Japanese Dictionaries

"Japanese Dictionaries" is a great application! It has earned a permanent spot on my Dock. I have studied Japanese for quite a few years (going on year 6 or 7), and this dictionary is great to have for quick reference when more advanced dictionaries (either physical or online) are unavailable or inconvenient. To keep my skills up, I have taken to (attempting) to translate various Japanese books I enjoy. This program, with its various dictionaries and dictionary-styles has encouraged me to continue with my studies--as well as increased the speed at which I CAN study. As another reviewer said, this program does not offer much for beginners, and I would be hesistant to recommend it to anybody without at least a few years of Japanese study under their belts. Nor would I recommend it as one's sole reference book (you really do need more than one: I personally use it in conjunction with Jim Breen's Online Japanese Dictionary Service WWWJDIC). One example of the program's unfriendliness is that it gives example sentences for the majority of its words, but never supplies furigana for the kanji in those sentences (which can often be complicated). One of the main reasons you need extra reference material is that many words, especially more complicated words, are simply not defined. Additionally, potential buyers must be aware that this is NOT a Kanji dictionary, though it can, in a limited fashion, supplement one. I am really happy with this program, and I was overjoyed to find even one program that was a (semi-)serious Japanese dictionary to use. Personally, I'm not super fluent, so this is right at my level. Great Job! It's super easy to use, and it even keeps track of the words you have looked up! Great program. Highly recommended to semi-advanced or non-beginners.

Useful app if you don't want to use an online dictionary, but not as good as what is available online. I wish it were more detailed and clear about different meanings, and had the option to click on words & be brought to their definition. This dictionary is not for beginners.