Tsure Zure Gusa

Kenkyusha’s New Japanese English Dictionary (新和英大辞典 第五版) is hands down the best Japanese to English dictionary available either in print or in an electronic dictionary. When I was choosing words to use as comparisons between the Japanese dictionaries for these reviews, I couldn’t find any words contained in a Japanese Dictionary that weren’t also in the Kenkyusha, though I found many words in the Kenkyusha that were lacking in the Genius, Wisdom, and Progressive dictionaries.

Some sample entries:

いじる
[指で] play (around [about]) with…; finger [[a button]]; (触れる) touch; [もてあそぶ] play with [fire]; tamper with [[a machine]]; monkey [fool] with [[a tool]]; meddle with [[a gun]].
おもちゃおいじる
Play (around) with a toy
髪の毛をいじる
Finger [play with, fiddle with] one’s hair
盆栽をいじる
Dabble in (growing [collecting]) bonsai trees
役所の組織をいじる
Fiddle (around) with [make fiddling changes to] the organization of government departments; play around with the way that government offices are organized.
誰かこの錠前をいじったのかな。
I wonder if someone has tampered with this lock.
庭木をいじっていると体が丈夫になりますよ。
Pottering around looking after the trees in the garden keeps one very fit.
土をいじったらちゃんと手を洗いなさい。
Wash your hands properly after playing around in the dirt [earth].
カメラをいじるのが私の趣味です。
Playing around with cameras is a hobby of mine. I enjoy fiddling with cameras.
机の上の書類は絶対いじらないでください。
Whatever you do, don’t touch the papers on the desk, please. Please leave the documents on the desk exactly as they are.
この機械がいじれるようになるには10年かかるよ。
It’ll be ten years before you can handle [run, control] this machine.

ネタ
1 (新聞記事の材料) a news item; something that makes good copy; ((俗)) dope ((on…)); (小説などの) subject material; (話などの) something to talk about; a topic ((for a speech)).
話のネタが切れてしまい、彼は講演会を早めに切れ上げた。
He ran out of things to talk about and cut short his presentation.
これは夕刊向けのいいネタになるぞ。
This will make good copy for the evening papers.
彼はそれをネタに会社をゆすった。
He used that in order to blackmail the company.

…. (Six more example sentences included that I’m skipping here.) …

2. (証拠) proof; evidence.
あきらめろ。ちゃんとネタは上がっているんだ。
Give it up! We’ve got the goods on you.
3. (奇術のたね　物事のしかけ) a trick.
(手品師が)ネタを明かす(ばらす)
Give away the secret (of a magic trick).
… (one more example sentence skipped)…
5. (料理の材料) the ingredients.
すしのネタ
Seafood ingredients for sushi
新鮮なネタ
Fresh ingredients.
…(four examples sentences skipped here)…
[The entry for ネタ then also includes the following words that also are listed separately in their own entry.]
ネタ切れ
ネタ探し
a search for material (for one’s story).
ネタ帳
An idea [a brainstorming] notebook.
ネタばらし
Giving away (revealing) the story(line) ((of a movie)); revealing how (a trick) is done.
ネタばれ
a (movie, story) spoiler.
ネタばれは禁止です。
No spoilers please.
ネタばれ注意
Spoiler warning.
ネタ元
a source (for a news article).

I thought it was interesting that the only dictionary that contained the definition of ネタ in the context of ネタばれ, or spoiler found in a movie or book review, was the Kenkyusha.

I was also impressed that the Kenkyusha contains such a wide variety of words, from modern slang like うざい to obscure medieval weapon terms such as 鎖鎌 (kusarigama) and 目貫き(menuki – a sword hilt ornament).

The Kenkyusha is only available in the top level Casio Dictionaries “ XD-A9800, XD-A10000, XD-B9800 and XD-B10000. (All best bought outside of Japan at Smartimports.net.)This dictionary is definitely the reason for the popularity of these flagship English and Professional Casio electronic dictionaries. The Kenkyusha New Japanese Dictionary continues to be the standard by which other dictionaries are judged.