How has your week been? I hope that all of you are doing well and that you are finding the newsletter fun and useful. Because of your enthusiasm and support our community is still growing every day. Please keep sharing this resource with your friends and fellow language learners!
Many thanks for all of your responses, self introductions, and suggestions for the newsletter’s future in the last thread. I really loved reading your stories and getting to know some of you a bit better.
Today I’d like to talk about resources. Which resources do you use in your daily studies (dictionaries, apps, etc.)? Please share your knowledge below, as others might benefit from this information, and vice versa.
Here’s a list of the resources that I like to use and/or recommend.
Apps:
WWWJDIC (J-E; it also does E-J but I rarely get the result I want. It’s the Google of J-E, but the Bing of E-J).
Weblio辞書 (J-J; this is a very useful and free app that I use on a daily basis. I recommend you switch to J-J dictionaries as soon as possible, or at least use them in tandem with J-E dictionaries).
Kanji:
The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (J-E; this was my favorite kanji dictionary at university. It felt very intuitive to use. Of all the dictionaries I used as an undergraduate, this was by far the most useful one).
全訳漢辞海 (J-J; again, a strong recommendation to use J-J kanji dictionaries as soon as possible. It will give you a much firmer grasp of the materials. The 全訳 in the title refers to a complete Japanese translation of the 説文解字 (せつもんかいじ), China’s oldest kanji dictionary, which is included at the end of every entry).
新潮日本語漢字辞典 (J-J; this is a bit of a peculiar kanji dictionary. It has a focus on kanji compounds that are distinctly Japanese. Other kanji dictionaries are usually oriented toward classical Chinese texts, but the philosophy behind this dictionary is that often kanji are used in particular ways in Japanese. Think of words such as 浴衣 (ゆかた) or 硝子 (ガラス). It also has lots of references to modern Japanese literature, which is really helpful. The editor of this dictionary also wrote a short book entitled『漢字は日本語である』).
大漢和辞典 (J-J; this is for the heavy lifting. It is a massive kanji dictionary of 12 volumes + 1 volume just for the index. I use it when reading obscure texts, or when I find a word that is completely out of the range of a normal dictionary. I was lucky enough to find a second hand Taiwanese print of this dictionary, which only cost me 50 euros or so. Try to look for this in second hand bookstores if you are into this kind of stuff, because the digital version will set you back around 1400 dollars!).
Vocabulary:
Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary (J-E; this is usually included in all standard model Casio wordtanks or digital dictionaries. It’s decent, and certainly good enough for the type of translations you do as an undergraduate at university.)
広辞苑 (J-J; the standard dictionary that every learner will encounter at some point).
国語大辞典 (小学館) (J-J; this dictionary counts a whopping 13 volumes, with a separate volume for the index. There is also an abriged (but still expensive) 3-volume version available.)
JapanKnowledge (J-J/J-E; this database is a huge collection of all kinds of dictionaries, including many of the ones I mentioned above. If you have access to a university library with a Japan department, chances are they’ll have a subscription to this service. Very useful!)
三省堂国語辞典 (J-J; this dictionary has a focus on new words. I took a class in Japan with one of its editors, and it was amazing to hear how these resources are produced. He told us that he records every television show and reviews all of them at night searching for new words or existing words used in new ways. We also had to make our own dictionary, which was a fun experience.)
It's a really helpful japanese-english dictionary.
You can look up kanjis you can't copy/paste in the search bar by selecting its radicals, and then there's the number of strokes to help you find it faster in the reduced list.
You can also use romaji if you know the pronunciation.
It does help with grammar too as you can find all particles and many grammar forms there.
Hi Bunsuke - my personal study mode these days is 60% centered on reading novels - I read as much as I can, look up what I don't know, and do my best to learn what I encounter. I hope you don't mind me giving a quick plug for Kanshudo, which includes a large array of dictionary content integrated into a single look-up system, as well as built-in flashcards and learning games, so Kanshudo is still my main goto dictionary + flashcard system. Another 20% of my study is watching Japanese programs on Netflix - whenever I run into something I don't understand, I love the facility for displaying the subtitles in Japanese. I also use the subtitles as a speed reading challenge - reading as the words are spoken is amazingly useful. Finally, as part of working on the grammar articles for Kanshudo, interacting with native speakers arguing about the finer points of Japanese grammar is an extremely good way to tease out the nuances of the language! I also second the point about a J-J dictionary (something I want to add to Kanshudo) - for me that's the main benefit of reading on the Kindle app as Japanese novels (slowly ...) become available electronically. I use an E-J dictionary as my main dictionary for English Kindle books, so I can test myself on how well I can express a given English concept in Japanese ...
Hi Jonathan, I agree reading is the best way to encounter new vocabulary, because you get to see it in context. I've been doing it this way since 2006, and although it is definitely the hard way to go about things, it has helped my progress in many ways.
My daily routine is mostly learning vocabulary in Anki (Tango N5, N4, and currently N3 deck) at a rate of 25 new words a day. I began doing Anki in the middle of December 2020 and now my vocabulary is ~1850 words. On average it takes me a little more than one hour to review and learn new words. For grammar, I use free guides by Tae Kim and Michiel "Pomax" Kamermans.
So far, my studies were leaning heavily toward vocabulary, so the next priority is to spend more time on grammar.
As far as reading goes, I recently began reading a book "Japanese short stories for beginners" that has 20 very shorts stories tailored to ~JLPT N4 level. I'm only 5 stories in, but it has been a great experience, each story had less than 5 new words for me, so the readability is high. Bunsuke's short snippets are way harder ;) I really appreciate them though, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with Japanese writers. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the works of some of those writers (like Natsume Sōuseki) were translated into my native Ukrainian language. I gotta try to get them into my personal library ;)
Wow, 25 words a day is very ambitious. It's amazing that your sticking with it at that pace. Respect! Haha, yes I realize these daily snippets are a bit harder, but even if they're a little above your level, over time you'll notice the positive effects of daily exposure on your progress!
I use the Yomichan extension for google chrome when reading on my laptop, you can install any dictionary you want. Just hold shift over any kanji and it their meanings show automatically in a pop-up. I use it with a J-J dictionary. If you don't understand a word in the pop-up it lets you search that too - hold shift and you can get a pop-up within a pop-up!
Thanks for setting up the newsletter by the way - it's bloody great!
I also am using Yomichan, don't know that it can install J-J dictionary ( I just install the recommended dictionaries with pitch accent, name, etc). I trust Bunsuke's advice on switching to J-J dictionary asap, so that's what I plan to do, but right now I'm struggling with reading speed so I don't want to turn reading practice to dictionary reading practice. Once I got familiar with enough kanji and grammar and want to understand more nuances then maybe i will switch.
My daily drill is this: 5 new words on this app: torii SRS. For a beginner like me, it's enough. Too lazy to setup and customize Kanji deck on Anki, and tbh, I don't like it. 5 words also is the minimum for this app, which I also do not like. However, I practice reading aloud example sentences, learn new words of those example sentences, so the actual number of words I have to learn is definitely more than 5.
After that, reading practice, listen to music, or watch a Japanese lesson on youtube. NHK Easy is decent, but I hear that it's unnatural Japanese but I'm not even good enough to know why it isn't natural :D. And hey, why not read a sentence from an actual novel from Bunsuke? :) maybe that'd help.
After 8 months or so in this pandemic, I am surpised myself that I can listen to Japanese pop song( my favorite atm: 僕のこと by Mrs. GREEN APPLE) and understand the lyrics! So yeah, thanks to Japansese I don't feel 2020 was such a failure. :)
This is great! You have such a great mix of studying materials. It sounds really well-balanced! It's really impressive that you got this far just by studying on your own. Keep up the good work! And no worries, just switch to J-J whenever you feel ready.
I first used some internet quiz to learn kanas.
Then I started studying kanjis via the kanji study android app, and at the same time I followed tae kim's grammar guide.
Now I'm using your newsletter as well as the todai easy japanese app, which consists of simplified newspaper articles from NHK.
I'm also using the Jisho online dictionary for all my kanji or grammar reminder needs
Hi Cael, I've been seeing Tae Kim's name pop up a lot! Must be a very helpful guide.
Really glad to see that the newsletter has become a part of your daily routine!
What kinds of dictionaries are in Jisho?
It's a really helpful japanese-english dictionary.
You can look up kanjis you can't copy/paste in the search bar by selecting its radicals, and then there's the number of strokes to help you find it faster in the reduced list.
You can also use romaji if you know the pronunciation.
It does help with grammar too as you can find all particles and many grammar forms there.
Hi Bunsuke - my personal study mode these days is 60% centered on reading novels - I read as much as I can, look up what I don't know, and do my best to learn what I encounter. I hope you don't mind me giving a quick plug for Kanshudo, which includes a large array of dictionary content integrated into a single look-up system, as well as built-in flashcards and learning games, so Kanshudo is still my main goto dictionary + flashcard system. Another 20% of my study is watching Japanese programs on Netflix - whenever I run into something I don't understand, I love the facility for displaying the subtitles in Japanese. I also use the subtitles as a speed reading challenge - reading as the words are spoken is amazingly useful. Finally, as part of working on the grammar articles for Kanshudo, interacting with native speakers arguing about the finer points of Japanese grammar is an extremely good way to tease out the nuances of the language! I also second the point about a J-J dictionary (something I want to add to Kanshudo) - for me that's the main benefit of reading on the Kindle app as Japanese novels (slowly ...) become available electronically. I use an E-J dictionary as my main dictionary for English Kindle books, so I can test myself on how well I can express a given English concept in Japanese ...
Hi Jonathan, I agree reading is the best way to encounter new vocabulary, because you get to see it in context. I've been doing it this way since 2006, and although it is definitely the hard way to go about things, it has helped my progress in many ways.
My daily routine is mostly learning vocabulary in Anki (Tango N5, N4, and currently N3 deck) at a rate of 25 new words a day. I began doing Anki in the middle of December 2020 and now my vocabulary is ~1850 words. On average it takes me a little more than one hour to review and learn new words. For grammar, I use free guides by Tae Kim and Michiel "Pomax" Kamermans.
So far, my studies were leaning heavily toward vocabulary, so the next priority is to spend more time on grammar.
As far as reading goes, I recently began reading a book "Japanese short stories for beginners" that has 20 very shorts stories tailored to ~JLPT N4 level. I'm only 5 stories in, but it has been a great experience, each story had less than 5 new words for me, so the readability is high. Bunsuke's short snippets are way harder ;) I really appreciate them though, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with Japanese writers. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the works of some of those writers (like Natsume Sōuseki) were translated into my native Ukrainian language. I gotta try to get them into my personal library ;)
Wow, 25 words a day is very ambitious. It's amazing that your sticking with it at that pace. Respect! Haha, yes I realize these daily snippets are a bit harder, but even if they're a little above your level, over time you'll notice the positive effects of daily exposure on your progress!
I use the Yomichan extension for google chrome when reading on my laptop, you can install any dictionary you want. Just hold shift over any kanji and it their meanings show automatically in a pop-up. I use it with a J-J dictionary. If you don't understand a word in the pop-up it lets you search that too - hold shift and you can get a pop-up within a pop-up!
Thanks for setting up the newsletter by the way - it's bloody great!
I also am using Yomichan, don't know that it can install J-J dictionary ( I just install the recommended dictionaries with pitch accent, name, etc). I trust Bunsuke's advice on switching to J-J dictionary asap, so that's what I plan to do, but right now I'm struggling with reading speed so I don't want to turn reading practice to dictionary reading practice. Once I got familiar with enough kanji and grammar and want to understand more nuances then maybe i will switch.
My daily drill is this: 5 new words on this app: torii SRS. For a beginner like me, it's enough. Too lazy to setup and customize Kanji deck on Anki, and tbh, I don't like it. 5 words also is the minimum for this app, which I also do not like. However, I practice reading aloud example sentences, learn new words of those example sentences, so the actual number of words I have to learn is definitely more than 5.
After that, reading practice, listen to music, or watch a Japanese lesson on youtube. NHK Easy is decent, but I hear that it's unnatural Japanese but I'm not even good enough to know why it isn't natural :D. And hey, why not read a sentence from an actual novel from Bunsuke? :) maybe that'd help.
After 8 months or so in this pandemic, I am surpised myself that I can listen to Japanese pop song( my favorite atm: 僕のこと by Mrs. GREEN APPLE) and understand the lyrics! So yeah, thanks to Japansese I don't feel 2020 was such a failure. :)
This is great! You have such a great mix of studying materials. It sounds really well-balanced! It's really impressive that you got this far just by studying on your own. Keep up the good work! And no worries, just switch to J-J whenever you feel ready.
Wow, that sounds great! Especially the fact that you have a choice of what dictionary is used sounds like a good feature.
And you're very welcome. I'm really glad that so many people find the newsletter helpful!