Nihongojouzu

Computer Flashcards

Once a week I read two newspaper articles my Japanese teachers have selected and brought to class. A week later they test me on whether I can read and write all of the kanji compounds from the two articles. Being a lazy bum I usually cram the night before the quiz, and the results show. Recently however I have pushed myself to study the kanji as soon as possible after the lesson (usually the evening of the same day) and then just briefly review the kanji each day leading up to the quiz. (Now I do way better)

I have come up with a nifty routine involving two shareware applications and Apple's own TextEdit. I use JEDict and TextEdit to put the kanji into a list and then use iFlash to create flashcards so I can test myself. This is how it goes:

A. Making a list
1. Open JEDict
2. Enter the kanji into the search box on the "Words" screen (when reading through the article in class I make notes as to the reading of compounds)
3. When the result pops up drag it to the Document tab
4. When you have entered all the kanji from the article go to the Document tab, select all and copy

B. Editing the list
1. Open Textedit
2. Paste the kanji and definitions from JEDict
3. Use the "return" key to make a list with only one term per line
4. Use the "tab" key to insert a space between the kanji and reading, and the reading and English definition
5. Save the file as a plain text UTF-16 document

C. Creating flash cards
1. Open iFlash
2. Select Import
3. Set "Enter card separator" as

("break" is just a reference to the return key - when you put each kanji on a separate line in B. you were defining that line as a single flash card)
4. Set "Enter side separator" as

(This defines the three sides of the card - kanji, reading and English meaning)
5. Leave "Enter break separator" blank
6. Import the text file

Set your card preferences, for example I usually set the kanji to a large font size eg 96, but the other two sides are probably better at 36 point, because there is more text to squeeze in.

If you start testing now the first side to appear will be the kanji compound, so you can test your reading.

To test writing, go to Deck Prefs, click Sides and simply drag the side with the kanji reading (usually the back side) so that it appears first.

iFlash lets you combine lists so you can also carry out a comprehensive review of ALL the kanji compounds you have studied.

iTunes Podcasting

Apple has just updated iTunes. Version 4.9 lets you browse for and subscribe to thousands of podcasts (internet radio shows) for nix. Update iTunes, go to the iTunes Music Store and browse the Categories - choose International and then Subcategory Japanese. There you will find two Japanese podcasts, My Cup of Tea and Podcast Soundsystems. Subscribe to them and sync them to your iPod and you have instant free Japanese listening material.

LiveDictionary

Via the MacMinute web site comes a nifty Safari extension called LiveDictionary which adds dictionary look-ups to your browser. The trial version is fully operational for 10 days so I took it for a whirl. I selected the EDICT J-E and E-J dictionaries, set the J-E to default and went to visit the Yomiuri Shinbun website. I let the cursor hover over a kanji and a second later a window popped up with the furigana and English meaning. Excellent! It works like Rikai, but without the necessity of having to navigate to that website. Unlike Rikai which is free, after 10 days you have to cough up $25 to keep using LiveDictionary. Still, it looks like it may be worth it....

"Japanese Vocab" Mac App

I checked out VersionTracker for new Japanese related apps and found "Japanese Vocab", a simple Mac OS X programme for testing.......you guessed it, vocab! 2500 words, easy to use and free. The developer's site is not available but you can download it at VersionTracker.

WriteKanji

WriteKanji is a flashcard program for people using Heisig's Remembering the Kanji. WriteKanji already contains all 2042 of the Heisig kanji - all you have to do is enter the stories that you have made up for each one and test away. You can select a range of kanji - say 50 at a time. The testing function isn't bad - you race against the clock (you get more time the more strokes the kanji has) though I would prefer to have an option where you can click through at your own pace. Shareware - $12.00. Windows users - sorry - this one is Mac only - Needs MacOS 10.15. Download it from Macupdate or Versiontracker

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Flashcard Suite

Flashcard Suite is a cool application. Java based so it runs in the Windows or Mac environments, Flashcard Suite lets you create decks of flashcards which you can even make available on the web.