What apps are you using on your iPhone/iPod touch?

[Javizy]

Just wondering what applications people are using on their iPhone/iPod touch for studying Japanese.

I bought the dictionary named Japanese (discussed on the forum already) when I first got it, and found that to be really user-friendly, responsive, and full of useful features. It has limitations, though, in that you only have your standard edict synonym equivalent style dictionary, which means it's hard to interpret abstract words, differentiate similar words, and be aware of any common structures that used the word.

Today, after a lot of browsing, I ended up buying iEijiro, which is basically an iPod conversion of the alc dictionary, which means it has all the additional usage details and example sentences that come with it! For example, if you look up 想像, you're presented with the regular edict result, but if you press the 'more' button, you get all this. It's invaluable for understanding how the word is used.

iEijiro is half the price of Japanese as well, so I'd definitely recommend checking it out! The only downfall really is that it's a massive 177MB, but you'll soon see why after looking at some of the example sentences (some of which contain links to the full source presented bilingually).

Since the books come under the app store, I should mention that there are a few manga available as well. I have a few from 猫ラーメン, アップルシード, and Dominion Tank Police (not sure of the four Japanese title, but try searching for ドミニオン).

[jclemons]

Let's see here,

When I'm not reading The Economist or Manga, I study using JapanesePod101's MyWords app.

10 words a day is a smart and efficient goal for memorizing words and the app makes it really easy. It's especially great for when I have no "denpa" on the train.

The record feature is really nice for "hatsuon" practice when no one's around. Even though I know some of the words that come up, the real plus of the app that I've experienced is reviewing it and improving my pronunciation. I'm too shy to do that on the train though, hehe.

[barb123]

a question about the my words - Japanese by LLC application. I noticed that it has the record your pronunciation feature, but I didn't think the ipod touch has a record button. How does this work? Did I miss something? Otherwise I have the regular kanji application that breaks up words into jlpt levels. No testing but nice to read through.

[Jason]

Just to make one comment on Eijiro in general, while it's an awesome (and HUGE) dicitonary, it was made for Japanese people. So while the E->J definitions are very good, the J->E definitions often leave a bit to be desired. The examples dictionary has some....interesting examples in it, too. Some of them are pretty funny.

Barb, the iPod Touch doesn't have a microphone. So until someone makes an external mic for it, you unfortunately can't use the voice recorder in our apps.

[johnpa]

I got "Kanji LS" a couple of days ago.
It's a great tool for learning how to write Kanji's and a nice review for Kanji readings. For practice, you can trace an outline of the Kanji with you finger. The app shows you stroke order, and the starting point for each stroke. Then you can test yourself by drawing the kanji after the app gives you a "meaning". You also have sever choices for testing yourself on the readings: key entery, multiple choice, kun only, on only...
It's very fast and seems to be bug free.
The downside is that it only has about 1100 kanjis and the only way to test your drawing recollection is Meaning ---> Kanji. There's no Reading ---> Kanji drawing test.

[tpero]

Kanji Flip
Japanese Flip
Kotoba! - Pretty solid FREE dictionary based on Jim Breem's. You can enter your search in Japanese or English and it will automatically determine which direction to translate. It also allows for Kanji handwriting input, but you have to enable the Chinese input keyboard in your ipod/iphone settings. Everything is installed locally so it's a decent-sized app and the initial install/startup takes a while, but after that it works great.

[Javizy]

Just to make one comment on Eijiro in general, while it's an awesome (and HUGE) dicitonary, it was made for Japanese people. So while the E->J definitions are very good, the J->E definitions often leave a bit to be desired. The examples dictionary has some....interesting examples in it, too. Some of them are pretty funny.

Barb, the iPod Touch doesn't have a microphone. So until someone makes an external mic for it, you unfortunately can't use the voice recorder in our apps.

After using it for a while, I'd agree with this. I still use the Jap-Eng for certain words that don't seem to be contained in EDICT, and for the usage cases I mentioned. It's been updated now with flashcards, as well, but I've been patiently waiting for the 'Japanese' update, which is going to include a "smart flashcard system", example sentences, and a few other features (hopefully the history list that I suggested). I'm really keen to see how good the flashcards are. If the algorithm is any good, and you can make use of the example sentences, it's set to become a very useful app.

As for new apps, there are three episodes of Detective Saburo Jinguji, which is a game where you go about solving a mystery. It's kind of like a very basic point-and-click style, but it's all in kanji, so not really accessible for beginners. Although, my reading ability isn't great, and I can get through it quite easily, except for the cursed nanori

[queenparadox]

Let's see here,

When I'm not reading The Economist or Manga, I study using JapanesePod101's MyWords app.

10 words a day is a smart and efficient goal for memorizing words and the app makes it really easy. It's especially great for when I have no "denpa" on the train.

The record feature is really nice for "hatsuon" practice when no one's around. Even though I know some of the words that come up, the real plus of the app that I've experienced is reviewing it and improving my pronunciation. I'm too shy to do that on the train though, hehe.

Do I have to be connected to the internet to use it?

[jaypunkrawk]

I used to use the wwwJDic app for searching the WWWJDIC website, however, it crashes now every time I try to look up anything. I also have Kanji Flip which is okay for reviewing/memorizing kanji but nothing spectacular.

[untmdsprt]

http://www.japanesepod101.com/forum/vie ... php?t=4133


Please refer to the above link for any further comments/questions about this topic.

Thanks!