I have a number of grievances with JMDict and I’m hoping that an alternative might exist which ameliorates them, at least slightly.
1. Occasionally inappropriate translations. JMDict defines 助けて as simply “Help!” and omits that the term is used often in non-emergency situations. Though, this segues into
2. Redundant definitions. JMDict also defines 助ける and at least some of the definitions it gives match what I can translate from a Japanese-to-Japanese dictionary, but understanding 助けて as a verb conjugation of 助ける with a -て stem would probably be more beneficial to readers.
1. I’ve spotted a number of times that JMDict sometimes contains the same word defined twice or more with one being the dictionary word and the other being the same word conjugated with a stem.
3. Substitutional definitions. JMDict feels optimized for translation as opposed to learning in that it often defines even complex topics as short English “equivalencies” rather than defining the concept behind a word.
1. For example, of ので, JMDict gives
1. that being the case
2. because of …
3. the reason is …
4. given that …
2. and if one wanted to translate a sentence containing ので, one might indeed use one of those phrases (or simply just “so”), but a definition like “because of…” doesn’t make it very clear that ので **fallows** the reason for an action where “because of…” might precede it like in “because of the heat, I turned on the AC.”
In general, JMDict feels like it has a mix of high-quality, well-maintained wealth of information for people who need a Japanese-to-English dictionary, but also a strong anime bias for phrases like 助けて, defining them for how they might appear in dramatic anime scenes, but less commonly in real life or even less dramatic anime scenes. I have more complaints, but I hesitate since I don’t think I could substantiate them very well.
So ideally, I’d like to replace JMDict with one that acts a bit more like a dictionary and less like a translation guide, but short of running Japanese-to-Japanese dictionaries through machine translators, I’m really not sure what exists. This seems to be the only J->E dictionary people recommend. Is that true?
3 comments
Have you tried the other bilingual dictionaries here: [https://learnjapanese.moe/resources/#dictionaries](https://learnjapanese.moe/resources/#dictionaries)
(under “shoui Yomichan Dictionaries Collection”)
I have only used JMDict myself, but generally if there is something useful, TMW has it.
I agree with all of the points listed above. This was one of the reasons I wanted to edit JMdict and provide a modern web app.
Here’s some of the main dictionary related goals of the project:
– remove redundant meanings
– add example sentences
– add recordings (JP and ENG) for words and sentences
– grammar lessons linked directly through relevant dictionary entries (like [this](https://fujipod.com/dictionary/word/%E5%B1%85%E3%82%8B))
– custom kanji meanings and mnemonics that are consistent and avoid political topics/violence/etc. when possible
– interactive word writing practice with touch devices
Since it’s a study platform rather than a dictionary it also has other features like audio study streams, but that’s irrelevant for this question.
It’s still very new and will take a long time to get to what you’re describing above, but I plan to keep improving it gradually.
It’s free and available on [fujiPod.com](https://fujipod.com) in case you want to check it out (but it’s still mostly JMdict except a few hundred entries, was focusing on other features).
I’m also happy to accept edit suggestions through the Discord channel and try to process them ASAP.
> Occasionally inappropriate translations. JMDict defines 助けて as simply “Help!” and omits that the term is used often in non-emergency situations. Though, this segues into
助けて as “help!” is not an inappropriate translation. It’s a very contextual expression that is often used as such.
> Redundant definitions. JMDict also defines 助ける and at least some of the definitions it gives match what I can translate from a Japanese-to-Japanese dictionary
JMdict is not only a dictionary for individual words, but it gives you also common expressions and collocations. Personally speaking after having tried **a lot** of dictionaries (both J-E and J-J, including slang ones like https://dic.pixiv.net/) I find that JMdict is the most “complete” one. It has the largest amount of expressions that are often non-existent in other dictionaries (especially those targeted to native speakers). For this reason alone, I find it invaluable as a learner.
> but understanding 助けて as a verb conjugation of 助ける with a -て stem would probably be more beneficial to readers.
A dictionary is not going to teach you verb conjugations. You need to learn grammar using a grammar dictionary instead (there are a few out there), or a textbook.
> I’ve spotted a number of times that JMDict sometimes contains the same word defined twice or more with one being the dictionary word and the other being the same word conjugated with a stem.
This is because jmdict gives you **collocations** and common expressions. Those conjugated words often have a very specific nuance and usage and it’s good that it shows them to you like that so you can make a more informed decision as you come across them via immersion (and immersion already should give you most of the context in case you’re doubting which definition is which). For example 思える is very different from just 思う + potential conjugation, hence it has its own entry.
> For example, of ので, JMDict gives
ので is a grammar point, it’s better learned in a grammar dictionary instead of a vocab dictionary. Don’t use jmdict for grammar points.
> but also a strong anime bias for phrases like 助けて, defining them for how they might appear in dramatic anime scenes, but less commonly in real life or even less dramatic anime scenes.
This reads like nonsense.
Personally speaking, I think it’s good to try other dictionaries and I encourage you to do so, but I also find your “review” of jmdict a bit unfair.
Anyway, you might find [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/j8n655/learner_advice_use_jeej_dictionaries_written_for/) interesting.