General Details
Title: 漢検漢字辞典 第二版 (The Kanken Kanji Dictionary 2nd Edition)
Volumes: 1
Language: Japanese
Publisher: 日本漢字能力検定協会 (The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation)
Year: 2014
Pages: 1,744
This is a kanji dictionary meant for native speakers of Japanese who are preparing for the Nihon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei, or Kanji Kentei, or Kanken - basically, a series of exams designed to test kanji ability. There are twelve levels of the exam (10-3, pre-2, 2, pre-1, and 1), ranging from the 80 characters a 1st grader should know (Level 10) up past the basic 2,136 everyday use kanji (Level 2) to Level 1, where test takers are expected to have thorough knowledge of around 6,355 characters. Even though it has around a 10% pass rate, there are foreigners who have passed the kanken, like Bret Mayer. This dictionary contains all 6,355 of the characters that are in the various levels of the exam as well as the pronunciations, compounds, idiomatic phrases, etc. that a test taker would be expected to know. I have no plans to take the kanken, but I figured this dictionary would be a handy study tool for improving my kanji ability, particularly since it contains four-character idioms and other metaphoric language.
The dictionary came with a 16-page booklet answering questions about the differences between handwritten and computer forms of the characters; the dictionary uses the handwritten form for the entry headers. The entries are arranged in a-i-u-e-o order by on-reading where available. There is are a number of indices to help with locating characters: you can look characters up by any of their pronunciations in the first, look them up by radical in the second, or look them up by stroke count in the third. There are a few illustrations scattered throughout to illustrate words or kanji, but generally this book is all text. At the end of the dictionary is an introduction to the history and structure of kanji characters, guides to forming compounds and to writing characters the correct way, and a list of homophones - kanji words or compounds with the same pronunciation but different meanings. There is also a list of antonyms, a list of yojijukugo (four-character idioms), a list of proverbs, and a list of ateji, or kanji compounds where the characters are selected for their pronunciation, not their meanings.
Sample Entries
I attempt to look up "umbrella" and "Saint Louis" in every reference work featured on this site in order to provide fair comparison. As this is a dictionary of Chinese characters, "Saint Louis" is out of the question. The usual character for "umbrella," 傘, can be found on page 587.
さん 【傘】 (12) 𠆢10 常 準２ 2717|3B31 音 サン （高） 訓 かさ
筆順 [Stroke order diagram - see picture of entry]
意味 かさ。ひがさ・あまがさなど。また、かさのようにおおうもの。「傘下」類
下つき
[傘] かさ 雨・雪・日光などをさえぎるためにさす、柄のついた道具。雨傘・日傘などの総称。
[傘下] サンカ 大きな勢力をもつ人物・団体などの支配・指導を受ける立場にあること。「大企業の—に入る」 類 翼下・配下
[傘寿] サンジュ 八〇歳。また、八〇歳の祝い。 由来 傘の略字「仐」が「八十」と読めることから。
The entries are listed by the on readings, so this one is found under さん, san. The (12) indicates that the character takes 12 strokes to write. The classification radical for this character is 𠆢, which takes 2 strokes to write, and then an additional 10 strokes is required after that. The 常 indicates that this kanji is a part of the 常用漢字, jōyō kanji, or everyday use characters. 準２ indicates that this character can be found on the level pre-2 kanji kentei exam. The JIS Codes for the character follow, and then the on and kun pronunciations; the （高） indicates that this pronunciation isn't studied until high school. A series of pictures demonstrates the correct order for writing the character, and this is followed by the character's meaning: umbrella. sun-umbrella, rain-umbrella, etc. Furthermore, things that cover like an umbrella. "under the umbrella of." 類 marks synonyms, in this case an uncommon kanji that also means umbrella or parasol. 下つき refers to compound words where the kanji in question forms the ending character; the examples here are rain-umbrella, steel dome, an oilpaper-umbrella, and sun-umbrella.
Following the main kanji entry are words or idioms starting with the character. In the case of "umbrella", these include the actual word 傘 "umbrella," as well as two compounds, 傘下 "affiliated with" (under the umbrella of) and 傘寿 "eightieth birthday."
[傘] kasa A tool attached to a handle held in order to obstruct rain, snow, sunshine, etc. Generic term for rain-umbrella, sun-umbrella, etc.
[傘下] sanka Being in the position to receive direction or guidance from a person, organization, etc. with a large amount of influence. "to become affiliated with a large company" Synonyms under the wing · subordinate
[傘寿] sanju 80 years old. Also, the celebration for being eighty years old. Origin The abbreviated form of 傘, 仐, can be read as 八十 (eighty).