Jane
12-05-2005, 03:22 AM
Nani? How Do I Use This Retched Thing?...
I thought I'd make a post for those of you that are truly interested in learning Japanese. If you really want to learn, I'd suggest you invest in two types of dictionaries. The first is an English-Japanese romanji dictionary - for you to look up various words. This one isn't as necessary, as you can usually look up words like that using online translators such as Alta Vista, but for crazies like me, it's damn useful.
The second I'd suggest would be a kanji dictionary. It's fairly easy to learn hiragana and katakana, but the test becomes when you find yourself trying to use the proper Chinese characters. In order to learn Japanese it's absolutely necessary to learn at least some kanji.
I'm making this tutorial because a number of people have approached me with the question of how to use their dictionaries.
The problem I've noticed is that while people need kanji dictionaries, it's incredibly difficult to know how to use them. Think about it - we look up words in our dictionaries according to the letters of our alphabet, but kanji are just a whole bunch of characters. How do you look up characters in a dictionary? Good question.
Once you learn this, your dictionary will be your best friend while learning Japanese. Each kanji is classified under one of four major patterns and two subcategories. In order to classify a character you need to decide which of the patterns, and then subcategories it falls under. This is what determines your lookup number. The lookup number consists of three different numbers arranged as such: 1-2-3. The first number corresponds to the pattern the kanji falls under, and the remaining two correspond to the two subcategories.
The (1) first pattern is Left-Right. An example of this would be:
私
There is a noticeable split down the middle of the kanji. There is one group of strokes on the left, and one group on the right... hence it is a left-right. Because it is the first of the four patterns, your first look-up number is a 1. Now that you know it is a left-right, you will need to count the strokes on each side. It will take practice to learn how to properly count the strokes, but you eventually get used to it.
The left side has five strokes, and counting the right side, we have two strokes (this is what I meant by learning how to count the strokes properly - as it may look like this kanji has three strokes). These are the two subcategories and they make up the rest of our lookup number. Therefore, the full lookup number for this kanji is 1-5-2. So you would go to the first section of the book... and look for the strokes with a 5-2 subcategory. Easy isn't it!?
The (2) second pattern is Up-Down. An example of this would be:
安
There is a noticeable split down this kanji, just like there was in the first. Instead of the split running through the middle in a vertical fashion, in this kanji the split is horizontal... separating the kanji into a top and a bottom section. We know that the first lookup number is 2, because it falls in the second pattern.
Again, we need to count the strokes... this time the top and then the bottom. Counting, we find that the upper part of the kanji has three strokes, while the lower part also has three. Thus the two subcategories 3-3, making the entire lookup number 2-3-3. You would look up this kanji the same way you looked up the first, only you would go to the second section this time as opposed to the first.
The (3) third pattern is Enclosure. An example of this would be:
図
This kanji is different because there is no clear separation through the middle of the character. In an enclosure, it appears that one group of strokes is, in some way, enclosed in another group of strokes. There are three different versions of this... just to show you the difference.
A kanji can be surrounded by either (2) two, (3) three, or all (4) four sides.
(2) Two-Sides
迫
(3) Three-Sides
同
(4) Four-Sides
図
I will be using the four-sided example to determine the lookup number. Again, we know that the first part of our lookup number is 3, because this kanji falls into the third pattern set. Now we are going to count the strokes again. For enclosures, you count from outside-in. Counting up the strokes around the outside we find there are three, and in the inside, there are four. Hence, our full lookup number is 3-3-4.
The (4) fourth pattern, and quite possibly the most complicated, is Solid. An example of this would be:
大
A character falls within the solid pattern when there are no visible breaks in the kanji. It appears that all the strokes are connected to each other and no invisible lines of separation can be drawn. You can determine that the beginning of the lookup number is 4 because it is a part of the fourth pattern set. The second lookup number is determined by counting up the total strokes in the kanji. Counting, we find there are three total strokes... so the lookup number thus far is 4-3-? So what is the last number?
The fourth pattern, because it does not have two separate parts, is split into four categories. Depending on whether the kanji falls under the category 1-4, will determine its final lookup number. A kanji falls into the first category when it contains a single stroke across the top of it, the second when there is a stroke along the bottom, the third when there is a stroke going through the center, and the fourth when you cannot possibly fit the kanji into any of the above mentioned categories.
1 - Top Line
了
2 - Bottom Line
上
3 - Through Line
中
4 - Others
大
I will continue to use the last character shown in finding our lookup number. Already it has been defined as a 4-3-? Now we see that it falls into the fourth category of solids, and so it's complete lookup number is 4-3-4.
When looking up these kanji, you would work your way from the first lookup number on in. The first number tells you which of the four sections to look in... and the next two numbers tell you the subcategories the kanji falls under. Go by number of the strokes, and simply search among those kanji for the one you're looking for. If you get the lookup number correct, it's fairly easy to find the kanji itself.
I hope that this helps a good number of people wondering how to use these dictionaries. I figured that from now on, I can just refer people hear. If any part of this tutorial has been confusing or unclear, let me know and I will adjust it accordingly. Domo arigatou gozaimasu and enjoy!
End.
I thought I'd make a post for those of you that are truly interested in learning Japanese. If you really want to learn, I'd suggest you invest in two types of dictionaries. The first is an English-Japanese romanji dictionary - for you to look up various words. This one isn't as necessary, as you can usually look up words like that using online translators such as Alta Vista, but for crazies like me, it's damn useful.
The second I'd suggest would be a kanji dictionary. It's fairly easy to learn hiragana and katakana, but the test becomes when you find yourself trying to use the proper Chinese characters. In order to learn Japanese it's absolutely necessary to learn at least some kanji.
I'm making this tutorial because a number of people have approached me with the question of how to use their dictionaries.
The problem I've noticed is that while people need kanji dictionaries, it's incredibly difficult to know how to use them. Think about it - we look up words in our dictionaries according to the letters of our alphabet, but kanji are just a whole bunch of characters. How do you look up characters in a dictionary? Good question.
Once you learn this, your dictionary will be your best friend while learning Japanese. Each kanji is classified under one of four major patterns and two subcategories. In order to classify a character you need to decide which of the patterns, and then subcategories it falls under. This is what determines your lookup number. The lookup number consists of three different numbers arranged as such: 1-2-3. The first number corresponds to the pattern the kanji falls under, and the remaining two correspond to the two subcategories.
The (1) first pattern is Left-Right. An example of this would be:
私
There is a noticeable split down the middle of the kanji. There is one group of strokes on the left, and one group on the right... hence it is a left-right. Because it is the first of the four patterns, your first look-up number is a 1. Now that you know it is a left-right, you will need to count the strokes on each side. It will take practice to learn how to properly count the strokes, but you eventually get used to it.
The left side has five strokes, and counting the right side, we have two strokes (this is what I meant by learning how to count the strokes properly - as it may look like this kanji has three strokes). These are the two subcategories and they make up the rest of our lookup number. Therefore, the full lookup number for this kanji is 1-5-2. So you would go to the first section of the book... and look for the strokes with a 5-2 subcategory. Easy isn't it!?
The (2) second pattern is Up-Down. An example of this would be:
安
There is a noticeable split down this kanji, just like there was in the first. Instead of the split running through the middle in a vertical fashion, in this kanji the split is horizontal... separating the kanji into a top and a bottom section. We know that the first lookup number is 2, because it falls in the second pattern.
Again, we need to count the strokes... this time the top and then the bottom. Counting, we find that the upper part of the kanji has three strokes, while the lower part also has three. Thus the two subcategories 3-3, making the entire lookup number 2-3-3. You would look up this kanji the same way you looked up the first, only you would go to the second section this time as opposed to the first.
The (3) third pattern is Enclosure. An example of this would be:
図
This kanji is different because there is no clear separation through the middle of the character. In an enclosure, it appears that one group of strokes is, in some way, enclosed in another group of strokes. There are three different versions of this... just to show you the difference.
A kanji can be surrounded by either (2) two, (3) three, or all (4) four sides.
(2) Two-Sides
迫
(3) Three-Sides
同
(4) Four-Sides
図
I will be using the four-sided example to determine the lookup number. Again, we know that the first part of our lookup number is 3, because this kanji falls into the third pattern set. Now we are going to count the strokes again. For enclosures, you count from outside-in. Counting up the strokes around the outside we find there are three, and in the inside, there are four. Hence, our full lookup number is 3-3-4.
The (4) fourth pattern, and quite possibly the most complicated, is Solid. An example of this would be:
大
A character falls within the solid pattern when there are no visible breaks in the kanji. It appears that all the strokes are connected to each other and no invisible lines of separation can be drawn. You can determine that the beginning of the lookup number is 4 because it is a part of the fourth pattern set. The second lookup number is determined by counting up the total strokes in the kanji. Counting, we find there are three total strokes... so the lookup number thus far is 4-3-? So what is the last number?
The fourth pattern, because it does not have two separate parts, is split into four categories. Depending on whether the kanji falls under the category 1-4, will determine its final lookup number. A kanji falls into the first category when it contains a single stroke across the top of it, the second when there is a stroke along the bottom, the third when there is a stroke going through the center, and the fourth when you cannot possibly fit the kanji into any of the above mentioned categories.
1 - Top Line
了
2 - Bottom Line
上
3 - Through Line
中
4 - Others
大
I will continue to use the last character shown in finding our lookup number. Already it has been defined as a 4-3-? Now we see that it falls into the fourth category of solids, and so it's complete lookup number is 4-3-4.
When looking up these kanji, you would work your way from the first lookup number on in. The first number tells you which of the four sections to look in... and the next two numbers tell you the subcategories the kanji falls under. Go by number of the strokes, and simply search among those kanji for the one you're looking for. If you get the lookup number correct, it's fairly easy to find the kanji itself.
I hope that this helps a good number of people wondering how to use these dictionaries. I figured that from now on, I can just refer people hear. If any part of this tutorial has been confusing or unclear, let me know and I will adjust it accordingly. Domo arigatou gozaimasu and enjoy!
End.