Product Description

With a copy of this dictionary in hand, students of Japanese have an up-to-date and practical reference that they can depend on as they progress through their studies.

Until now, even beginners have had to struggle with inadequate materials that require at least a basic command of kanji. Learners at every level have all felt the need for a dictionary that is at once compact, comprehensive, and designed for their needs. The Romanized Japanese-English Dictionary unique for precisely this reason.

Based on an established and widely used dictionary for Japanese junior high school students, this volume has been modified and expanded to meet the special requirements of nonnative learners. And because entries are romanized and listed in familiar alphabetical order, even the complete novice with no knowledge of kanji or kana will find this dictionary remarkably easy to use.

COMPREHENSIVE
All 16,000 entries are presented in both romanized and standard Japanese script. Specially tailored definitions and a generous selection of sample sentences offer expert guidance on points of grammar, meaning, style, orthography, pronunciation, and punctuation. Further, the all-important foreign loan word, often ignored in other basic dictionaries, is given ample coverage and in-depth treatment. At the back, three detailed appendices clearly explain such complicated areas as conjugating verbs and adjectives, counting, and articulating foreign place names in Japanese.

COMPACT
Convenient for carrying in a briefcase or shoulder-bag, Romanized is the ideal choice for taking to class or on a business trip. Whether at home or the office, on a train or a plane, it is the perfect companion for today's student of modern spoken Japanese.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1174347 in Books
• Published on:
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.17" h x 1.02" w x 5.04" l, 1.24 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 688 pages

From Library Journal
Kodansha has done us a great service by publishing this very useful dictionary. It can help beginning students of spoken Japanese in making the initial jump into verbal comprehension--a much easier way to learn the language than trying to master the multiple writing systems along with the language. The layout of the volume is clear and legible, with a number of useful appendixes. Sample sentences are included with many definitions, which does slant the dictionary toward a more educationally based set of uses. Some 16,000 words are listed--a very good working vocabulary. It should be pointed out, however, that this dictionary is not unique. The Taiseido Pocket Romanized Japanese-English Dictionary has been through at least ten editions and has over 50,000 words. The Taiseido is perhaps a better choice for reference collections, while the Kodansha version should be purchased for high school and college-level use and by those who contemplate a stay in Japan.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Laboratory Technical Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese

About the Author
Timothy Vance is a Kodansha International author.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Accent included in this excellent dictionary
By Eric Justice
I've been looking for a Japanese dictionary that includes pronunciation (pitch accent) and this is the only one I've found. I already had the furigana version, which is also a good choice, but unfortunately that one doesn't include the accent.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Terrific study aid
By Dong Tran
The Kodansha Romanized Japanese-English dictionary is the right size and right resource for the beginner but serious student of Japanese. The entries are concise and provide very helpful sentence structures that reinforce the overall grammatical context.
As a matter of fact, this is my second copy of the dictionary. I keep one at work where I study my Japanese during breaks and keep the second one at home for home study!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Romaji
By Kevin Williams
If you can't read kanji, this is the (paper) dictionary for you. Look up anything in Roman letters. This was my main dictionary, then I got the $250 Casio electronic (great but not reading kanji limits functionality), and lastly I got a $20 dictionary for iPhone that is even easier while less comprehensive but it has everything I could ever want. Good item.