Everyone who wants to learn a language will need a dictionary, whether digital or in book form. So what is the best Japanese dictionary for you to acquire or use? In this article, we will do a little search and recommend some dictionaries for Japanese students.
The Japanese language is a bit complex, requiring dictionaries focused on ideograms, romanized forms, 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 talking about it.
There are also electronic dictionaries that are complete but cost more than 1000 reais. I think it’s unnecessary since there are paid apps for mobile devices that can replace this electronic one. I know that the electronic dictionary has several advantages that these apps do not have, but I don’t believe 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 a dictionary is a research tool and not a study tool. Using the dictionary excessively to try to memorize words is a setback in learning Japanese. There are various types of dictionaries, some focused on useful words, vocabulary, topics, and not to mention the patterns of consultation.
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 complete, in addition to being large in size. There is a Japanese-Portuguese version and a Portuguese-Japanese version. I can’t say which one is a 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 resort to apps or other conversation guides, but they are incomplete and do not have all the words, especially the ones we are looking for. Another well-known dictionary, but expensive and rare, is by Noemia Hinata. This one and the Michaelis are the most known and purchased in Brazil. Besides these, we have a pocket visual dictionary that also includes the English language, making it a good option.
Standard dictionaries in Portuguese are running out. We only have to talk about 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 commonly used useful words. Another recommendation is a Portuguese-Japanese conversation guide embedded with a concise dictionary of 1500 words. We can also mention another vocabulary book focused on topics.
Before making any choice, we recommend checking the book’s description, comments, and stock to avoid possible problems. There are few materials in Portuguese, which makes it difficult to create our list of dictionaries. We will also leave the only book in Portuguese focused on kanji that I found.
If you want material focused on kanji, we recommend reading our article about RTK.
Japanese dictionaries in English
To conclude 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 illustrated dictionaries, etc. I hope you enjoyed the article! If you want to share it with friends, I appreciate it!
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