JohtoKen's blog

I know Clay did a tour of this software a long while ago, but I'm making this guide to feature a more detailed insight of the application for the DS.

漢字そのままＤＳ楽引辞典 (かんじそのままＤＳらくびきじてん), roughly translated as the Easy-to-use DS Dictionary with Kanji, is a dictionary application for the Nintendo DS released in 2006. It features three dictionaries provided by 2 Japanese dictionary producers.

When you start up the application, you are presented with four dictionary sortings.

「ザ・ゲーム」、または「ゲーム」をご存知ですか？英語圏でとっても人気ですよ。

ルールは簡単。

１．あなたはゲームをやっています。
２．ゲームを考えると負けてしまいます。
３．負けを発表しなければなりません。

お楽しみください。

If I remember correctly, なら, as explained by clay here at TJP, works like this:

［文章Ａ］なら［文章Ｂ］。
Which, essentially, is this:

"IF [sentence A] is true, then [sentence B]."

To put it in a sort of puzzle piece form:

パソコンは安い。
Computer is cheap.

- AND -

買う。
Buy.

Strung together with なら: パソコンは安いなら買う。 (If the computer is cheap, I will buy it.)

This sort of reminds me a bit of programming which involves a lot of if-then statements. To put a couple in sentence form:

Ｚキーは押されるなら自機の弾丸を撃つ。
If the Z key is pressed, shoot player bullets.
敵の弾丸は自機をぶつかるなら自機を破壊する。

なぞっておぼえる　大人の漢字練習　完全版【－おとなのかんじれんしゅう　かんぜんばん】 is one of the many kanji learning applications for the Nintendo DS that teach you how to write the kanji and learn the readings as well. This game is an update to its predecessor, なぞっておぼえる　大人の漢字練習, adding 316 kanji to the 1,945 that was present in the first version to make up 2,261 kanji for learning in this application.

Like ２００人の漢検, this application is not for very beginners who have little knowledge of kana. It is also worth mentioning that you cannot input your name in this application with the roman alphabet.

特撮【とくさつ】 special effects
特＝トク (special)
撮＝サツ (snapshot)

限界【げんかい】 limits
限＝ゲン (limit)
界＝カイ (world)

漆器【しっき】 lacquer ware
漆＝シツ (lacquer)
器＝キ (tool/instrument)

木馬【もくば】 rocking horse
木＝モク (wood)
馬＝バ (horse)

拝聴【はいちょう】 respectfully listen to
拝＝ハイ (adore/worship)
聴＝チョウ (listen)

機器【きき】 equipment/apparatus/instrument/appliance
機＝キ (mechanism/machine)
器＝キ (tool/instrument)

茶会【ちゃかい】 tea party
茶＝チャ (tea)
会＝カイ (association/meeting)

昆虫【こんちゅう】 insect/bug
昆＝コン (descendents/insect)
虫＝チュウ (insect/bug)

This is the same as the previous post, only with things changed to romaji for beginners that haven't fully mastered kana yet.

When referring to kanji, On-yomi (おんよみ) and Kun-yomi (くんよみ) are two kinds of readings in Japanese, the former being the intended Chinese pronunciations (in Japanese, of course) of the character and the latter being the adapted Japanese pronunciations of the character. Some characters may have very few readings whereas some may have a lot of them.

When referring to kanji, 音読み【おんよみ】 and 訓読み【くんよみ】 are two kinds of readings in Japanese, the former being the intended Chinese pronunciations (in Japanese, of course) of the character and the latter being the adapted Japanese pronunciations of the character. Some characters may have very few readings whereas some may have a lot of them.

Generally, 音読み are written in Katakana, and 訓読み are written in Hiragana, the 訓読み usually having some sort of break to separate the kanji from the extra kana involved (called 送りがな【おくりがな】).