My current dictionary of choice. It uses a great system called SKIP to help you look up kanji you don't recognise quickly, without all that mucking about with radicals (the component parts of the more complex characters). It also has the usual on / kun indexes. The entries are very informative, including readings, stroke count and order, and core meanings to help you remember the kanji effectively.

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Product Description

This dictionary contains the 2000 kanji and 24,000 kanji compounds necessary to understand contemporary Japanese. Characters that correspond to core meanings are highlighted in red for easy reference. They are then followed by character meanings that illustrate how these characters are combined to form countless compound words. Each character corresponding to a core meaning features a diagram showing how to character should be written.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30558 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12
• Original language: Japanese, English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1060 pages

From the Publisher
Fully comprehensive Kanji reference source.
The most practical Kanji-English student's dictionary ever compiled, containing the 2,000 kanji and 24,000 kanji compounds necessary to understand contemporary Japanese. Clear, easy-to-read format including useful highlighted characters that correspond to core meanings with diagrams showing how they should be written. Compact, flexibound design.

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Customer Reviews

It will help you !!
I got hold of my copy while studying in Japan. It is in my opinion the most suitable kanji dictionary available on the market for learners of Japanese. The Kanji are logically structured and easy to look up using the various indexes available at the end of the book. Personally I don't think that the SKIP system of looking up the characters work that well, but sometimes it is usefull. The example usages are the best, not only compounds starting with the actual kanji, but also displays compounds when the kanji is second etc. The only negative to say about this book would be the fact that they have chosen to use romaji instead of kana for the readings.

Wonderful
A wonderful reference, I use it all the time. I find the lookup system incredibly easy to use - in fact, I haven't learnt how the 'skip' system works, I just seem to be able to find any character I want by 'following my nose' so it must be pretty intuitive.

The addition of stroke orders is useful, as well as highlighting important characters, which means this can be used not only as a dictionary, but as a casual browse. Also, I'm currently studying for the Kanji Aptitude Tests and the dictionary notes which Joyo grade each character belongs to, so I can easily make a decision whether to forget a looked-up character (for now), or note that I'll need it soon, or learn it properly.

A little light on compounds maybe, so combined with Spahn and Hadamitzky's "Kanji Learner's Dictionary" you get a formidable duo (although note that Spahn/Hadamitzky do _not_ agree on stroke order/count and radicals with the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation - so use this one if you're learning Kanji for exams).

Fascinating and useful, but not a general purpose dictionary
This is one beautifully laid out book. The subtle use of colour and layout make pages easy to read (and i hope they learn form this for other dictionaries). The wide variety of indexes take up very little space, but still make it possible to find a kanji from the sound, the appearance, or the meaning. The entries are comprehensive, but don't waste lots of space with needless sample sentences. If you're learning japanese Kanji, you will find this book very, very helpful.

However, it is not a general purpose dictionary: you will need one of those as well. I only hope you find one as nice as this.