KDIC dictionaries for people LEARNING Japanese

    Well, I finally got around to creating my own KDIC dictionary files based on EDICT, appropriate for Japanese learners like myself (the one's currently out there are better suited to a Japanese audience). I've made small & large versions of each file, so people can choose what suits them best. I personally use the small English and Kana keyed dictionaries, and the large KanjiDic and Edict (Jukugo) dictionaries.


    Anyway, with these dictionaries and various software installed on my palm, I can sit in a cafe and read a Japanese novel without lugging around a giant reference and/or taking 5 minute breaks to look something up by stroke counts. It's not quite Rikai embedded on my retina, but it'll have to do 'till that comes out (and I would certainly hope to be able to read well enough by then anyway).

    But first, maybe it'd be worthwhile explaining what these dictionaries offer. Perhaps the best way is to look at a few random definitions
from the source files:

1. English To Japanese
   
   
   
   

   Name	Key Type	Definitions	Size (kB) small/large		Size (lines) small/large
   TRE2J.PDB	English	Kanji Reading & Kana Reading	613	3095	26286	115790
   Downloads: small large	festival フェスティバル 祭=まつり 祭り=まつり 祝い=いわい crime (scene of the) 現場=げんば
   Note: I tried to make a compact English->Japanese dictionary out of EDICT here, without garbage, and I think it came out rather well. Note that the original edict entry is "scene of the crime", which will also show up when looking up "scene".



2. Japanese by Sound

   Name	Key Type	Definitions	Size (kB) small/large		Size (lines) small/large
   TRKANA.PDB	Kana (not ROMAJI!)	Kanji Readings & English Meaning	431	2198	17733	77948
   Downloads: small large	せんせんげつ 先先月=month before last じゅんし 殉死=dying a martyr;following someone in suic.. 巡視 inspection tour マグマ magma
   Note: Why not Romaji? Well, for one, if you're reading a word on your palm in Japanese (you can do that, right?) but you're dictionary is in romaji, KDIC DA won't help much then, eh? Besides, it's easy to install a keyboard hack to allow Japanese input, or better hand, handwriting recognition.



3. Japanese by Written Form

   Name	Key Type	Definitions	Size (kB) small/large		Size (lines) small/large
   TRKNJI.PDB	Jukugo (Kanji Words)	Kana Reading & English Meaning	606	3581	14550	79969
   Downloads: small large	愛着 あいちゃく=love;attachment;covetous affection 寝過ごす ねすごす=to oversleep 割れる われる=to break;to split;to crack;to cleave
   Note: Here's how you read Japanese articles when you don't have them in electronic format (when you have it on your computer, you DO KNOW ABOUTRIKAI, RIGHT?). Go out and buy PALM software to do handwriting recognition Use this dictionary, which will tell you the English AND the reading (yeah!)



4. Japanese Character Dictionary

   Name	Key Type	Definitions	Size (kB) small/large		Size (lines) small/large
   TRKDIC.PDB	Single Kanji	Readings & English "Meaning"	98	182	3010	6356
   Downloads: small large	少 ショウ すくない すこし few;little 週 シュウ week 勝 ショウ かつ がち まさる すぐれ.. victory;win;prevail;excel
   Note: The other missing piece of the puzzle for gaijin learning Japanese has always been Kanjidic. Well, here it is. I haven't included all the goodies to preserve space--just readings and "meanings".