Jisho.org Forum

I know you only want to choose between those two, but I would strongly recommend a denshi jisho (electronic dictionary) or a Nintendo DS. Much more portable than some huge tome and much faster to find things, especially if you get a DS and can write in the kanji with the stylus (there are denshi jishos that have this feature too). If youre just a beginner and arent real familiar with the kanji radicals, using books will be a chore.

What country do you live in and why cant you buy online?

I live in Romania *a country-shaped black hole*, you can't find any japanese books here. I found those two at a mangashop that orders them from Amazon. I can't buy online because I had some sad experiences with YesAsia, they didn't sent my order, and didn't returned my money. My parents won't let me buy online after this. But I don't really mind the inconveniences of a book dictionary, so I'd rather want one of those anyway.

I haven't used those particular dictionaries but I started off with a book - (the compact Nelson). It doesn't kill you to learn how to look things up with a book and electronic dictionaries can be difficult to get hold of overseas. I was in London when my first electronic dictionary decided to break and I couldn't find an easy way of replacing it without paying way over the odds. (I finally properly replaced it on my return to Japan).

I guess you're not satisfied with just the internet and you want something to carry around. As I mentioned, I haven't used the two you mention, but the Kodansha's got by far the more solid reputation judging by the reviews on Amazon. I'd go for the Kodansha.

Kodansha reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Kodansha-Kanji-Learners-Dictionary/dp/4770028555/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1274351811&sr=8-3-fkmr0
Learner's reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Learners-Japanese-Kanji-Dictionary-Bilingual/dp/080483556X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1274351811&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Posted By: darkhriss

[p]I live in Romania *a country-shaped black hole*, you can't find any japanese books here. I found those two at a mangashop that orders them from Amazon. I can't buy online because I had some sad experiences with YesAsia, they didn't sent my order, and didn't returned my money. My parents won't let me buy online after this. But I don't really mind the inconveniences of a book dictionary, so I'd rather want one of those anyway.[/p]

Well that's a bummer.

I'm not sure which of those is best, but if you're going the book route, I'd recommend working on learning the kanji radicals and for that I'd get Heisig's 'Remembering the Kanji' series. Some people don't like his style, but his books (particularly the first one) really helped me understand kanji and made learning new ones much easier now that I could see the method to the madness. If that store will order from Amazon for you, I'd recommend that one.

I have the Kodansha one and I think it's pretty good. There are a few things I wish were different, but I haven't found any kanji dictionary I think is perfect, and I think it's a solid bet. It's what was recommended when I was taking intermediate classes. I haven't used the other so I can't compare, though there are some comparisons on the reviews Richard linked to. But if you have any specific questions about the Kodansha dictionary, let me know.

If you're good enough at Japanese, there's no better kanji dictionary than Kanjigen. You can buy monthly subscriptions at http://www.bitway.ne.jp/gakken/kanjigen/so-net/kakin/k_so-net.html, just 263 yen each month. It's all in Japanese though.

Posted By: Tobberoth

[p]If you're good enough at Japanese, there's no better kanji dictionary than Kanjigen. You can buy monthly subscriptions at

http://www.bitway.ne.jp/gakken/kanjigen/so-net/kakin/k_so-net.html,just 263 yen each month. It's all in Japanese though.[/p]

i don't know why, but when i clicked on the site you listed, i got an error message. the bitway logo is there, but ....

Posted By: gardengalsu

[quote]

Posted By: Tobberoth

[p]If you're good enough at Japanese, there's no better kanji dictionary than Kanjigen. You can buy monthly subscriptions at

http://www.bitway.ne.jp/gakken/kanjigen/so-net/kakin/k_so-net.html,just 263 yen each month. It's all in Japanese though.[/p]

[p]i don't know why, but when i clicked on the site you listed, i got an error message. the bitway logo is there, but ....[/p][/quote]

Same here - it says 指定されたページは存在しません (The specified page does not exist). I Googled it and got a slightly shorter version of the URL: http://www.bitway.ne.jp/gakken/kanjigen/

The one I was talking about was this though: http://www.bitway.ne.jp/gakken/kanjigen/so-net/
The link I gave is after you click the Start button.