[Author's note: I don't think this is that well-written, given that I didn't have much time to put into it. But I think my final idea should be implemented, because so many foreigners (and probably natives) in Japan would take advantage of it.]

It is difficult to look up kanji in a paper-based dictionary. Plainly and simply, one spends a considerable time on the process of flipping through pages and searching through characters. If the method of kanji search is by stroke order, one must know the number of strokes in every character. Although stroke order is a prerequisite to writing kanji, difficult characters with many strokes remain confusing, especially to those persons who frequently consult a dictionary (ie., students). If the method of kanji search is by radical, one must look up the radical, turn to its page, then search for the illusive kanji by browsing through all of the characters with the same corresponding radical. The dictionary user must also understand the concept of primary and secondary radicals, if the character contains more than one radical. For example, the Japanese kanji for farm or field, 畑 (はた), is composed of two radicals; however, the primary radical with which to search for 畑 in a dictionary is not 火 but 田 (though at first glance, one would assume the primary radical to be the radical on the left). Although books are still in print and circulation, in such a technological age, the retention of paper-based kanji dictionaries remains open to debate. With modern computing hard- and software, the exercise of spending minutes flipping through pages is outdated.

Continue reading →