物が］
〔走行する， 運行する〕
**run
|自|【S】(乗物が)走る；(船が)帆走する∥ The bus runs ［×is running］ between Boston and Chicago ［from Boston to Chicago］. バスはボストンとシカゴの間を走る / The car ran slowly. 車はゆっくり走った.
**travel
|自|【S】［SVM］ ［様態副詞を伴って］(列車・宇宙船などが)進む， 走る∥ How fast is our train traveling? この列車はどれくらいの速さで走っていますか.
▲My car does fifteen kilometers to the liter. 私の車は(ガソリン1)リッターあたり15キロメートル走る.
③［通じる］
**run
|自|(川などが)流れる; (道などが)延びている， 続いている∥ A small stream ran down among the rocks. 岩の間を細流が走っていた / A path ran like a thread through the forest. 森の中をひとすじの路が縫うように走っていた.
④［比喩的に］
*shoot
|自|【S】(痛み・寒さなどが)〔…を〕走る〔through， up〕∥ Pain shot up ［I had a shooting pain in］ my left arm. 左腕にずきんと痛みが走った
**run
|自|(痛みなどが)さっと走る
turn to O
(悪事)に走る.
▲The pianist's fingers swept the keyboards. ピアニストの指は鍵(けん)盤の上を走った / The promise of quick gain tempted her to commit the crime. すぐもうかると当て込んで彼女はその犯行に走った.
English:
Thoughts:
Genius is decent, but lackluster in comparison to other J-E/E-J dictionaries. Genius was made for Japanese people learning English, and thus like most of these, the explanations of nuances are in Japanese. The layout tends to be more crowded than Progressive's or Kenkyuusha's layout (which I will write about in the next article), so I would skip Genius for one of those two、especially the latter. Genius is often bundled with the Meikyou monolingual dictionary, which I will cover in a later article.Next time: More J-E dictionaries, including the ones which are on Kindles & iPhones by default, plus find out which dictionary is ranked best according to translators!
Dictionary Article Series List:
Part 1: J-E & E-J dictionariesPart 2: J-E & E-J dictionaries Cont.
Part 3: Monolingual Dictionaries
Part 4: Misc. Dictionaries
Part 5: Monolingual Dictionary Symbol Guide
I'll link to the rest of the articles here as they come out.
What are your experiences using Japanese dictionaries? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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