All About the Japanese Electronic Dictionary

While many people say that Japanese is an incredibly difficult language to learn, Japanese learners are lucky that technology has made it a little easier. Enter the electronic dictionary, or denshijisho (電子辞書) in Japanese. In the past, the denshijisho selection was limited to only a few models targeting the English learning Japanese. Today there are numerous denshijisho on the market, and the major manufacturers have several versions each, with models devoted to all different ages and every major language (Spanish, Chinese, French, etc). Some of the larger electronic stores have even devoted whole aisles to display them. All of the usual brands are still in the game. However, whereas the Canon Wordtank previously owned the market, Casio is now the leader, overtaking the electronic dictionary world with its EX-word series. While each brand and individual models have advantages of their own, there are a few features that are musts when deciding to purchase an electronic dictionary.

What to look for

In order to take full advantage of the uniqueness of these electronic dictionaries you should be looking for a model with a touch-screen. Luckily, most of the manufacturers have incorporated touch screens into their line-ups. Touch-screens allow for quick navigation, dictionary entry word selection, and most importantly handwritten kanji input. Being able to write the character and search is so much faster than performing a radical or stroke count search.

Another absolute must have is the jump (ジャンプ) function. Again, the majority of denshijisho on the market have incorporated this necessity. The jump function allows for lookup of a word in one dictionary, in another. For instance, if you were using a native-Japanese dictionary where all definitions are in Japanese and you didn’t understand one of the words in the definition, you could select the unknown word and “jump” to the Japanese-English dictionary to get its definition, then “jump” back into the Japanese dictionary to continue defining the word in question. This feature is so handy and widely incorporated, that you’ll want to be on the look out for ease-of-use functionality, such as dictionary-in-dictionary search (similar to picture-in-picture for TVs).

Content is king, and manufacturers have made a push to incorporate every type of dictionary under the sun into their denshijisho. For the majority of users, most these dictionaries are overkill. However, depending on your needs there are some interesting ones. For example, doctors might appreciate a medical dictionary, or technical translators might find a computer-term dictionary useful. There are some dictionaries everyone should look out for, though. First and foremost, is a comprehensive Japanese dictionary such as the Koujien (広辞苑) or similar. The next would be the best language dictionaries in your language, e.g. Japanese-English, English-Japanese. Since you’ll be using these dictionaries the majority of the time, they should be ones you like. For English, the majority of denshijisho use the Genius volumes. Many users find the Genius definitions to be lacking, which is why most advanced learners opt to use the Japanese dictionary. Also, look for a kanji dictionary such as the Kangorin (漢語林), which displays comprehensive kanji information including the all important stroke order. Finally, having a comprehensive dictionary in your own language is nice, such as the Oxford English dictionary.

Another feature incorporated into many denshijisho is speech (音声). Speech was popular for Japanese learning English so they could mimic the intonation of words. Nowadays, even the Japanese words come with speech data. Previously, most of words were synthesized computer voices, however recently many come with mp3 data spoken by native speakers. You’ll want to look for unsynthesized native voices if you’re interested in the speech function. Probably the strongest electronic dictionaries with the speech function are the newer Canon Wordtanks (V823 & V923), which feature some 75,000 Japanese words in native unsynthesized voices. Compare that to only 10,000 by other manufacturers.

Sales Points

Given an overview of some of the must have features, let’s take a look at what sets the different models apart. Each of the different brands has their strengths and weaknesses. For basic dictionary functionality, you can’t go wrong with any of them, but there may be some other features that may interest you. Please check with the manufacturer's link for the model you're looking for as features change based on the specific model.

Canon Wordtank

• Several models, mostly dedicated to Chinese and English speakers
• Multi-jump between dictionaries
• "Flash card" creation for studying
• Kanji search based on reading, radical, stroke count, or handwritten
• Multi-dictionary search display
• Quick suggested word search
• Wild card search
• 12-48 dot pixel sizes for ease of reading
• USB bus power on certain models

Some Canon dictionaries: V823, V903

Casio EX-word

• Top market share for the past 5 years
• Many models for most of the world's major languages
• Up to 100 volumes of content. Content varies depending on model
• Dual touch screen with "Quick Pallet" navigation and back light
• Action sensor
• Ex-voice, up to 10,000 Japanese words
• Expandable content

Some Casio dictionaries: XD-SP4850 (English), XD-A7200 (French), XD-SF7500 (Spanish), XD-SF7400 (Italian), XD-GF7150 (German)

Sharp Brain

• 5 inch HVGA screen, 300:1 contrast ratio
• Downloadable content
• Dual touch screen, with easy dictionary-in-dictionary navigation
• Annotate entries with color, or hide words for study on color screen models
• Up to 100 volumes of content, including Koujien 6th ed. (multimedia)
• Kanji games
• MicroSD expansion slot

Some Sharp dictionaries: PW-AC880, PW-AC830

Seiko

• More dedicated to the business person
• Some versions dock and are able to be used on a PC
• Comprehensive content, including business and law content

Some Seiko dictionaries: SR-G7000M, SR-G6000M

Conclusion

With regards to Japanese language, the era of paper dictionaries is pretty much finished. Electronic dictionaries have so many features and many different price points, so there is an option for everyone. For learners of Japanese, the question is not why should I get a denshijisho, but which one should I get. Think about your needs first and factor in the price you can afford. Then, purchase the one that meets your criteria. Remember though, your electronic dictionary will probably be with you for many, many years to come. Keep that in mind and try and get one that will provide use for years down the road, i.e. in the long run you’ll probably be happier with one of the more complete models.

Where to buy Japanese electronic dictionaries?

beNippon offers a wide selection of denshijisho in several major languages. If you do not see the particular model you’re interested in, please contact us.