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NOTE: This review contains a few Japanese characters. This file is being sent with the Japanese characters in JIS code (so set your terminal or code conversion software appropriately).
In brief, the New Japanese-English Character Dictionary is an excellent reference for understanding kanji. Each kanji entry provides core meanings, and this is very useful to the student of Japanese. I wish I had this dictionary when I first began studying Japanese back in 1985, and I recommend it without reservation. Now for the details...
Kanji dictionaries are one of the most useful language tools for the student of Japanese. While there are many such works in print, most are designed for the native speaker of Japanese. There are now three kanji dictionaries for the English speaker:
I am not reviewing the first two kanji dictionaries in this list -- their primary focus is not necessarily on kanji information, but on providing kanji compounds.
Virtually all Japanese are familiar with the 214 classical radicals and how to lookup kanji using them. For the non-native Japanese speaker, this is a totally new concept, one which may take a long time to learn and master. I consider myself one who has come to appreciate the system of 214 radicals, and make use of many for-the-native-speaker kanji dictionaries that fall under that scheme, such as 势 (1992, Taishukan Shoten).
Before I actually begin, I will list the features that I found to be extremely useful in the "New Japanese-English Character Dictionary" (henceforth to be referred to as "NJECD"):
One great feature of NJECD is that it helps the student of Japanese to understand the *meaning* of kanji by providing *core meanings*. Also included are cross-references to other kanji with related meanings. This provides you with a clear sense of the kanji's true meaning.
NJECD was produced by computers, and the compilation and checking done with several hundred programs (the details of production are nicely described in the beginning of the dictionary -- in both English and Japanese!). Each kanji entry provides a "core" meaning (among other useful information). This along with the selection of kanji compounds shows that NJECD was well thought-out and executed.
It was very pleasing to see that the use of computers in the compilation of NJECD did not adversely affect the selection of proper kanji shapes. There are many kanji in JIS X 0208-1990 that have the wrong shape, and some dictionaries treat these as the standard forms.
Some examples include the following entries: (KUTEN code in parentheses after the encoded kanji)
NJECD Index Encoded Kanji
690 (3647)
741 (4014)
996 (1775)
1253 (3788)
1645 (4016)
1843 ^ (3731)
2902 q (2350)
If one looks at the forms used in JIS X 0208-1990, they are different (but incorrect) -- the forms used in JIS C 6226-1978 (the 1978 version of JIS X 0208) are correct. To the kanji learner, this accuracy and attention to detail is encouraging.
NJECD introduces a totally new method for indexing kanji called SKIP (System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns). Being a 214-radical person, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical at first, but after spending about an hour learning the basic principles of SKIP, I found that I could look up kanji much faster than before. I was impressed.
It is not part of this review to go over the SKIP rules (although I provide a brief introduction later). The SKIP rules are conveniently located right inside the front and back covers, and inside you find even more detailed information on SKIP, especially examples.
I found a multitude of cross-references, such as for incorrect classifications (wrong stroke count or wrong SKIP code), variant forms, and kanji synonyms. These enable one to find kanji in case the stroke count can vary, or else if you happen to use a variant form. The kanji synonyms at the end of each entry are quite useful. It shows just how many other kanji have a related meaning.
If you do not happen to like SKIP (not sure why anyone would not like it, though), there are other indexing methods made available, such as:
NJECD also includes a lot of good reference material. The beginning of the dictionary includes a good introduction to the Japanese writing system (good for the beginner and advanced student). Detailed information on SKIP is also included. One particular gem was a listing of the 1,945 Joyo Kanji along with the NJECD index number. The Gakushu Kanji subset (1,006) is divided up by grade level.
Now for that brief introduction to SKIP that I promised. A SKIP number consists of three parts delimited by a hyphen. The first part represents the basic pattern. SKIP identifies four basic patterns, and numbers them accordingly:
1 = Left-right
2 = Top-bottom
3 = Enclosure
4 = Solid
For the first three patterns, the second SKIP part represents the number of strokes in the pattern (Pattern #1: left side; Pattern #2: top; Pattern #3: the enclosure), and the third and final SKIP part represents the remaining number of strokes. Examples include:
= 1-8-2 (1st pattern, 8 strokes in pattern, 2 remaining strokes)
= 2-6-4 (2nd pattern, 6 strokes in pattern, 4 remaining strokes)
= 3-3-5 (3rd pattern, 3 strokes in pattern, 5 remaining strokes)
The fourth pattern, Solid, has four subpatterns:
1 = Top line
2 = Bottom line
3 = Through line
4 = Others
The second SKIP part for the fourth pattern is the total number of strokes in the kanji. The third SKIP part is the subpattern. An example is:
= 4-3-1 (4th pattern, 3 total strokes, 1st subpattern)
One thing that I would like to see as a result of NJECD is an input method that is driven by SKIP codes. Page 110a has a footnote that sort of talks about this. This would be an excellent way to input kanji that could not otherwise be input by readings.
I am into JIS codes in a big way, and it would have been very convenient (for me) to have the JIS/KUTEN codes for each kanji entry. However, having JIS codes is not a mission of this dictionary.
So, how can one get this fine piece of work? The Kenkyusha edition costs 8,000 JPY in Japan, and someone told me that it can go for 120 USD in the US (ouch!). Even worse, I was recently told that its price in Europe can exceed 200 USD. The NTC edition, which was just published, goes for a much more reasonable 49.95 USD.
