Question for the LRDers

[flemmings]

Or anyone else who knows, but I figure Singapore would have them if anyone did.

As you know, Bob, there are a plethora of Japanese-English electronic dictionaries, some of which are actually made for gaijin-- or at least, can be used by gaijin without pain. (Those Canon Wordtanks with the easy kanji lookup function and the jump function and all like that, that all gaijin swear by.) Yet when I google Chinese hanzi dictionaries, I get nothing but online applications for the computer. Yes, well.

Anyone know if there are electronic Chinese dictionaries for English speakers, that let you look up hanzi by radical and stroke number, or by pinyin, or even by drawing the character? And that preferably do *not* devote much memory to telling you how the things sound? Ever seen one of those around? Or are the electronic dictionaries all geared to Chinese speakers who want to know the English for a word?

Comments

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

They exist, but I've never seen one in the flesh. I keep drooling over them, but can never make myself actually buy one.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

There's umpteen million electronic dictionaries down in the Chinatown Central store but they all look geared to Chinese learning English (as in, nary an Englih sign to be seen) and I'm always too shy to ask the (elderly) proprietor for details. If they ever get any young clerks in there maybe I will.

[kazeko.livejournal.com]

So many in Singapore that some schools bans them! and they are not very expensive too.

:D

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Are these hanzi dictionaries, or just Chinese-English ones? Would you know the brand name?

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

I can ask around my friends it does sound like the sort of thing we would have .. I might ask my girl's teacher. I've been looking to ask for myselfthe children's use for a while now and have no idea how much they cost. If I find out anything useful I'll let you know. ^_^

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure they're fairly expensive, or will be once they get here. OTOH I just discovered that French-English word tanks (basically, the Larousse dictionary in miniature) can be bought at a major office goods chain here for about $70 US. So where the local need exists maybe they're cheaper.

[feliciter.livejournal.com]

This page (http://www.ectaco.com/Chinese-Simplified-items/) has links to a range of Chinese-English electronic dictionaries and other products with free shipping within the US and Canada.

Will check out the major computer/bookshops back in LRD when I get back - always seemed to be the same companies providing electronic pocket/handheld translation equipment, but haven't had to use them since high school.

Thanks

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Interesting. No non-talking dictionaries available, it seems. I've never heard of pocket PCs but evidently that's what people use as a Wordtank substitute nowadays, going by the amount of software available for them.

Did you use your pocket whatever for translation or for hanzi look up? Err- basically, was it mandarintools (http://www.mandarintools.com/chardict_u8.html) or was it Babelfish? Because a portable version of mandarintools is what I'd like.

Re: Thanks

[feliciter.livejournal.com]

Did you use your pocket whatever for translation or for hanzi look up?

Oops, perhaps I should clarify. I used a Japanese-English electronic dictionary which found kanji by inputting the romaji, whereupon a selection of several characters would appear and one then pressed the "translate" button at the appropriate one - hence rendering it useless where the reading was unknown. Presumably these have been superseded by better (and possibly more expensive) models 15 years on.

The Chinese dictionary I used (and still do!), which works like mandarintools (but gives definitions in Mandarin, which would make it less than ideal for your purposes), weighs a ton despite being printed on paper than would tear as soon as one looked at it. Hence the need to investigate the most up-to-date models.

Re: Thanks

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Even 15 years ago (which is when I bought Old Faithful) the Canon Wordtank let you find kanji by radical, stroke number, and on or kun reading, using any or all of the above. Is why gaijin swear by the Wordtank.

Maybe I should cut out the middleman and get a Japanese-Chinese Wordtank, which exists. (Of course.) Somehow I thought there'd be enough Chinese-reading English speakers about to make a C-E hanzi dictionary worthwhile, but maybe they do indeed operate as computer software rather than mini-comps of their own.

Re: Thanks

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Some of the C-E ones let you search by radical, stroke number, or pronunciation.

I haven't done the research in a year or so, but I can do go it again.

Re: Thanks

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

http://www.bestausa.com/dictionary/besta_cd_168/
for example, but it's built for Chinese speakers wanting to learn English, the interface is all in Chinese, but there is an English user's manual

http://www.bbkusa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=AM99
is for English speakers wanting to learn Chinese

http://store.aikotradingstore.com/necawog90ja.html
is a Canon that does all three languages, but lacks a Chinese->English dictionary, which might not matter to you, looks like Casio has one that's similar for similarly painful prices

http://www.pleco.com/hardware.html
is for English speakers wanting to learn Chinese and are willing to buy a handheld machine and buy software to install on it

Pretty much everything cheaper I can find is for Chinese speakers learning English.

Re: Thanks

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Ahh, thanks. Canon products cost a lot here but can be had for about $200 in Japan, esp if you prefer the older models.

I've always wanted a Palm Pilot though. Maybe its time to get one, esp now that everyone is going to Blackberries.

Re: Thanks

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

If you are thinking about the Pleco software, you'll want to read their comments about hardware before committing.

Re: Thanks

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

The little one reminds me that http://blog.nciku.com/ in her opinion is better than mandarintools. I'll have to go play with it and see.

Re: Thanks

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's better for learning, but as a hanzi dictionary, as far as I can see it isn't. zhongwen (in the sidebar) is probably more exhaustive, but I've never figured the knack of it. Radical and stroke number is what I'm used to and what mandarintools gives me.

ETA oh wait! Not the blog, the dictionary that lets you draw the hanzi! Yes, indeed. (bookmarks)