Everyone who wants to learn a language will need a dictionary, either digital or in book form. So what is the best Japanese dictionary for you to buy or use? In this article, we are going to do a little research and recommend some dictionaries for Japanese learners.
The Japanese language is a bit complex, requiring dictionaries focused on ideograms, romanized scripts, or kana. One of the easiest ways is to use an online dictionary; what we recommend is the famous jisho.org, where we have even written an article discussing it.
There are also electronic dictionaries that are complete but cost more than 200 USD. I think it's unnecessary since there are paid apps for mobile devices that can replace this electronics. I know the electronic dictionary has several advantages that these apps don't, but I don't think it's worth it.
The big problem is that many prefer to have a book at home to read and consult without using the internet. I just want to remind you that dícíonarío is a research tool and not a study. Using the dictionary too much to try to memorize words is a delay in learning Japanese. There are several types of dictionaries, some focused on useful words, vocabularies, topics and without citing query patterns.
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The best physical Japanese dictionaries
In terms of standard Japanese dictionaries, we have the famous Michaelis which is available in several languages. It tends to be practical and comprehensive, in addition to being large in size. There is the Japanese-Portuguese version and the Portuguese-Japanese version. I can't say which should take priority, but if possible, it's good to have both dictionaries.
The Michaelis dictionaries are the main options among the few standard Japanese dictionaries available in the Brazilian market. Some turn to apps or other conversation guides, but they are incomplete and do not contain all the words, especially the ones we are looking for. Another well-known, but expensive and rare dictionary is by Noemia Hinata. This one and the Michaelis are the most known and purchased in Brazil. In addition to these, we have a pocket visual dictionary that also includes the English language, making it a good option.
Standard Portuguese dictionaries are running out. It only remains to talk about the differentiated dictionaries focused on vocabulary. We have one by Thomas P. Koziara with 20,000 words. Another Japanese dictionary is one that has 3 different versions focused on useful words in everyday use. Another recommendation is a built-in English-Japanese conversation guide with a concise 1500-word dictionary. We can also mention another vocabulary book focused on topics.
Before making any choice, we recommend looking at the book description, reviews and stock to avoid possible problems. There are few materials in English, which makes it difficult to create our list of dictionaries. Let's also leave the only book in English focused on kanji that I found.
If you want material focused on kanji, we recommend reading our article about RTK.
Japanese in English dictionaries
To finish the article I will leave some English-Japanese dictionaries for you. I can also leave other related materials and books entirely written in Japanese such as picture dictionaries, etc. Hope you enjoyed the article! If you want to share with friends, I appreciate it!