Part 2: Kanji reading on electric appliances
Once in a while I find an useful website for us foreigners in Japan.
Here I would like to share one with you. I think it is a really fantastic idea and I am very grateful to Ms. Yukiko Toyoshima who so gracefully allowed me to post it here for you.
- A Door to the World of 漢字(Kanji)
- You can just click on the different electronic appliances and it will show the English translation of the control panel. It also comes with a wordlist for each appliance and that too will be very useful for you. There is also a section for helping you to buy a ticket at the train station and a list of common traffic signs.
If you don't already know the webpage rikai.com I do suggest that you check it out. It is really wonderful when you need to read a page that is written in Japanese.
- rikai.com
- You can even paste on a webpage and read that English translations. It also show you the Japanese pronunciation so it is double useful. My own personal favorite translation tool, I find it incredibly useful and easy to use.
Part 1
Here are some useful web pages to help you when you don't understand the Japanese that is written and need help. Even a "computer dummy " like myself can have great use of these.
- jBrowse
- jBrowse is a free plugin for Microsoft Internet Explorer that can interpret Japanese web pages within your browser, inserting word definitions and furigana directly into a web page! jBrowse is also a full-featured Japanese dictionary and Kanji finder.
- Babel Fish
- Babel Fish translates text & Web pages in 10 languages.
- Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Japanese-English Dictionary Server
(Monash University Site) - A very interesting and useful webpage.
Homepages of some computer clubs: