looking for Japanese reader with dic - Page 2

nukito · 06-15-2012, 10:03 AM

thank you Mujokan.
It does help but I think I will go with the kindle if there is no simple and comfy way to do that.
I'll just have to stay with pdfs. by the way, does kindle work nice with pdfs?
or should I consider different reader?

thank you.

HarryT · 06-15-2012, 10:38 AM

The Kindle works well with PDFs that are formatted for a 6" screen.

It does not work well (and neither does any other 6" device) with PDFs that are formatted for an A4/Letter-sized page.

Mujokan · 06-15-2012, 10:53 AM

As I said I have a Nook, but what I use is a freeware PDF reader called APV PDF Reader, set in landscape view. It is OK.

I found a way to get an offline Japanese dictionary working with epubs.

1. Download Cool Reader app
2. Download ColorDict Wikipedia app
3. Open ColorDict then close it (to auto-create a folder)
4. Unzip the attached dictionary files and put them into the folder "dictdata" that ColorDict creates on the sdcard
5. Turn off the "Wikipedia" search in ColorDict so it is just "Edict" ("Dict" tab)
6. Set up Coolreader so double-tap gives you a selection field (in the settings, "text selection with double tap", set "single selection action" to "find in dictionary" and set the dictionary to ColorDict

You double tap at the start of where you want to select, then drag. It is a little tricky but manageable. When the selection is made it looks it up in the dictionary automatically.

EDIT: In fact I don't think you need these data files as you can download them from within ColorDict apparently. So just set up Cool Reader and the dictionary.

nukito · 06-15-2012, 10:56 AM

Can I change A4 pdf file into 6" pdf file?

thank you for the info mujokan but I think I'll pass.. I'm really looking for something easy and simple. otherwise I would have bought tablet.

Mujokan · 06-15-2012, 11:05 AM

Well, if you have a rooted Android device then in about 15 minutes you have it set up... But if you want it natively probably you will need to ask on a Japanese language forum. There is probably something on the Japanese market that has a built in dictionary. My method would give you one much cheaper though.

For PDFs, again, rooting makes things more flexible. An A4 page looks OK in landscape mode, zoomed in to cut off the margins. To crop PDFs, you could get the full version of Acrobat, or pay for a license for the pro version of PDF-Xchange Viewer. (You can crop in the free version but it is a pro feature so it puts watermarks in the document.) There is also a freeware PDF cropper called Briss but I found it did not give good results.

Good luck!

nukito · 06-15-2012, 11:07 AM

can't you root the kindle as well?

HarryT · 06-15-2012, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukito

Can I change A4 pdf file into 6" pdf file?

Generally speaking, no, you can't.

Mujokan · 06-15-2012, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukito

can't you root the kindle as well?

Yes I think so, but I only have a Nook ST and I only got it a few weeks ago so I am new to the whole topic. The method I gave should work on Kindle if you can get Cool Reader and ColorDict working on that OS. Nook ST runs Android 2.1 Eclair.

nukito · 06-15-2012, 11:13 AM

so you suggestion for me is just by the Kindle DX?

kumaryu · 06-15-2012, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What does a Japanese person do if he wants to look up a completely unknown word in the dictionary? There must surely be a way to use a Japanese dictionary to look up an unknown ideograph?

In order to look up a word written in Japanese. you need to first identify the component of the glyph (kanji) referred to as "radicals".

Knowing which component qualifies as a radical is difficult if you are a learner.

There are over 200 commonly used radicals.

Once you've located your radical, you count the number of strokes it's made up of.

The number of strokes will allow you to open your dictionary to find a list of radicals containing the correct number of strokes.

From there, you can get a list of glyphs (kanji) that use these radicals. Once the initial glyph has been identified thus, you can easily find words formed from these glyphs.

I gave up trying to use Kanji dictionaries long time ago. I now copy / paste unknown glyphs into online dictionaries. An ebook reader w/ a built-in JP dict would be really nice...

HarryT · 06-15-2012, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kumaryu

In order to look up a word written in Japanese. you need to first identify the component of the glyph (kanji) referred to as "radicals".

Knowing which component qualifies as a radical is difficult if you are a learner.

There are over 200 commonly used radicals.

Thank you for the helpful explanation. I certainly see the difficulty for a beginner!

frostschutz · 06-15-2012, 11:32 AM

I use a denshi jisho (electronic dictionary) with handwriting recognition, which is suitable even for beginners. While it may be cumbersome to use a separate device to look up words, it beats the paper dictionary. Not sure how it compares to a half baked solution on the ereader itself as that's not possible with my device anyway.

On the plus this dictionary works just as well with paper books...

Unfortunately the jisho only uses proprietary dictionary formats... otherwise I could use the jisho itself as an ereader, as it has an SD card slot (for extra dictionaries) and a somewhat suitable LCD display

nukito · 06-15-2012, 11:33 AM

In case I purchase the acrobat program should I be able to transform A4 to 6" pages for my kindle nicely enough?

nukito · 06-15-2012, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mujokan

Well, if you have a rooted Android device then in about 15 minutes you have it set up... But if you want it natively probably you will need to ask on a Japanese language forum. There is probably something on the Japanese market that has a built in dictionary. My method would give you one much cheaper though.

For PDFs, again, rooting makes things more flexible. An A4 page looks OK in landscape mode, zoomed in to cut off the margins. To crop PDFs, you could get the full version of Acrobat, or pay for a license for the pro version of PDF-Xchange Viewer. (You can crop in the free version but it is a pro feature so it puts watermarks in the document.) There is also a freeware PDF cropper called Briss but I found it did not give good results.

Good luck!

in which way it makes it more flexible?

frostschutz · 06-15-2012, 11:40 AM

If PDF could be transformed (in general) the readers would do it by themselves.

They already try to (reflow) but it rarely works well, Japanese (with furigana) definitely won't work at all.

If you absolutely have to have A4 PDF, you want a touch reader with good zoom and drag feature... it works well enough in landscape mode as long as the device lets you zoom and scroll properly

But try to avoid PDF unless it's specifically made for the device

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06-15-2012, 10:03 AM	#16
nukito Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 480444 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: non yet	thank you Mujokan. It does help but I think I will go with the kindle if there is no simple and comfy way to do that. I'll just have to stay with pdfs. by the way, does kindle work nice with pdfs? or should I consider different reader? thank you.

06-15-2012, 10:38 AM	#17
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The Kindle works well with PDFs that are formatted for a 6" screen. It does not work well (and neither does any other 6" device) with PDFs that are formatted for an A4/Letter-sized page.

06-15-2012, 10:56 AM	#19
nukito Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 480444 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: non yet	Can I change A4 pdf file into 6" pdf file? thank you for the info mujokan but I think I'll pass.. I'm really looking for something easy and simple. otherwise I would have bought tablet.

06-15-2012, 11:05 AM	#20
Mujokan Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 271776 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Well, if you have a rooted Android device then in about 15 minutes you have it set up... But if you want it natively probably you will need to ask on a Japanese language forum. There is probably something on the Japanese market that has a built in dictionary. My method would give you one much cheaper though. For PDFs, again, rooting makes things more flexible. An A4 page looks OK in landscape mode, zoomed in to cut off the margins. To crop PDFs, you could get the full version of Acrobat, or pay for a license for the pro version of PDF-Xchange Viewer. (You can crop in the free version but it is a pro feature so it puts watermarks in the document.) There is also a freeware PDF cropper called Briss but I found it did not give good results. Good luck!

06-15-2012, 11:07 AM	#21
nukito Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 480444 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: non yet	can't you root the kindle as well?

06-15-2012, 11:13 AM	#24
nukito Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 480444 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: non yet	so you suggestion for me is just by the Kindle DX?

06-15-2012, 11:32 AM	#27
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,279 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	I use a denshi jisho (electronic dictionary) with handwriting recognition, which is suitable even for beginners. While it may be cumbersome to use a separate device to look up words, it beats the paper dictionary. Not sure how it compares to a half baked solution on the ereader itself as that's not possible with my device anyway. On the plus this dictionary works just as well with paper books... Unfortunately the jisho only uses proprietary dictionary formats... otherwise I could use the jisho itself as an ereader, as it has an SD card slot (for extra dictionaries) and a somewhat suitable LCD display

06-15-2012, 11:33 AM	#28
nukito Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 480444 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: non yet	In case I purchase the acrobat program should I be able to transform A4 to 6" pages for my kindle nicely enough?

06-15-2012, 11:40 AM	#30
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,279 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	If PDF could be transformed (in general) the readers would do it by themselves. They already try to (reflow) but it rarely works well, Japanese (with furigana) definitely won't work at all. If you absolutely have to have A4 PDF, you want a touch reader with good zoom and drag feature... it works well enough in landscape mode as long as the device lets you zoom and scroll properly But try to avoid PDF unless it's specifically made for the device

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