[Lingo] Re: Kanji tools [Re: rhetorical form ]

[steve smith <sjs@example.com>]

Niels Kobschätzki wrote:
> On 6/26/07, burlingk@example.com <burlingk@example.com> wrote:
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: lingo-bounces@example.com [mailto:lingo-bounces@example.com On
> > > Behalf Of Josh Glover
> > > On 26/06/07, burlingk@example.com <burlingk@example.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > May I request (this is just a request, not a demand or
> > > anything) that
> > > > people include some form of kana reading for kanji. :)
> > >
> > > You may request this, but cannot you avail yourself of one of
> > > the following tools?
> > >
> > > 1. rikaichan  http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/
> > > 2. WWWJDIC  http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C
> > http://www.jisho.org/ seems to help a bit also. ^_^
>
> Best way to learn it though it seems to be is to use an old-fashioned
> paper-based dictionary. At least it's my feeling that you will
> remember kanji more easily which you had to search the hard way ;)
> For quick reading is the stuff above better for sure ;)
>
> Niels
For me, Remembering the Kanji by Heisig was a real help.
Besides learning in an order that builds on what you have
already learned, you learn how they go together.  If you
really want to learn Kanji, I think that's a good place to
start.  But it's a lot of work.

I find the Moji plug-in for FireFox very useful for studying
Kanji.  Also an HTML file that contains nothing but a text
box is useful.  You can copy into the text box and then use
Rikaichan for translating the Japanese.

I would like to find a better electronic dictionary.  All
that I have encountered so far are aimed at Japanese users.
I use a Canon G55 because I like the Kanji text animation,
it has the functionality I need and the price was good.  The
multi-radical method it uses for Kanji lookup is adequate,
but to be really useful, you need to learn the names of the
radicals.  It is not nearly as easy to use as the on-line
kanji dictionary at Jisho.org.  Also, it is hard to look up
Japanese words by their Kanji and look-up English->Japanese
takes you first to the japanese in Kanji.  You have to take
a second step to find the pronunciation (hiragana) for the
words.  To the best of my knowledge, none of the Japanese
Electronic Dictionaries handle verb or adjective conjugation.

Does anyone have an electronic dictionary they'd recommend.
Is there anything that comes anywhere near the
functionality of WWWJDIC?

Steve S.