Recommend me a kanji dictionary.

[SceptileMaster]

I've been looking for a good kanji dictionary all the jouyou kanji in it and common compounds. I looked at Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary which looked very good but all the readings were romanized which seriously annoys me and I don't romanizations (which seem to be everywhere) to ruin my reading and writing any more than they already have.

So are there any you recommend? Also any very detailed particle books in case I need one for reference or to help me with ones I don't know.

Thanks for any help.

[alanX]

Can it be a website? Or does it have to be a actual book?

I know dosens of websites that offer exactly what you're looking for, but unfortunately, no books that I know of.

[SoleSurvivor]

If you don't mind websites, there is this Japanese dictionary that I have been using which I have found to be useful.

Denshi Jisho - Online Japanese dictionary

[kenshiromusou]

Yo.
I like mahou Home! and WWWJDIC: Text/Word Translation.
I just use virtual dictionaries, but wait for more versed people.

[SceptileMaster]

I already use Denshi Jisho frequently. I just want one I can carry with me in book form.

[koizumi]

A friend recommended me a dictionary called Wakan saying it's very useful and said it is available in many languages. you should try it i guess.

[Hatredcopter]

Originally Posted by koizumi

A friend recommended me a dictionary called Wakan saying it's very useful and said it is available in many languages. you should try it i guess.

I'll throw in my support for Wakan, I used to use it ALL the time when I was studying in Japan. I don't use it quite as much these days, but it's still a good program.

WaKan Project Website - About

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by SceptileMaster

I've been looking for a good kanji dictionary all the jouyou kanji in it and common compounds. I looked at Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary which looked very good but all the readings were romanized which seriously annoys me and I don't romanizations (which seem to be everywhere) to ruin my reading and writing any more than they already have.

So are there any you recommend? Also any very detailed particle books in case I need one for reference or to help me with ones I don't know.

Thanks for any help.

Kodansha is the #1 learner's dictionary. It has a hardback older brother, too, that is the best you can get in English.

[SceptileMaster]

Can you not buy a kana version of it?

I mean I don't know if it does or not but it might show elongated 'o' sounds as ō which could be either おう or おお and would make it very confusing.

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by SceptileMaster

Can you not buy a kana version of it?

I mean I don't know if it does or not but it might show elongated 'o' sounds as ō which could be either おう or おお and would make it very confusing.

I own both the Kodansha Learners and the NTC 新漢英辞典. The Kodansha is perfect in every way for a learner who is not at an advanced level yet. It is hands down the best paperback, dead tree dictionary you can get for a beginner-to-intermediate student of Japanese.

It was required for my language classes when I lived in Japan and the classes were taught exclusively in Japanese to a few Americans and a lot of Koreans and Chinese.

Don't sweat the romaji. A kanji dictionary is not a substitute for an actual dictionary anyway, plus I don't think there are that many kanji that have an おお in them. The only ones I can think of offhand are 大 and 遠. The lack of kana is so unimportant that I didn't even notice neither the Kodansha nor NTC have kana!

And no I don't thnk there's a kana version. That shouldn't stop you. A kanji dictionary is great for giving you tons of compounds and usage notes, and no kanji dictionary available in English is close to being as useful here as the two I've mentioned.