Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary: Japanese-English English-Japanese

One great feature about this dictionary particularly valuable to beginners who may not know many kanji is that all the kanjis, be they in the entries or the examples, have small kanas printed over them indicating their pronunciation, i.e., furigana. The definitions themselves are up-to-date, clear, being written for English speakers, and most entries contain illustrative example sentences indicating of usage.

The English-Japanese section lists some 14,000 entries of commonly used English words. This section is rather limited in scope, for the native English speaker is likely to find that the word he wishes to translate into Japanese is not listed, and an alternative need be found.

In the Japanese-English section, the entries are listed in kana, in the kana order, which is much better than other Romanised dictionaries which list Japanese words in English alphabetical order. If kanji exists for that entry, then it immediately follows the headword, after which comes the definition. Synonyms are also indicated in the entries, and ample example sentences are given. Three appendices are included, listing verb conjugations, numerical counters and place names.

The book itself is physically well produced, with a hardcover. The paper is of good quality, and the print is clear although none too large. Moreover, the size of the book is neither so large nor so heavy as to become cumbersome or inconvenient to use. Many of the typographical errors in the previous separate editions have been corrected in this combined edition.

In summary, then, the Kodansha's Furigana English & Japanese dictionary is a great boon to any serious beginning or intermediate student of Japanese. For the advance learner, however, its limited scope of some sixteen thousand words makes it perhaps not quite as useful. Two of its features, i.e., doing away with romaji (Romanised script), which is very irritating to users familiar with kana, by using kana instead (as the Japanese would, in any case), and indicating the reading of all kanjis with furigana, sets this dictionary apart from others in the market, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to any serious student embarking on a study of the Japanese language.


Don't even begin to learn Japanese without it   February 3, 2004
Zack Davisson (Seattle, WA, USA)
37 out of 43 found this review helpful

Any learner of Japanese needs a decent furigana dictionary. Kodansha is in the business of publishing the best Japanese learning aids available, and it only makes sense that their furigana dictionary is the one to buy.

A student of the Japanese language is wasting time with romaji. The sooner you learn the kana, the better. A good furigana dictionary serves a dual purpose of familiarizing you with the kana, as you need to know it in order to look up words, as well as being a functional dictionary.

While too basic for advanced students, the number of words should be sufficient for beginner and intermediate students. Of course, a bound dictionary will never be able to compete with an electronic dictionary for number of words and convenience, but the arduous process of looking up words the old fashioned way seems to help with retention, as well as mastering the kana.

Even absolute beginners should walk into their first Japanese class with this dictionary in their pocket.


Limited vocabulary + big and heavy   June 15, 2005
Avariat (Austria)
26 out of 29 found this review helpful

I bought this dictionary based on good reviews it received on this site. I liked the idea of having all entries written using furigana - definitely a good way to practice reading Japanese texts. However, I was not quite satisfied with the purchase: given the book's bulky size, the vocabulary is very limited. I could not find words I would otherwise find in a pocket dictionary one-quarter the size of this book! Its size and weight make it too difficult to carry around (especially on a Japan-trip). Agreed, the font is large and easy to read, but a beginner who does not know the Kanji well yet is forced to read the miniature hiragana readings, which means that magnifying glass still remains a required accessory.
The dictionary abounds in examples of word and phrase usages. The examples are presented in complete sentences to illustrate the proper context. The examples make it appear more as a textbook than a dictionary. But here is my point: if you want a Japanese textbook - find a proper one with grammar and writing lessons; if you need a dictionary, either a small and handy one for travel or big and complete for an advanced study - this dictionary is not the right one.


THE BEST ENTRY-LEVEL JAPANESE DICTIONARY OUT THERE   May 10, 2002
J.W.K (Nagano, Japan)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

Paying the extra dollar for this dictionary will make all the difference in the world. Here is a summary of its good points:

1) All words come with extremely useful example sentences. This feature along is valuable beyond comparison. I can't tell you how many practical expressions I gleaned from this book.

2) All Kanji are spelled out in Furigana (Hiragana), so you will never get lost. This is such an important feature, as looking up Kanji seperately is a difficult, time-consuming task that will drive you crazy.

3) It's extremely compact and durable, so you can take with you anywhere without fear of damaging it. The lather binding makes it practically indestructable. After using mine everyday for over three years now, it is still good as new.

4) Although compact, the selection is superb, and the translations are very clear and modern (perhaps the best feature of this dictionary). Although Japanese is full of difficult idioms and metaphors, this dictionary is both clear and accessible.

For those you who are not yet compitent with Hiragana and Katagana, Kodansha also makes a "Roma-ji" version (aka, an English version) which I highly recommend. This version is also useful for those who are already compitent in the Kana, because entries are listed in alphabetically order, as opposed to Kana order (a, i, u, e, o, etc); and the example sentences are written in both Roma-ji and Japanese, with their corresponding English translations.

Whether you buy the Furigana or Romaji edition, you will not be disappointed. Kodansha is the best out there, hands down.


Great Examples, Mediocre Listings   October 28, 2000
Stephen Horowitz (Los Angeles, CA United States)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

This dictionary is one of the best that I've used for 3 reasons. First, it gives very useful, clear example sentences with most words that leaves no doubt as to how to use the word in a sentence. A must for any dictionary used to help with conversation. Second, it is a furigana dictionary to help us foreigners through those annoying, yet important, characters known as kanji. Third, it has a very useful appendix section which, among other things, includes a listing of most (all?) counter words (dai, to, mai, etc.) and when to use each.

The biggest shortcoming of this dictionary is its word coverage. All too often I have needed a word for a conversation only to find that it's not in the dictionary. Don't get me wrong, the coverage is decent, just not superb.

All in all, though, on its own, this is a good dictionary to use for most conversations. But for more advanced ones, using it in conjunction with another, more comprehensive dictionary may be necessary.