Electronic Dictionary Recs?

[chelocean]

I've heard that investing in a good electronic dictionary is a good choice, but am overwhelmed by the variety.

Anyone have a recommendation? Do I buy it here, or once I get there?

Also, as a note, I currently speak basically no Japanese, so anything with Japanese menus only will probably be beyond my reach.

[Danny_V MiyagiPA]

I recently bought a Canon Wordtank V330 and I think it's great. It's aimed at high school/university students studying English, so it has a lot of study options (some of which can be reversed to study Japanese), as well the the ability to write kanji, see how they are written (stroke order) and look up how to read them as well. The menu can be switched to English, you can ask someone at the store to do it.

I don't know if you have a store near you where you can try before you buy, but there's a Yodobashi Camera near the hotel in Shinjuku where you can try different models and decide (and even get started on getting points for free merchandise!).

It costs about 30,000 yen, and I certainly don't regret getting it. My previous dictionary (a lower model Canon) was good for three years, but was starting to pack it in.

Info link:
http://smartimports.net/product.php?productid=16364

Hope this helps!

[AmberBear]

I don't recommend buying one in Japan with your Japanese level. Most of them are geared to Japanese people to use for English translations.

[EhimeDave]

Not just "most".

All of them are made for Japanese people to use in language study.

[Danny_V MiyagiPA]

I had very minimal Japanese when I bought my dictionary in Japan, used it for three years, no trouble. Even had to get the clerk to put the menus in English for me.

[chelocean]

I recently bought a Canon Wordtank V330 and I think it's great. It's aimed at high school/university students studying English, so it has a lot of study options (some of which can be reversed to study Japanese), as well the the ability to write kanji, see how they are written (stroke order) and look up how to read them as well. The menu can be switched to English, you can ask someone at the store to do it.

I don't know if you have a store near you where you can try before you buy, but there's a Yodobashi Camera near the hotel in Shinjuku where you can try different models and decide (and even get started on getting points for free merchandise!).

It costs about 30,000 yen, and I certainly don't regret getting it. My previous dictionary (a lower model Canon) was good for three years, but was starting to pack it in.

Info link:
http://smartimports.net/product.php?productid=16364

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the rec!! I actually found it on Amazon Japan for a good price, so I was thinking about buying it there and shipping it to my new address over in Shikoku. Do you know if to buy on Amazon Japan, I should wait till I have a Japanese bank account and pay from there? Or can I just pay with my American credit card...would it charge me more for some kind of exchange rate fee?

[Danny_V MiyagiPA]

Thanks for the rec!! I actually found it on Amazon Japan for a good price, so I was thinking about buying it there and shipping it to my new address over in Shikoku. Do you know if to buy on Amazon Japan, I should wait till I have a Japanese bank account and pay from there? Or can I just pay with my American credit card...would it charge me more for some kind of exchange rate fee?

If you charge it to your American credit card, you'll have to pay the yen-USD exchange. You could also pay cash at a convenience store or (maybe, depending on the seller) COD. For these two options you'd have to wait until you've moved in to your new address, and there may not be a convenience store that offers Amazon payment service (usually Lawsons up in Miyagi). Maybe ask your predecessor?

[ness]

Also consider that most phones here have at least a basic dictionary and if you get an iphone you can downloaded some great free ones (eg Kotoba). I haven't used my electronic dictionary since I got my iphone. I just taught myself the skip method so I can look up any kanji (with a relative degree of success) it often shows stroke order and other useful examples. And it is much easier than lugging a phone and a dictionary around especially when you are out and about at night talking to some ojisan at a bar.
If I am at my desk at school or at home with my laptop I just have "jim breen's" open and use that.
I wouldn't waste the money on an electronic dictionary now.

[neocarbunkle]

I second using your phone/ipod as a dictionary. There is also a DS game called Kanji Sonomama, it can get the job done no problem.

Proper denshi jishos are for people who are upper advanced or native Japanese people

[ness]

the ds game is ok, but again it is designed for japanese people learning english not for us to learn japanese.

[DanAkitaPA]

Proper denshi jishos are for people who are upper advanced or native Japanese people

I would say electronic dictionaries are for people who are aware of their study needs and how they intend to use the dictionary. I wouldn't recommend buying one until you know how you are going to use the dictionary.

[chelocean]

Also consider that most phones here have at least a basic dictionary and if you get an iphone you can downloaded some great free ones (eg Kotoba). I haven't used my electronic dictionary since I got my iphone. I just taught myself the skip method so I can look up any kanji (with a relative degree of success) it often shows stroke order and other useful examples. And it is much easier than lugging a phone and a dictionary around especially when you are out and about at night talking to some ojisan at a bar.
If I am at my desk at school or at home with my laptop I just have "jim breen's" open and use that.
I wouldn't waste the money on an electronic dictionary now.

I have an iPod touch, which I think can get all the apps an iPhone can get...would I be able to easily learn the look-up process, having no knowledge at all of kanji at this point?

Also, what's Jim Breens?

[long_weekend]

If I am at my desk at school or at home with my laptop I just have "jim breen's" open and use that.
I wouldn't waste the money on an electronic dictionary now.

I have an iPod touch, which I think can get all the apps an iPhone can get...would I be able to easily learn the look-up process, having no knowledge at all of kanji at this point?

Also, what's Jim Breens?

Jim Breen's dictionary, EDICT, is available in most of the iPhone/iPod Touch apps. I JUST posted a thread about this here:

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3553

[ness]

Also, what's Jim Breens?

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi- ... dic.cgi?1C

developed by Monash university I like this as it has good options eg sentence examples, verb conjugation, kanji look up by radical and animated stroke order diagrams. I am never at my desk without having this open. Often I will heard a word from someone's conversation and I will look it up while appearing to be studying (well it is a kind of study)

[HiroshimaPA_Fish]

yeah. definitely skip the word tanks, and just get a nice phone or hand-held device with internet access and use the WWWJDIC.