The New Nelson
Japanese-English Character Dictionary
Based on the Classic Edition by Andrew N. Nelson
The Compact Nelson
Japanese English Character Dictionary
Based on Andrew N. Nelson's work
Abridged by John H. Haig
and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
The Compact Nelson is an abridged edition of Tuttles New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary, with 3,068 characters and the Universal Radical Index (URI). Its paperback format and trim size make it a portable, practical companion for students and travelers. And like the New Nelson, The Compact Nelson allows users to look up any main-entry character from any of its radicals, eliminating the struggle to determine the primary radical. The Compact Nelsons unique URI also contains more than 10,000 entries, making it the most thorough and reliable index available. Finally, each main entry contains the characters cross-reference number in the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) code and Morohashis Dai Kanwa Jiten.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Compact Nelson and the Learner's Kanji Dictionary: (click for larger image)
Comparing The Compact Nelson with The Learner's Kanji Dictionary
These two books work basically in the same way. All kanji are organized by their radical (kanji parts) and the radicals are listed on the outside of each page by the radical's stroke number. (see images to get an idea). Both books give English definitions to kanji and ample example jukugo (kanji combinations).
The differences
The Compact Nelson has 3,068 kanji listings and 30,000 jukugo.
The Learner's Kanji Dictionary has 2,882 kanji listings and 12,073 jukugo.
That being said, unless you are researching out of use kanji, reading difficult subjects or trudging through ancient Japanese writings, the Learner's 2,882 would cover most if not all kanji you would run across.
The Learner's Kanji Dictionary has the kanji drawn much larger than the Nelson and with stroke order numbering. It also draws alternate forms and handwritten style to help with recognition.
Bottom Line:
I would say the Learner's Kanji dictionary would be a great compact-throw-in-the-backpack kanji dictionary for most learners. The Compact Nelson is better for those reading scholarly or ancient writings or for those wanting the most number of kanji and jukugo in a compact book.
About the Author
John H. Haig is a professor of Japanese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. |
