Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook

What's the best way of looking up kanji online?

Moderators: Moderator Team, Admin Team

Taurus
Expert on Something
Posts: 340
Joined: October 16th, 2007 9:43 pm

What's the best way of looking up kanji online?

Postby Taurus » August 15th, 2009 1:25 pm

I'm sure that his has been answered a thousand times on here before, but I can't really seem to find the answer:

If I'm reading something offline and I don't know how to read a particular kanji or compound, is there any easy way that I can look it up online to find the correct reading?

I seem to find it easy enough (relatively speaking) to look up the meaning, using alc.co.jp, by typing in compounds as individual kanji using readings that I do know, and/or asking my wife etc. But surely there has to be a simpler way?

Any help would be appreciated!

Psy
Expert on Something
Posts: 845
Joined: January 10th, 2007 8:33 am

Postby Psy » August 15th, 2009 4:45 pm

Well, there are varied methods-- aside from using a radical-based lookup system like those available in WaKan (Win), JWPce (Win) or JEDict (Mac). You could also try...

... writing by hand: here.
... using SKIP code: here.
... or going by radical: here.

Before I had a decent grasp of the characters, I often searched via SKIP code at Jeffrey's Japanese<->English Dictionary.

One of these is bound to work!
High time to finish what I've started. || Anki vocabulary drive: 5,000/10k. Restart coming soon. || Dig my Road to Katakana tutorial on the App store.

Get 40% OFF Forever Discount
Taurus
Expert on Something
Posts: 340
Joined: October 16th, 2007 9:43 pm

Postby Taurus » August 18th, 2009 12:31 am

Thanks!

I also found a dictionary that looks like it could be useful at tangorin.com (in case it's of any use to anyone else).

Return to “Japanese Resources & Reviews”