Daijirin
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Daijirin (Japanese:
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Kanda-Jimbocho_2021.jpg/200px-Kanda-Jimbocho_2021.jpg)
Sanseido specifically created Daijirin to compete with Iwanami's profitable Kōjien dictionary, which was a longtime bestseller through three editions (1955, 1969, and 1983). Two other contemporary dictionaries directed at the Kōjien market share were Kōdansha's color-illustrated Nihongo Daijiten (
The first edition of Daijirin (1988) had 220,000 headword entries and included encyclopedic content in numerous charts, tables, and illustrations. While Kōjien was printed in black and white, Sanseido included 19 two-color illustrations for topics like the seasons (with kigo), linguistics (synonymy), and Japanese language (Man'yōgana). According to Matsumura's preface, the process of editing the first edition took over 28 years.
The second edition (1995) increased the number of entries to 233,000 and augmented the number of illustrations (including 31 pages of full-color maps and charts). Sanseido published the second edition in printed, CD-ROM, e-book, and Web versions. They additionally bundled the so-called "Super" version Sūpā Daijirin (スーパー
The third edition (2006) added new headwords, such as the English loanword intarakutibu (インタラクティブ "interactive"), for a total of 238,000 entries. Japanese dictionary publishers have an ongoing dilemma, the increasing popularity of Internet and electronic dictionaries is decreasing the sales of printed ones. Kono (2007) notes, "According to Jiten Kyokai, an association of dictionary publishers, total annual sales of printed dictionaries, including popular Japanese and English, and specialized ones, such as technical dictionaries, halved to 6.5 million copies in the past decade." To promote the third edition, Sanseido launched a novel "Dual" service, the Dyuaru Daijirin (デュアル
Daijirin is also available on the Internet. Sanseido's Web Dictionary offers Web and mobile phone subscription access to numerous dictionaries, including E-jirin (e
Editions
[edit]Japanese dictionaries
[edit]- Daijirin
- 1st edition (ISBN 4-385-14001-4) (1988-11-03)
- 2nd edition (ISBN 4-385-13900-8) (1995-11-03)
- 3rd edition (ISBN 4-385-13905-9) (
大辞林 第 三 版 ) (2006-10-27): Includes 238,000 entries. - 4th edition (ISBN 4-385-13906-7) (2019-09-05)
- Dual Daijirin [Web edition] (Dual
大辞林 [Web版 ]): It is a web browser-based version of Daijirin 3rd edition.
Japanese-Chinese dictionaries
[edit]- Shuangjierihancilin (
雙 解 日 漢 辭 林 ) (ISBN 978-957-11-4904-2, 1A88): Published by Wu-Nan Culture Enterprise(Wu-Nan Book Inc.), based on the Sanseido's Jirin 21 which is based on first edition of Daijirin. Includes 150,000 entries.- 1st impression (2007-11-01)
- Xinrihancilin (
新 日 漢 辭 林 ) (ISBN 978-957-11-6084-9, 1A89): Published by Wu-Nan Culture Enterprise(Wu-Nan Book Inc.), based on the Daijirin 2nd edition. Includes 170,000 entries.- 1st impression (2010-10-01)
Comparison with Kōjien
[edit]One of the biggest differences between Daijirin and Kōjien definitions is how they arrange meanings. A dictionary can arrange entries either historically with the oldest recorded meanings first (e.g., Kōjien and Oxford English Dictionary) or popularly with the most common meanings first (e.g., Daijirin and American Heritage Dictionary).
Daijirin entries encompass diverse vocabulary, including modern and classical Japanese words, scientific terminology, proper names, alphabetical abbreviations (like NG "no good; outtake, blooper"), and yojijukugo idioms. Some definitions include semantic notes distinguishing homonyms and synonyms. Daijirin usage examples range from classical texts like Man'yōshū to modern publications.
Tom Gally lists three advantages of Daijirin,
Though Koujien is regarded by many in Japan as the authoritative dictionary and is the one most often cited by newspaper editorialists trying to make etymological points of questionable validity, I regard the best single-volume kokugo [Japanese language] dictionary to be Daijirin. Designed to compete directly with Koujien, Daijirin is different in one key way from its illustrious predecessor: whereas Koujien arranges the senses of its definitions in historical order, Daijirin puts the most common contemporary meanings first. The result, for a person reading modern Japanese, is that Daijirin is the most likely to list the intended meaning where it can be found easily.[4]
The other two Daijirin advantages are semantically "more detailed" definitions and the "unusual, though not unprecedented" kanji and reverse-dictionary index.
Baroni and Bialock describe Daijirin,
This is the most up-to-date and attractive of the large single-volume kokugo jiten. In this sense, it may overlap or even supersede Kōjien in neologism and gairaigo. It also features illustrations and historical references, charts, and explanations of historic or complicated terms. It is visually easier to use, with gojuon headings clearly boxed off, and uses larger headings for more significant entries.[5]
Faris writes,
In general the definitions in the Daijirin are fairly easy to read, while in many cases a non-native of Japanese would have more trouble reading Kōjien definitions, which often contain words more difficult than the one they are defining. There are also many cases where the Daijirin is simply more complete, and contains usage or definitions not given in the Kōjien.[6]
He compares the definitions for abarenbō (
- Kōjien:
思 うままに振舞 う人 。あばれもの。"A person who behaves however he wants. A violent person." - Daijirin: 1. けんかやいたずらをする
活発 な子供 。2.周囲 を気 にせず強引 な行動 をする人 。"1. An energetic child that gets into fights and causes mischief. 2. A person who behaves forcefully without regard for people around him."
Faris concludes that since, "The most popular use of this word is with regard to overactive children, so the Daijirin wins in this case."
References
[edit]- ^ "
三省堂 Web Dictionary サービス終了 のお知 らせ" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-03. - ^ goo
辞書 (in Japanese) - ^ Yahoo! Japanese Dictionary (in Japanese)
- ^ Gally 1999.
- ^ Baroni & Bialock 2005.
- ^ Faris 2005.
Sources
[edit]- Baroni, Helen; Bialock, David (2005). "Words: Japanese Dictionaries". Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2020-01-30.
- Faris, Quinlan (2005-03-26). "Japanese Dictionaries – The Kōjien vs. the Super Daijirin". Tokyo Tsure Zure Gusa. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09.
- Gally, Tom (1999). "Kokugo Dictionaries
国語 辞書 ". Retrieved 2020-10-25., review article
External links
[edit]- Sanseido pages: Daijirin 3rd edition, Dual Daijirin (in Japanese)
- Wu-Nan Book Inc pages: Shuangjierihancilin, Xinrihancilin