Electronic Japanese dictionaries

Most Japanese electronic dictionaries are generally available only in Japan. There are some companies that sell them overseas. If you are learning Japanese, especially if you live in Japan, I highly recommend carrying one with you all the time. They range from simple word-lookup dictionaries to full language translation units with kanji lookup and handwriting recognition. They are all more or less useful, but make sure you get one that’s right for your level.

Unfortunately for us foreigners, all the best electronic dictionaries are aimed at Japanese speakers learning or using English. This means that most of the instructions and explanations are in Japanese. Often you’ll look up an English word and end up with screens full of Japanese text; it can be hard to separate the various translations from the explanations. At least a few models do come with English-language manuals.

Still these dictionaries are very useful. I always swear by them, and hardly ever at them.

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