The release of JiShop 8.4 is a milestone in the project. All the 6355 kanji characters from JIS X 0208 computer set have acquired fully edited dictionary entries. A 20-year lexicographical marathon is finished.
When back in 2001 I decided to develop an original database which would make JiShop the best kanji dictionary ever, I didn't realize it would take me as long as twenty years. But I never regretted that decision. Today, JiShop is streets ahead of any other dictionary of its kind, either on paper or in software. Now it can be considered not just the best one but also the largest.
Of course, this is only an intermediate finish. There are even more kanji outside JIS X 0208, which are extremely rare and uncommon but still exist. They are already included in the database, with provisional definitions. Editing them will be one of our next challenges.
The new version offers you greatly improved flashcard features: multiple choice, manual input, and integration with JiPad written input.
The application is one step closer to our ultimate goal: courseware based on progressive mnemonic techniques.
After nearly three years of offering the app via Microsoft Store, we have decided to discontinue this option as it didn't seem to be popular. JiShop Concise is back to its original 30-day trial period.
Stay with us. As always, your thoughts, ideas and criticism are most welcome. Contact us via e-mail or on Facebook.
よろしくお願いします。
Vadim Smolensky
Version 8.0 is out! |
Home > Blog > Post 7 |
It took a year to develop this version of JiShop for Windows, and another year to have it properly tested. That's what it takes to move a huge piece of software to a new programming platform and drastically redesign the user interface. But it was definitely worth doing, as JiShop is now much more powerful, convenient and user-friendly than ever.
Read more...214 minus 14 |
Home > Blog > Post 6 |
The table of radicals in JiShop contains as many as 632 components of kanji characters. This is almost three times more than the 214 classical radicals used in most kanji dictionaries, either paper or electronic. Some people express their perplexity about this. Indeed, why do we need so many? Aren't 214 enough?
It's time to explain. As a matter of fact, the JiShop table is not just a threefold extension of the classical list. In a way, it's a different set. What's most interesting is that it didn't include all those 214 radicals. Some were omitted!
Read more...
From monsters to animals |
Home > Blog > Post 5 |
Animals not found in Japan or China seldom have kanji in their names. Most often, their names are katakana transcriptions:
Skunk: スカンク [sukanku]Opossum: オポッサム [opossamu]
Kangaroo: カンガルー [kangaru:]
Kanji come out when, for example, a Western name is translated word by word:
Anteater: 蟻食い [arikui] (蟻 ‘ant’ + 食 ‘eat’)Platypus, duckbill: 鴨嘴 [kamonohashi] (鴨 ‘duck’ + 嘴 ‘bill’)
There are also several made-up words, without exact prototypes in other languages:
Zebra: 縞馬 [shimauma] (縞 ‘stripe’ + 馬 ‘horse’)Racoon: 洗熊 [araiguma] (洗 ‘wash’ + 熊 ‘bear’)
But today we talk about the few miraculous cases when a newly discovered animal adopts a name of a mythical creature!
Here are three examples.
Read more...Three weird kanji |
Home > Blog > Post 4 |
In the old layout of our webpage, we had a section called "Kanji of the day",
with a screenshot of a JiShop kanji entry, one of 31 randomly selected. Some user critisized us
for having selected too common characters known to everybody and suggested to consider a Weird
Kanji of the Day!
I liked the idea. When the time came to redesign the site, I decided to introduce such a section and made
a selection of weird characters. Unfortunately, the layout turned out to be overloaded and I gave
up this idea. But now we have a blog where I can show you some weird kanji from that selection
and explain why I find them fascinating.
WKS review: compounds & cursive |
Home > Blog > Post 3 |
After I wrote in my previous blog post about the common habit of drawing kanji rotated counter-clockwise, some user suggested that JiPad should be provided with a grid. Several vertical and horizontal dotted lines would be a reminder for everybody to draw kanji at proper angles. This seems to be a sound idea, so JiShop 7.3 for Windows will definitely have such a grid (of course, with the option of hiding it).
Angles are not the only problem. Some users want JiPad to recognize not only single kanji but compound words, too.
When it doesn't, they complain:
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WKS review: angles |
Home > Blog > Post 2 |
Every day I receive WKS files ("written kanji structure") from people who are not happy with the recognition of what they draw in JiPad. Sometimes these signals are very helpful, pointing out serious shortcomings of the algorithm, when a particular combination of strokes definetely should have been recognized. Other reports are more disputable. The most common case of recognition fault is a wrong angle of the picture. For example, look at these screenshots from mobile phones:
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Read more...
Welcome to the blog! |
Home > Blog > Post 1 |
Hello, mina-san!
Today we have three pieces of important news. We have introduced a new design of our website, released a new minor version of JiShop for Windows, and launched a blog! What you are reading now is the first post of this blog.
Our website is now better structured (two menus, bread crumbs, etc.) and contains new features. You can, for example, try our demo that shows you the main features of the program in animation. It demonstrates how to use JiShop on Windows, but on other platforms everything works in a similar way. This demo might even surprise you with some features you didn't know about so far! We are planning to add more demos later, with concrete examples of looking up kanji and words.
Read more...