FEATURES OF THIS DICTIONARY Below is a description of the principal features of this dictionary, with emphasis on how they are useful to the learner. See the Introduction on p. 17a for a discussion of dictionary aims. To derive maximum benefit from the dictionary, consult also the Guide to the Dictionary on p. 35a, which describes the entry format in detail and supplements the information here. 1 LEARNER'S DICTIONARY The primary aim of this dictionary is to serve as an effective learner's dictionary, as a power-fill learning aid thai promotes understanding and stimulates a desire to learn. It incorpo rales most of the features of its parent work, the New Japanese-English Character Dictionary, as well as some new and unique features thai enable the learner to gain an in-depth, systematic understanding of character meanings. The most important of these arc described below. 1.1 Core Meaning A striking feature of this dictionary is the presentation of a core meaning for each entry character. This is a concise keyword that provides a clear grasp of the central or most fundamental concept that links the principal senses of a character into a single conceptual unit, Consider *: r one of the core meanings of fS: ► keep • cause to remain in a giver, place or condition: O [original meaning! ^. in place, keep from moving, keep in position © kfct i' in custody, detain 9 KEEP1 for future use. leave behind By grasping that the central concept represented by ^ is keep, it is immediately clear rhat such seemingly unrelated ideas as "pay attention to" and "detain" are merely variants of ihe same basic concept. The core meaning thus integrates widely differing senses into a single conceptual unit. The core meaning is useful to the learner in five ways: 1. It serves as a concise keyword that conveys Ihe character's mosl fundamental meaning. 2 It acts as the central pivot that links the principal meanings of a character to each other. 3 It provides an instant grasp of the meaning and function of the character as a word-building element, 4. It helps illustrate the differences and similarities between kun homophones and easily confused characters. 5. It is easy to memorize, since it conveys a character's meaning as a concise thought package. A brief glance at the character meanings makes the above relationships clear, thanks to the use of hfo capitals, both for the core meanings and for the core words (words in a character meaning thai match a core meaning). This is a new feature not found in any other dictionary. The core meaning is unique to the NJECD and the Kanji Integrated Tools (KIT). Since it functions as a concentrated thought package that appeals to the learner's powers of asso- FEATURES nation, it is widely praised by students and educators as an effective learning aid. 1.2 In-depth Meanings A central feature of this dictionary is the in-depth manner in which it treats meaning. Not only arc the character meanings clear. complete, and accurate, but They include meaning! found only in KIT dictionaries. The principal features that contribute In clarity of meaning are; 1. The core meaning. 2. Clear and accurate character meanings. i. The ordering of senses in a manner that shows their interrelatedness. 4. Numerous illustrative compounds. The precisely worded character meanings arc presented in a manner that shows exactly huw each character is used as a word element, and how the hundreds of thousands of compound words in Japanese can be generated from a stock of a few thousand building blocks. 1.3 Interrelatedness To provide the learner with a clear understanding of character meaning, the meanings are presented in a manner that shows the Interrelatedness between individual senses. Four features achieve this aim: 1. The red core words make the relation between senses instantly obvious, 2. The senses are ordered in a manner that shows their interrelatedness. 3. The sense division numbers establish a logical hierarchy between character senses. 4. The explanatory glosses tfe.g. "[of a vehr cle)") show how the senses differ from one another, while the supplementary glosses (e.g. " said esp. of 6od") provide additional discrimination. Together these features help integrate the senses so that they can be perceived as a structured unit, rather than as an arbitrary lisr, as shown on the right. 1.4 Order of Senses Unlike traditional dictionaries, which usually order senses chronologically, this dictionary present the senses in a cogent order that shows their interrelatedness. The core meaning serves as the basis of organization, and the various senses are grouped around it in clusters so that they can be perceived as a logically structured, psychologically integrated unit. ifl, for example, has several distinct senses, but they are clustered around the core word ^t \ < in a way that shows their differences and similarities, greatly reducing the burden of memorization. If the senses were arranged as shown in the left column below, they would appear to be an arbitrary list, rather than as a structured unit. Arbitrary List Expansion Irom Core O keep from moving ks i r in place O detain k t n in custody O leave behind NIEP for future use 1.5 Degree of Importance The degree of importance of each sense is indicated by typographical differences and labels for three levels of study (see p. 4) at). 1.6 Compounds and Examples The meanings of each character are normally illustrated by numerous high-frequency compounds that provide useful examples of each sense. All the compounds needed for the intermediate level, and numerous compounds for the advanced level, are given. Unlike other dictionaries, the compounds are classified by meaning in a way that clearly shows how they are formed from their constituent parts, which makes it easy to infer the meanings of unlisted compounds. A new feature of this dictionary is the sub-sense indicators, which are tiny letters that FEATURES show the beginning of a new subsense group in the compounds list. This makes it obvious how the entry character contributes its meaning to each compound. 2 READER'S DICTIONARY The student learning how to read contemporary Japanese faces several difficulties, such as the need to identify more than 2000 characters, many of which have complex shapes, as well as the need to learn their thousands of readings and meanings. Moreover, numerous characters have multiple readings and meanings, and there is no reliable way to determine which one applies in a particular instance. In addition to being a learner's dictionary, this dictionary also has been designed as a reader's dictionary. The various features described below enable the reader to locate the readings and meanings of unknown characters and compounds with little effort. 2.1 Efficient Indexing System The lack of an efficient scheme for ordering kanji has long been a source of frustration to learners and native speakers alike. Looking up characters by traditional radicals, or by most alternative systems, is both laborious and unreliable. A major feature of this dictionary, unique to KIT dictionaries, is the speed and facility with which entries can be looked up. The System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns (SKIP) classifies each character under four easy-to-identify geometrical patterns: D 1 left-right, B 2 up-down, □ 3 enclosure, and ■ 4 solid. Within each group the characters are further subdivided to achieve maximum access speed. Designed for efficiency and ease of use, SKIP enables the user to locate entries as quickly and as accurately as in alphabetical dictionaries. Since the system can be learned by beginners in a short time, many Japanese language educators consider it an important advance in kanji lexicography, and a growing number of electronic dictionaries have implemented it as part of their retrieval systems. 2.2 Five Lookup Methods To assure maximum convenience to the user, this dictionary provides a choice of five methods of looking up characters: 1. The Pattern Index allows characters to be quickly located from their SKIP numbers. 2. The Scan Method is a shortcut for locating some characters almost instantly. 3. The On-Kun Index lists the characters alphabetically by both their on and kun readings. 4. The Radical Index lists the characters by their traditional radicals. 5. The Direct Method allows characters to be located without using any index. 2.3 System of Guides The various guides in the margins of the page have been carefully designed to facilitate the speedy location of entry characters. 2.4 Character Readings Seven kinds of readings are given: principal readings, on readings, kun readings, special readings, unapproved readings, other readings, and name readings. The readings are given in romanized transcription, with parentheses indicating okurigana endings. Unapproved readings are given only when they are sufficiently important to learners. 2.5 Importance of Readings The relative importance of readings is shown by various typographical conventions, such as distinguishing unapproved readings from ordinary readings by a superscript solid triangle 4, and preceding name readings with (B. 2.6 Character Forms and Styles This dictionary presents three kinds of character forms and calligraphic styles, which were methodically checked by experts to ensure their accuracy. A much more detailed 27a FEATURES treatment is given in the NJECD. 1. The standard form is the form given in the official Joyo Kanji and Jinmei Kanji lists, which are widely used in the media, government, and education. All entry characters are given in the standard form. 2. The nonstandard form is the traditional variant used in prewar literature and in names. Appendix 4 lists 386 variant forms, which includes important variants of Jinmei Kanji and all variants appearing in the Joyo Kanji list. 3. The square style kaisho), which is the standard handwritten style, appears in the last frame of the stroke order diagram. 2.7 Easily Confused Forms Some characters, such as f$ hei 'currency' and hei 'evil practice', are very similar in form but unrelated in meaning. Some of these are so similar that even native speakers tend to confuse them. Such characters are cross-referenced to each other in the note section. A new feature of this dictionary is that these characters are followed by their core meanings, which aids the learner in easily grasping their differences. 2.8 Romanization All character readings, headwords, and compounds are transcribed in the Hepburn system of romanization, set in easy-to-read sans serif boldface type to distinguish them from other explanatory matter. A description of the system and kana tables are given in Appendix 3. Kana and Romanization. 3 WRITER'S DICTIONARY The student learning how to write Japanese faces several difficulties, such as the large number of characters and their complex shapes, the need to learn the correct stroke order, and the numerous homophones. In addition to being a learner's dictionary, this dictionary has also been designed as a writer's dictionary. The features that make it a convenient tool for writing are described below. 3.1 Stroke Order Diagrams To write a character in the proper form, it is necessary to learn the stroke order. The stroke order diagrams, in which the last frame shows the full character in the standard square style, indicate the stroke order. Thoroughly researched for accuracy, these diagrams were prepared by experts specifically for this dictionary and the NJECD. Unlike other reference works, which rely heavily on cross-referencing, the order of writing is presented stroke-by-stroke to ensure maximum convenience to the user. 3.2 Kun Homophones Japanese has numerous kun homophones. These are kun words that are pronounced the same but written differently, and usually differing in meaning, as shown below. _h-5> noboru go up (steps, a hill) ^ noboru climb, scale # i> noboru ascend, rise (up to the sky) Although on homophones, such as ttlffi! kiko 'mechanism' and 'J#iS kiko 'returning to the harbor', are very common, they are not likely to be confused since each character conveys a distinct meaning. On the other hand, many kun homophones are written with a bewildering variety of characters that are often close in meaning. For example, MW%> tokeru and I§ (j'-S tokeru are interchangeable in the sense of 'melt, thaw' but not in the sense of 'come loose'. Thus kun homophones are easily confused, even by native speakers, and pose special problems to the learner. To help the learner overcome these problems, the homophones section lists groups of kun homophones and their entry numbers. These act as a network of cross-references for quickly identifying and locating each member of a group from any of the others. FEATURES 28a A new feature of this dictionary is that each homophone cross-reference is followed by its core meaning, which allows the user to immediately identify their differences without consulting the corresponding entry character. By using the cross-references to compare the meanings and compounds for each homophone, the learner can grasp the often subtle differences between them. These meanings, which are derived from the usage notes of the NJECD, are based on several years of research as part of the first full-scale analysis of kun homophones to be presented in English. In conclusion, the homophones section helps the learner distinguish between the meanings of words pronounced alike, thereby providing a better understanding of each. It also helps the learner write with greater precision by assisting in the selection of the character most appropriate to the context. Since the complex problems inherent in kun homophones have been mostly ignored by existing reference works, this feature should prove to be of great value to the student. 3.3 Okurigana Endings The kun readings in the entry-head data include parentheses that indicate okurigana endings in conformity with the official rules published by the Ministry of Education. The headwords and compounds also follow these rules when applicable. Important nonstandard variations are given when necessary. 3.4 Stroke Counting The ability to count strokes is necessary both for writing the characters correctly and for using character dictionaries effectively. The following information is provided: 1. The reference data box gives the stroke-count data for each entry character. 2. The principles of stroke counting are explained in Appendix 2. How to Count Strokes, along with charts to help speed up the counting process. 3. Difficult-to-count characters are cross-referenced at common incorrect stroke-count locations. 4 OTHER FEATURES 4.1 Character Importance Since this dictionary is aimed at learners, considerable effort has been made to indicate the degree of importance of the entry character, based on the most recent and comprehensive statistical surveys. This enables the learner to know the importance of each character, and helps the teacher compile graded lessons. The following information is provided: 1. The frequency level of the entry character, which divides the characters into four subclasses, is given in the reference data box (see p. 37a for details). Levels A and B, the first 1000 characters, account for about 95% of all kanji appearing in newspapers. 2. The frequency ranking of the entry character is given in the reference data box. This is the relative frequency of occurrence of a character in newspapers, based on a survey of some 24 million kanji published in July 1998, just before this dictionary went to press (see p. 910 for details). 3. The grade indicates the entry type (Joyo Kanji or Jinmei Kanji) and the school grade during which the character is taught. A grade of 1 to 6 indicates a character in the 1006 Education Kanji taught in the six elementary school grades. 4. Important characters are presented in red. This means that the character in question is either in the Education Kanji list, or is one of the 1000 most frequent characters (frequency levels A or B). Some learners may wish to concentrate on these 1183 characters in the initial stages of study. 5. Appendix 5 lists the top 1000 characters by frequency ranking, along with their core meanings. This is useful to both the learner and the teacher. 29a FEATURES 4.2 Character Codes For the convenience of learners using computers and those needing more advanced information, the reference data box gives character codes and the NJECD entry number. 1. The Kuten number is used for indexing characters in the Japanese character set standard JIS X 0208-1997. This is useful for entering kanji codes in computer systems or when consulting standards and electronic dictionaries. 2. The Unicode value is given for each entry character, which should be useful to computer users. This conforms to the international character standard ISO 10646, which is rapidly gaining popularity as an international character set. 3. The NJECD Entry Number is convenient for looking up the entry character in the New Japanese-English Character Dictionary, which gives a more comprehensive treatment, including synonyms, usage notes, compound formation articles, orthographic variants, and other features. 4.3 System of Labels A labeling system including status, subject, and functional labels gives information on etymology, style, function, level of formality, etc., providing practical guidance on the style and usage associated with each sense. 4.4 Character Functions Each character may have various grammatical and syntactic functions. An important function of kanji is their role as word elements; that is, their ability to form numerous compound words by being combined with each other. Words can be formed by adding an affix (suffix or prefix) to a base, or by joining combining forms with each other. For example, -8? -zumi 'completed' is attached to MJOk tenken 'inspection' to yield tenkenzumi 'inspection completed'. The functions of each character as an independent word (free form) or word element (affix or combining form) are indicated, while the meanings of independent words are clearly distinguished from those of word elements. 4.5 Character Etymology This dictionary presents the following information on radicals and character etymology. 1. The reference data box gives the radical and radical number for each entry character. This aids in understanding its etymology, since radicals often function as semantic components, and is also useful for looking up characters in other dictionaries. 2. The traditional radicals of lost-radical characters are given in the Radical Index. 3. The Quick Reference Radical Chart gives convenient access to information on radicals, including standard and variant forms, stroke-counts, and radical names. 4. The original meaning, which is the first meaning associated with a character after its formation in China (rarely Japan), is often given, especially when it helps clarify the character's meaning or helps illustrate how the senses are interrelated. 5. A description of how to use traditional radical indexes effectively. 4.6 User Friendliness Another feature of this dictionary is a layout that is both visually attractive and easy to use. Typographical design with the aid of cutting-edge font technology was used to achieve a harmonious blend of font styles and weights (Adobe's Myriad and Minion multiple master fonts for English and Heisei Mincho for Japanese). Some of the world's leading font designers, such as Adobe's Robert Slimbach, have contributed to this effort, which has resulted in an esthetically pleasing design that stimulates a desire to browse and to truly enjoy studying kanji. FEATURES 30a EXPLANATORY CHART r m m m The Explanatory Chart shows the layout of the entry. The lightface numerals refer to the section numbers of the Guide to the Dictionary on p. 35a, where the format is explained. GUIDES t entry numb*! guide 1.1 2 page number guide 1.1 3 pattern guide 1.1 4 subseclion guide 1.1 5 subgroup guide 1.1 ENTRY-HEAD DATA 6 entry character 1.2 7 entry number 1.4 8 SKIP number 1.5 9 core symbol 2 10 core meaning 2 11 stroke order diagram 5 CHARACTER READINGS 12 principal reading 1 13 on and Imrr readings 1 14 special reading* 3 15 unapproved reading' i 16 other reading I 17 name readings 3 REFERENCE DATA BOX 18 radical 4 19 grade 4 20 strokes 4 21 Kuten 4 22 level and ranking 4 23 NJECD entry number 4 24 Unicode 4 COMPOUNDS 25 character meaning 6 26 compound word 5 ' I: Hj lj - thai dn not appear in [hit chart. 9 10 | LIFE | ► BE60RN ► STUDENT 12 2179 I «4-5-2 13 I [sa]SH0 l(kiro) l(kasu) i(keru) u(mareru) u(marel umare u(mu) o(u) haleru) ha(yasu) ki nama nama-[[-u*ipfil iltu ubu o 1 bu oi 17-j'rfii Ikj fu| 18- 16 19 20 1..... 21 Jbyo-l SS-5-0 K3224~ ~| 100 A0034 ®3497 U7S1F 22 23 24 OO (act of being alive) i iff, existence © (interval between birth and dealh] uf Him*, life ft it £ ft M ft ± n 25 mm seimer life ■26 stiihi life and death [IF3 ^2179-1 EXPLANATORY CHART INDEPENDENT 27 INDEPENDENT headword 7 28 alternative reading 7 29 headword meaning 7 KUN EC KUN headword 8 31 alternative form 8 32 noun adjective 8 33 homograph 8 34 kun word element 8 35 headword meaning 8 SPECIAL READINGS 36 compound of approved special reading 9 37 compound of unapproved special reading 9 HOMOPHONES 38 liomophonc prnip member 10 39 homophone core meaning 10 40 cmss reference 10 NOTE 41 easily confused characters 11 'INDEPENDENT] 27 [tej ±]|[nntltving;[humhleH| 29 [shrjjiru (=shözurui ífc Ľ£(=:£1*£>>] 28 happen, arise, be produced; produce, create, cause; grow GSS 31 t 3S [utnare lalsD suffix] birth; origin, lineage [ nama - ±0 30 34 ihibafu lawn, turf -36 ifS^o/nifcu unfortunately, unluckily; lam _yj sorry, but... ĹTOMOPHÓNÉSi iktm_ fig 6URy:^>2075 umu ff give BIRTH =>| 2075] ■38 ■39 -40 [shizuka At A1] shiiukana ffifrtü <■.....silent, still; calm, tranquil, gentle, quiet 32 mm |[oW "ffeil- O ľ.-.t.;v,mire, slush,dirt 33 ^ (EH 2ts4 *do not confuse with ^ NOTvn =*2185 ^ [NÖTE] 2i35 *donotccmfusewith 5fi lastpart =*2184 -41 EXPLANATORY CHART THE EQUIVALENT 42 level I equivalent 12.3 43 explanatory gloss 12.4 44 subject guide phrase 12.4 45 definition 12.4 46 core word 12.5 47 level 2 equivalent 12.3 48 parenthetical adjunct 123 49 supplementary gloss 126 50 level 3 equivalent 12.3 SENSE DIVISION 51 main sense 12.2 52 sense division number 12.2 53 suhsense 12.2 54 SL-nse division feller 122 55 semicolon 12.2 ► ute ► fil BOflK ► STUDENT 52 54 46 ;©|j©j(aa of being alive)luL|, existence)- 42 53 © (interval between birth and death) i ■ - [.time, life 43 • | (living organisms)! in-t, living things-SI O (be alive) |jiyj, exist)-47 © bear, give birth to a ii'M seiko house where one was born — r—-1-45 V;(bung into existence) | produce, give rise to I-1-44 0 (original meaning] [(of plants) grow lalso suffix] ■-ruofNT.pupil^sthotar mm [ikeru £(7^1arrange[(flowers) p- 48 [shibui > **,TBiwt;rHT, pudrery, rough;— said I esp. of I he laste of unripe pers i m mons -49 Jjg ► LUMINOUS KOMPOUNDS; >■© [original meaning, now rare] (emitting light) luminous, bright, shining 50 © (enjoying the glory of enlightened rule)« tightened, glorious, illustrious EXPLANATORY CHART COMPOUNDS AND EXAMPLES 56 compound word 13 57 example 1 3 58 Japanese word or phrase 13 59 romanized transcription 13 60 English equivalent 13 61 subsense indicator 13 LABELS 62 character not in this dictionary 13.1 63 functional label 14.1 64 status label 14.2 65 subject label 14.3 CROSS-REFERENCE ENTRIES 66 single cross-reference 1.5 67 multiple cross reference 1.5 [ikiru O © (be alive) live, exist © (make a living) live (on), subsist 61 58 59 60 |I_Lf-Lr__l_. foL±^]'ik/||freshness;steti UtS? ikimono living creature 62 tt •SffeS ' ] iktru shlkabant living corpse wa pan nominite ikuru ni arazu Man — 57 does not live by bread alone 63 65 , I ^ 0081 • :[alwsuffix|i|mfltf)| vaiah Q>| [original meaningl j(free from noise) quiet, still, silent 1)3« 64 incorrect classification y\i =>see B2-3-4: at H9H H2-5-2 66 CI-1-8 incorrect classification etc. =3.5^^.3-6: t at027C 1— 67 EXPLANATORY CHART 34a GUIDE TO THE DICTIONARY R m 1 ENTRIES AND GUIDES p.3Sa 2 CORE MEANINGS p. 36a 3 CHARACTER HEADINGS p. 36a 4 REFERENCE DATA BOX p. 37a 5 STROKE ORDER DIAGRAM p.3fta 6 COMPOUNDS SECTION p. 39a 7 INDEPENDENT SECTION p. 39a 8 KUN SECTION p. 39a 9 SPECIAL READINGS SECTION p. 40a 10 HOMOPHONES SECTION p.40a 11 NOTE SECTION p. 40a 12 CHARACTER MEANINGS p. 40a 13 COMPOUNDS AND EXAMPLES p. 43a 14 LABELS p. 43a The aim of this Guide to In* Dictionary is to describe ihc various conventions used in the dictionary, including the entry format, as well as lo define the meanings of technical terms, labels, glosses, and the like The Guide deals mostly with preitntauon, with a primary emphasis on format. How this information is useful lo ihc learner is treated in Feature! of This Dictionary on p. 25a. The Explanatory Chart on p. ,11a describes the entry layout, while the meanings of symbois and abbreviations ate given in Abbreviations and Symbol* on p. 45a. The appendixes and indexes are described in their respective introductions. 1 ENTRIES AND GUIDES 1-1 Guides I he various guides printed in the outer corners and margins of the page have been carefully designed and laid out to facilitate the speedy location of entries. The entry number guide in the lower, outer corner of a page consists of boldface numerals that indicate the entry number range for that page. Use it for locating a character when the entry number is known r. 9-2 h Subsection guide -Partem guide 1162 - 1163 1 Subgroup guide Entry number guide Page number guide The page number guide consists of boldface numerals centered at the bottom of each page. In the introductory pages, page numbers are followed by the letter a. Eniry numbers, not page numbers, are used in cross-references to entrv characters. GUIDE 3. The SKIP Guides, which consist of the subsection, pattern and subgroup guides, arc described in 52.7 on p. 881. 1,2 Entry Character The main entry for a character consists of the entry-head data and all the explanatory matter for thai character. The large character at the head of each entry, set in the modern Heisei Mincho typeface, is the entry character. Important characters arc set in red. This means thai the character in cj nest ion is either in the Education Kanjl list, or is one of the 1000 most frequent characters (see 54 below). Entry character 1606 -Entry number H2-4-9 -SKIP number 7.3 Entry-Head Data The entry-head data consists of the entry character (51,2), the entry number (51.4), ihe SKIP number t51.5), Ihe core meaning (52), charactci readings (53), ihe reference data bos (§4), and the stroke order diagram (55). Each item is described in the section indicated in pa re n theses. 1.4 Entry Number The boldface numeral below the entry character is the entry number, which uniquely identifies the entry characters throughout the dictionary, the appendixes, and the indexes for reference and cross-reference. The entry number appears as a four-digit zero-padded numeral (e.g. 0023, rather than 23). 1.5 SKIP Number The SKIP number of the entry character, which appears below the entry number, consists of the pattern symbol followed by hyphenated numerals used to locate characters according to SKIP rules, e.g. E 1-2-5 for See §2.3 on p. 876 for details 1.6 Types of Entries This dictionary contains a rota! of 2808 enlry characters: 2230 main entries and 578 cross reference entries. These are classified into three types: 1. The 1945 characters in ihe official Jdyo Kanjl list (ffiJDJd!^*) published in 1981, widely used in ihe mass media, government, and education, 2. The 285 characters in the Jinmei Kanji list (A£fHf$S-t-) revised in 1997. an official list of kanji approved for use in personal names. i. The 578 cross-reference entries a I locations where a character might he mistakenly looked for under an incorrect patlern classification or incurred stroke-counl. See 52.6 on p. 880 for details. 2 CORE MEANINGS The WE> capital if rp words preceded by ihe symbol ► convey ihe core meaning or Core meanings of the entry character. □ ► DAV ",s ►JAPAN The core meaning is one of the central features of this dictionary. It represents Ihe fundamental concept(s) linking the principal senses of a character. The use of red for both the core meanings and Ihe core words in the equivalents (see 512.5) makes the relation between the senses visually obvious. 3 CHARACTER READINGS The romanized transcriptions immediately below the core meanings are the readings of the entry character. 1sK ™ yasa(shti) sugutreru] masa(ru)* [ft] rnasa suguru yutaka 01m GUIDE Seven types of readings are given: 1. Principal readings The first reading given is the most common or representative reading of a character. The principal reading is nearly always the on reading, hut for characters that do not have an on reading, the kun reading is used. 2. Approved On readings The Sino-(apanese or Chinese-derived reading, given in capital letters. A hyphen indicates a variant of an approved reading used for euphony; e.g., -Ntj for as a variant of 6 in SfB honno. 3. Approved Kon readings The native Japanese reading, given in lowercase letters. Okurigana (kana endings) conforming to the official rules published by the Ministry of Education are shown in parentheses. If a kun reading includes a hyphen, it functions only as a word element. 4. Special readings In exceptional cases, a component of what is considered a special reading (see 59) in the )6y0 Kanji list can be isolated as a reading in its own right. For example, the 1H1 in fiCO dekoboko can be isolated as having the reading boko. Such a reading is similar to an ordinary kun reading, and is marked by an asterisk (e.g. boko*). 5. Unapproved readings Marked by a superscript solid triangle (*), this is a reading that is not listed in the J6y6 Kanji list. Such readings are in principle excluded from this dictionary, but are given on the occasions when they are sufficiently important to learners (e.g. iU FUTSU*). 6- Other readings Marked by a superscript inverted solid triangle (*), this is an unapproved or rare reading frequency used in names but not important enough to learners as an ordinary reading. Thus kjn headwords and compounds are not given for these readings. 7. Name readings These readings, called nanor/(£iSt 0), appear to the right of the symbol E, and are used exclusively, or almost exclusively, in personal, family, and place names, but not in ordinary words. All such readings, both kun and on, are given in lowercase letters. If a name reading and an ordinary (non-name) reading are pronounced the same but differ only in okurigana, as in {B-J^ and IS for shinobu, only the ordinary reading is given. Similarly, if a reading or a derived reading (such as ff S yuki from ft K yuku) can be used in both names and ordinary words, it is listed only among the ordinary readings. 4 REFERENCE DATA BOX The reference data box gives reference and classification data. S 1915 Joyo-1 S4-4-0 K3892 1" A0001 ©3027 The reference data box consists of seven items: 1. Radical The radical and traditional radical number for the entry character. If the form of the radical differs considerably from the parent radical, then a variant form similar to the form actually appearing in the character is given. The radical given for lost-radical characters is a new radical based on the simplified form of the entry character (see 13 on p. 959). !t is distinguished by a superscript triangle (*) following the radical number. A 9* Joyo-3 S6-2-4 Kiaai A0006 ©2020 U4F1A GUIDE 2. Grade The characters are divided into the following three categories: a. Joyo + number One of the 1006 characters in the Education Kanji list (^*^ giJgl^SEa*) revised in 1989, which must be learned in the six years of elementary school. The number indicates one of the six school grades during which the character is taught. b. Joyo A character in the Joyo Kanji list published in 1981 but not in the Education Kanji list; that is, a character taught in grades 7 to 9. c. Names A character in the Jinmei Kanji list revised in 1997. 3. Strokes Hyphenated numerals consisting of (1) the total stroke-count, (2) the stroke-count of the radical portion, and (3) the stroke-count of the nonradical portion. The total of the second and third parts equals the first part. 4. Kuten A "K" followed by four digits indicates a number used for indexing characters in the Japanese character set standard JIS X 0208-1997. The first two digits indicate the K ku ('row') and the second two digits the ,>S fen ('cell'). 5. Frequency Level and Ranking A frequency level letter from A to D is followed by the frequency ranking, a number that indicates the frequency of occurrence of the entry character in contemporary newspapers, based on statistical surveys published in July 1998 (see p. 910 for details). The frequency level was assigned by dividing the characters into the four groups shown in the table below. For example, Level A includes all characters up to frequency ranking 500. The Total column, which gives the cumulative number of characters in this dictionary, differs slightly from the Freq. Ranking column, because some of the characters in the survey are not found in this dictionary. Freq. Count Total Coverage Freq. level Ranking A 496 496 80% 500 B 497 993 95% 1000 C 572 1565 99% 1600 D 665 2230 99.8% "B0784" (at Hf3), for example, represents a Level B kanji that has a frequency ranking of 784. "9999" represents low-frequency characters that were not assigned a frequency ranking in the surveys. 6. NJECD Entry Number The symbol ® followed by a number indicates the entry number of the character in the New Japanese-English Character Dictionary, upon which this dictionary is based. If the entry character is not found in the first edition of the NJECD at that position, its position in future editions is indicated by a decimal point. For example, "®65.5" means that ft! is to be found between entry numbers ®65 and ®66. 7. Unicode A "U" followed by a hexadecimal number indicates the international code assigned to the entry character by the Unicode character encoding standard (version 2.0, published in 1996). 5 STROKE ORDER DIAGRAM The stroke order diagram shows the order in which the strokes of the entry character should be written. The order of writing is presented stroke by stroke, and tiny numerals indicate the position of each stroke in the sequence. Stroke order diagrams are given for all Joyo Kanji entries. GUIDE 38a 6 COMPOUNDS SECTION This section lists the meanings of the main entry character as an on word element. Each sense is nearly always accompanied by com pounds and examples and their English equivalents, arranged in an order that shows their semantic interrelatedness. £JT ICDMPOJJNDS. j179 OO (set ol being alive) IMS, existence © (interval between birth and death) liritime, life a B| itimei life '!' (*(=t (ft ft H5} seifto (=j«m« hoken) life insurance [I a character meaning has more lhan one sense, these arc subdivided by sense division numbers. See 112 and 513 tor details on mean ings and compounds. 7 INDEPENDENT SECTION This section lists the meanings of the entry character as an independent on word. The independeni headword consists of a one character on word, with or without particles, auxiliaries, or inflections, that can be used on its own. Thus iif gai and M "i i> gohuru are treated as separate entries. Each meaning is often accompanied by examples and their English equivalents. 'ife IINDtPENOeNTI 1457 C9a' «§]...... ■. evil, ill effect; damage no gai ill effects of drinking [gaisuru 3FT£]i injure, damage The absence of the independent section indicates that the entry character is not commonly used as an independent word. 8 KUN SECTION This section lists the meanings of the entry character as a kun word or word clement. The senses are arranged in an order that shows their semantic interrelatedness. and arc usually accompanied by compounds and exam pies and their English equivalents. 0157 [il(U ?f < ] O , proceed, leave for; attend; visit ffiSf < ikilsuku arrive at. get to [-yuki ■ff'S. -f r 1 [suffix! bound for, for H.HtfT$] j Ja shizuka na S^Ai?i O....., silent, still; calm, tranquil, gentle, quiet Adjectival nouns can also be used as adverbs by replacing /«£ no with I" ni. These forms are not necessarily listed separately. 4. If two kun headwords have the same written form but differ in function (homographs), they are treated separately and distinguished by small superscript numerals, e.g. doro1, doro2. GUIDE 9 SPECIAL READINGS SECTION This section lists compound words having special readings and their English equivalents. A special reading applies to words composed of two or more characters, when the reading of the word as a whole is unrelated to the normal readings of the individual characters. For example, B 'tomorrow' is read ashita, though |f| and B cannot be independently read as a or ashi or shita. Approved special readings are those listed in the appendix to the Jôyô Kanji list; unapproved ones, followed by a superscript triangle (*), are those that are not. The unapproved ones are only given if they are sufficiently important to the learner. £JT I5PEC1AL READINGS! 2179 Jiíífe shibafu lawn, turf äľP* ainiku unfortunately, unluckily; I am sorry, but... 10 HOMOPHONES SECTION This section lists groups of homophones and their entry numbers for cross-reference, enabling the user to locate information about any group member from any of the others. H IHOMOPHONESl ,915 hi II SUN =>0453 asahi ffi RISING SUN =>1890 ŠIB =>1114,1915 The term homophone as used in this dictionary refers to a member of a group of kun words or word elements, often etymologically related, that that are pronounced alike but written differently and often have different meanings. Sometimes, homophones not in this dictionary are also given, with a ® indicating the entry number in the NJECD. 1. Each group member is followed by its first core meaning as an entry character, which occasionally may not match the homophone's meaning as a kun headword. Comparing the core meanings provides an understanding of each homophone's fundamental meaning. 2. The homophones sections form a network of cross-references that point to the entry characters for each group member. Comparing the meanings and compounds of each member provides a more thorough understanding of their differences and similarities. 11 NOTE SECTION Introduced by *, the note section directs attention to characters of similar form that are easily confused. These characters are always cross-referenced to each other. sen 2184 *do not confuse with 5|c notyet =>2185 2185 *do not confuse with ^ last part =*2184 Each character is followed by its first core meaning, which clarifies their differences. 12 CHARACTER MEANINGS The detailed presentation of character meanings is one of the principal features of this dictionary. Character meaning is defined as the meaning of an on word element, a kun headword, or an independent on headword. The meanings, which consist of explanatory glosses and English equivalents, may be preceded by sense division numbers, functional labels, status labels, or subject labels, and are sometimes followed by explanatory glosses. Each of these elements is described below. GUIDE 40a Core word identical with a core meaning 1 - lfc-E 'LIFE •Lib KOKN 2U9 ►■STUDEN! Core meaning tt© (an of being alive] existence -Character meaning - Subsense O (interval between birth and death) i i 'time,life © [living organiimsl^^living things j Main sense . raw. uncooked, crude |- English equivalent 12.1 Order of Senses The senses are arranged in an order thai shows their semantic interrrlatedness; an English keyword, often a core word such as i ■ i in the above example, selves as the basis of orgamza lion, and the various senses are grouped in clusters in a manner lhat shows how they are inlerrelated. The senses of a compound or example are normally given in order of descending frequency or importance. 12.2 Sense Division The character meanings are often subdivided by a system of dark-circled sense division numbers {such as O and©), subsense division letters (such as ©and©), and semicolons and commas in a manner ihat shows the semantic relationship between the senses and subsenscs (see example above). The senses of compounds and examples are subdivided only by semicolons. It the compounds section has only one main sense lhat is not subdivided into subsenses, it is identified by a solid black circle ©. 12.3 Degree of Importance The degree of importance of each character sense is indicated by various typographical devices and labels. [►LUMIMOUSJ-Level 1 ■compounds! O © [original meaning, now rare) (emitting light! Liwwwogs, bright, shining_ © (enjoying the glory of enlightened rule I enlightened, glorious, illustrious -Level 3 I Level 2 The degree of importance is divided mro three levels. Level 1: Core meaning—The most important sense, which is essential for the beginner, provides a basic understanding of the character Level 2: Important meaning—An English equivalent displayed in boldface signifies an important, usually high-frequency, meaning essential for beginning and intermediate learners. Level 3: Rare or archaic meaning—An English equivalent displayed in lightface. accompanied by temporal labels (§14.2), signifies rare and archaic senses. These can be safely ignored by learners. Since this dictionary is aimed at beginning and intermediate learners, almost all the GUIDE equivalents are level 2 meanings. Level 3 meanings and compounds are only given in the exceptional cases when they promote understanding, or il"they are the only ones that exist for that entry character. 12.4 Explanatory Gloss Explanatory glosses supplement ihe equivalents in order to clarify iheir meanings. These are of two kinds. The subject guide phrase is a brief parenthetical phrase beginning with "of thai restricts the equivalent, especially as a typical subject of an intransitive verb. ©lof nock prices! ri« 0051 The explanation is i description, rather than a translation, of ihe meaning or grammatical function. If necessary, a full lexicographic definition is given. |fp low ffifi] 0)g9 © (separate through the application of i Sudden bending force) ihe ft k ui i (asa branch), break (a bone), snap (in two), spirt 12.5 The English Equivalent The English equivalent (or ''equivalent11), the central part of ihe character meaning, refers to synonymous or nearly synonymous words or phrases lhat are in English translation nf a lapane.se word or word element (see 512 for illustration). The core word is often the first word of the equivalent, sometimes modified by a qualifying word or phrase, that is identical with a core meaning. The equivalent is presented in the following format; 1. An explanation or definition replaces the equivalent in the case of culture-bound terms or function words such as particles. 2. The core words are set in seo capitAts to make it visually obvious how the various senses are related tu ihe tore meaning. 3. Boldface is used in character meanings (but not in compounds) to distinguish ihe equivalents visually Írom other explanatory malter, and to indicate level 2 importance (SI 2.3). 4. Parenthetical adjuncts sometimes accompany the equivalent lo indicale a typical object of a transitive verb, a subject of a verb, and the like. 12.6 Supplementary Gloss Introduced by a dash, the supplementary gloss typically consists of a phrase, beginning with "said of or "used in," dial supplement ihe equivalent by restricting its range of application, by describing its grammatical function, and so on. jf£ [shibui iftU] 0Í7; O AMitiNi.tNT,puckery, rough—said esp. of the taste of unripe persimmons 12.7 Functions of Kanji The function of a character as a free word and word element is indicaied by various means. The following functions arc indicated: 1. free words 2. Combining forms 3. Affixes (suffixes or prefixes) 4. Grammatical/syntactic functions 5. Numerals 6, Function words 7. Abbreviations 1. Counters 9, Units 10. Titles Iii Phonetic substitutes 12, Symbols 13. Names 14. Special readings Some of these are briefly described herein, but the learner need not be concerned with the technical details, since the structure of the entry usually makes it obvious. The basic principles are: GUIDE 1. Character meanings in the COMPOUNDS section refer to the meanings of the character as a combining form. Bin if the sense is preceded by a label such as "(suffixj" or "[prefix)," lhat meaning functions exclusively as an affix. 2. Meanings in the kun section function as independent kun words, unless they are preceded by the label "[in compounds]" that shows that it is used only as a combining form. i. Meanings in the indepenmn1 section function as independent nrt words. For a full desenption of character functions, refer to pages 197a lo 202a of thcNfECD. 13 COMPOUNDS AND EXAMPLES 13.1 Section Format Each sense of a character meaning is usually illustrated by compounds and examples. Compound ot compound word refers to a combination of two or more words or word elements having their own lexical meaning that together function as a single word [e.g. flt f f T-i ktiko juru 'carry along, bring'). Example refers to a word other than a compound or to an illustrative phrase or sentence (e.g. K £" ffl K<£> true o tanaaeru 'carry a stick in one's hand'). The compounds and examples are presented in the following format: 1. A Japanese word or phrase is followed by the romanized transcription and the English equivalent. The format of the equivalent generally follows lhat of the character meanings (§12). See Appendix 3 on p. 900 for details on rumanization. 2. Characters used in compounds and examples are sometimes followed by a superscript i (*), which indicates lhat the character in question is not one of the 2230 main entry characters in this dictionary. 13.2 Subsense Indicators The compounds and examples are grouped by meaning in a manner lhat shows how they are formed from their constituent parts; that is, they are grouped together under the same main sense thai (hey illustrate. If a main sense is divided into subsenses, the compounds are lisled under the same main sense and subdivided into groups by subsense. Within each (sub)sensc group, compounds in which the entry character appears m the initial position precede those in which it does not. The subsense indicators, which consist of tiny letters to the left of the compounds, indicate the beginning of a (lew subsense group; iha( is, (hat ihe compounds from that point onwards illustrate only the subsense(s) indicated by the tiny letters. om9 Omni i, efficacy (esp. of drugs), virtue O (state of being operative or in force) fc t rr i i, effectiveness, validity a jtdift koka effect, efficacy; result S3l^ *orifsu efficiency ab$}?J koryoku effect, efficacy; effect (as of a law), validity fiyJiti. yukona effective, valid muko invalidity, ineffectiveness b £> hokkasuru become effec- tive, take effect, come into force [n the example, the tiny a indicates (hat vhWi and HiV- illustrate subsense O; the ab that If ?J) t£ and illustrate both subsenses O and ©; and the b that -5 illustrates subsense ©. 14 LABELS A labeling system including functional, status, and subject labels provides guidance on etymology, style, function, level of formality, etc. GUIDE 14.1 Functional Labels Functional labels indicate various grammatical and syntactic functions associated with a sense. These are of four kinds: part-of-speech, usage, word-formation, and miscellaneous. 1. Part-of-speech labels, set in italics, are sometimes given. This includes particle, pronoun, vi (intransitive verb), and vt (transitive verb). The part of speech is usually made clear by the wording of the equivalent. Labels appear mostly when it is necessary to eliminate ambiguity. 2. The usage label, enclosed in square brackets, indicates how a word or word element is used, especially its syntactic function and the grammatical construction in which it normally appears. These labels do not have a fixed form. Typical ones include: "[in the form of...]" (form in which the word is normally used), "[followed by...]," and "[in negative constructions]." 3. The word-formation label, enclosed in square brackets, indicates the function of a form as a word element (affix or combining form). The absence of a word-formation label before the equivalent of an on word element indicates that the character functions as a combining form in that sense. The absence of such a label before the equivalent of a kun headword indicates that that headword functions as an independent word that may or may not also function as a combining form in that sense. The following labels appear: prefix, also prefix, suffix, also suffix, also prefix and suffix, verbal prefix, verbal suffix, in compounds. If a label does not begin with "also", the function is exclusive. Thus, "prefix" means the sense is used only as a prefix. 4. Miscellaneous functional labels, such as "[auxiliary]," and "[emphatic]", indicate various functions. 14.2 Status Labels The status label restricts the sense to a particular time, level of style, or level of formality. Status labels are of four kinds. 1. The etymological label, which appears in the form "[original meaning]," indicates that the sense is the first meaning of the character after its formation. Though etymological labels appear quite often, the treatment of original meanings is not exhaustive. 2. The temporal label, enclosed in square brackets, restricts the accompanying sense to a particular time. The absence of a temporal label indicates that the sense is current in Modern Japanese. Temporal labels are of two kinds: "[rare]" (infrequent in Modern Japanese) and "[archaic]" (used especially in the classics) (see illustration in §12.3). Rare and archaic senses are given only in special cases where no other meanings or compounds exist, or when essential for understanding. 3. The stylistic label, set in italics, restricts the sense to a particular level of style. The following labels appear: literary (language of literature), elegant (language of poetry), colloq (spoken language), slang (extremely informal), and vulgar (social taboo). 4. The formality label, enclosed in square brackets, restricts the sense to a particular level of formality. The following labels appear: "[honorific]" (elevating subject's status), "[humble]" (lowering subject's status), "[polite]" (desu-masu style), and "[belittling]" (showing contempt or abuse). 14.3 Subject Labels This subject label, in italics, identifies the field to which the sense applies. It is often an abbreviation, as chem for "chemistry." These abbreviations are listed with their full forms in Abbreviations and Symbols on p. 45a. GUIDE 44a ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS LABELS anat anatomy biol biology bot botany chem chemistry colbq colloquial elec electricity geol geology gram grammar math mathematics phys physics vi intransitive verb vt transitive verb SKIP SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS etc. in cross-reference entries, other characters of similar structure p incorrect pattern classification (in Pattern Index) pi incorrect pattern classification and stroke-count (in Pattern Index) incorrect stroke-count (in Pattern Index) SKIP System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns I] 1 left-right pattern H 2 up-down pattern D 3 enclosure pattern ■ 4 solid pattern n 1 top line (solid subpattern) D 2 bottom line (solid subpattern) H 3 through line (solid subpattern) d 4 others (solid subpattern) SYMBOLS IN ENTRY-HEAD DATA ^ core meaning () encloses okurigana of kun readings 2 kun readings of exactly the same form kun reading used as word element * special reading that can be isolated unapproved reading T unapproved/rare reading used in names IS reading(s) used only in names REFERENCE DATA BOX " new radical based on simplified character form S Stroke-count information K Kuten number A-D frequency level ® NJECD entry number U Unicode OTHER SYMBOLS AND MARKS [ ] encloses subentry headwords (kun and independent headwords) 00 sense division numbers O© sense division letters # unnumbered sense in compounds section A unapproved special reading in special readings section " character not found as an entry character in this dictionary ° lost-radical character (in Radical Index) => introduces cross-references § precedes section numbers in cross-references = precedes alternative forms or readings () 1. okurigana endings 2. explanatory glosses 3. optional omissions (A(B) = A or AB) 4. alternative forms/readings [ ] 1. most labels 2. alternatives (A [B]C = AC or BC) 1 1. sometimes indicates alternatives 2. separates sentences — precedes supplementary glosses kun headword used as word element : coordinates two parts of an English equivalent 45a ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS