How to use a Japanese dictionary for study

Choose a dictionary for the question you have, check the word in context, then practise recalling it in a sentence.

Japanese–English or Japanese–Japanese dictionary?

Use a bilingual dictionary to find a first meaning. Use a Japanese–Japanese dictionary to examine a definition, usage or distinction you can read in Japanese.

Choose by the task. For an unfamiliar word, look for its reading, part of speech and a relevant example. For a familiar word used strangely, compare the senses and the phrases around it. A longer list of translations is not automatically a better explanation.

A dedicated electronic dictionary, a web dictionary and a phone app are different delivery formats. Check the actual dictionaries included, the input methods you need and whether required entries work offline. A keyboard’s personal dictionary stores typing shortcuts; it does not replace definitions and examples.

How do you look up Japanese verbs and kanji?

Identify the base form before searching a conjugated verb. If you cannot read a kanji, use an input method your dictionary supports, such as handwriting or radical search, and confirm the resulting word.

For example, 食べました leads back to 食べる（たべる）, “to eat”. Keep the original sentence so that you can check tense and politeness after finding the entry. A matching character shape alone does not establish the reading of the whole word.

How do you choose the right dictionary meaning?

Match the definition to the sentence, including the object, situation and register. Then check a short example with the same use.

In ドアを開ける, 開ける means opening a door. In 店を開ける, it refers to opening a shop for business. The object helps you decide which sense is relevant. Write one sentence of your own and explain what makes that meaning fit.

How do you turn a dictionary lookup into vocabulary practice?

Save the reading, one meaning that fits your sentence and one example. Later, hide the explanation and recall the word before checking it.

Try this now: cover the reading of 食べる, say it, and use it in a new sentence. If you only recognised the entry after opening it, practise producing the reading again. Keep the card small enough to test one thing.

Ronri for iPhone offers word lookup and cards. The web Japanese study library provides reading and grammar references. Use the format that fits the task you want to practise.