Game & Watch classic hidden in DS dictionary

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 31st 2007 at 2:25AM }

Nintendo has included at least one custom definition in Rakubiki Jiten, its Japanese-English dictionary utility for DS. When you enter the word "ball," the software offers up two translations. Selecting the grey-colored option launches the original Game & Watch title, known simply as Ball. The game, a primitive juggling act, can be played on the touch-screen for a quick diversion from your studies. Wonder what else Nintendo packed into this seemingly drab language tool...

Tags: DS, Rakubiki Jiten, RakubikiJiten

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rubang B @ Jan 31st 2007 2:45AM

I was already planning on importing this and either one or both of the kanji dictionaries for DS. This is even more motivation. Booyah.

awa64 @ Jan 31st 2007 2:54AM

There's also MANHOLE, FLAGMAN, and JUDGE.

There's also a number of Nintendo-related vocabulary words that have the Mario coin sound attached to them.

ramuji @ Jan 31st 2007 3:00AM

Cool find!
After a bit of searching, I just found the following 3 games as well: Flagman, Judge, Manhole.

Dusty @ Jan 31st 2007 3:15AM

Unless you can read the kanji definitions, this software is pretty useless for studying Japanese. It's made primarily for Japanese native speakers to study English and not the other way around.

Author X @ Jan 31st 2007 4:05AM

While I don't wholly agree with #4, as it can be useful for looking things up (in ei-wa or wa-ei modes), I do think that a real dictionary, whether physical or digital would be quite a bit more useful.
Sure, in theory, it doesn't matter since the translation works both ways (write the kanji for gakusei, and (if you're in wa-ei - japanese to english) it gives you "student" followed by a more thorough explination in japanese). However, certain very useful features are only implimented for a japenese-speaker that does not know english, and not the other way around. For instance, pronounciation - open any ei-wa (eng-jpn) article, and you can hear the english word spoken out loud. None of the definitions of japanese words include this, however. Similarly, there is a "jump" function (a blue button at the top of the screen), allowing you to jump to the definition of a word within the definition you're reading? Incredibly handy? Why yes... if you misunderstand the english, because those are the only words you can jump to.
The only thing that is a glaring omission is easy presentation of the pronounciation of the japanese word for an english article. If it's in kanji, you have to look the word up again in the wa-ei mode, which is rather inconvenient.

Also, it took me forever to find these, I suggest you add that you have to be in all-dictionary mode (the fourth button going down on the left of the touch screen) for these to show up - I kept looking for them in the english words.

t_m @ Jan 31st 2007 8:29AM

whoa. I bought this 2 days ago.. talk about good timing!

its not as useful as it could be, and i still haven't figured a lot of it out yet, but the ability to draw a kanji that you see out and about and find out what it means is VERY handy.

For learning japanese in the UK/US i'd say it'd be pretty useless.. but as a translation tool in japan its pretty handy.

(it'd be pretty impossibleto look up a kanji in an ordinary dictionary, unless you already knew it's pronunciation.)

Anyone got any tips on how to use it? Currently i've just been pressing buttons at random. Hadn't even found the Blue jump button until Author X mentioned it! (not that its any use to english people anyway.)

The built in World Clocks and Pictochat are kinda cool... realy wish there was a real English version though.

Baron Vas Deferens @ Jan 31st 2007 9:40AM

There are two versions of this software. The first, "Rakubiki Jiten," supports only kana input whereas the newer (and arguably waaaay superior) "Kanji sono mama rakubiki jiten" allows you to look up words by drawing kanji on the touch screen. It is forgiving and works remarkably well.

For those just beginning to learn basic grammar and vocabulary, this dictionary isn't so useful. You're better off with a more traditional dictionary.

Myself, I find it to be a fast and handy READING tool. Run across one you don't recognize? Draw it in. By looking characters up, you also get a lot of kanji writing practice in which helps you remember the suckers. I highly recommend "Sono mama kanji rakubiki jiten" to anyone who is learning to read Japanese at an intermediate level.

Be advised: neither dictionary has much in the way of proper- or place-names. Otherwise, it's a fantastic tool.

t_m @ Jan 31st 2007 10:04AM

plus you have to write the kanji REALY QUICK.. stop for a second and it starts processing the input. Its kinda annoying, but good practice too.

So.. great reference tool and translator, but not much use for learning. (get some kanji flashcards or Knuckles in China Land)

Author X @ Jan 31st 2007 11:31AM

As a tool for learning Japanese? Please, t_m, if you mean using it as the main source and not a tool, do everyone a favor and never try to 'learn' a language from a dictionary of any kind. Take a class, get software, at the least get a 'how to learn Japanese' book, but do not try to teach yourself Japanese using just a dictionary (I'm tired enough as it is seeing mawasu - to turn/rotate - used in bad translations of "I'm turning Japanese"). It is, however, a nice reference for my actual class. Also, FYI, if it were impossible to find kanji without the pronounciation, Japanese wouldn't be able to find definitions either... there are ways of ordering kanji visually, that is by stroke number and/or radical, that allow you to use kanji dictionaries if you learn them. I, however, am just too lazy :P I probably should learn to look up kanji by radicals, but having this software doesn't help.
Oh yeah, and just some advice about writing in it - it is pretty quick to try and parse what you've written, but if you keep your stylus down, it will keep waiting. So if you have to pause to check the kanji again, don't lift the stylus off the screen after each stroke.

t_m @ Jan 31st 2007 11:58AM

cool.. thanks for the advice. that'll be usefull when i'm trying to copy out a complex kanji.

I guess it could be of some limited use to learn, if you are already advanced enough in japanese to understand the definitions. But I'm trying to imagine how I could have ever used it bac home to help me learn and I can't really think of any ways it would have worked.

As I say, I've only had it two days, but so far I wouldn't recommend anyone going to the trouble of importing it.. unless they have a specific use in mind, or are already decent at kanji. If they are in japan however then its definately handy.. and a lot cheaper than one of those electronic dictionaries.