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Words Dictionary

A word page shows the word with its pronunciation in the app bar, its frequency tag, and a series of cards you can customize: Pitch Accent, JMDict (variants and senses), Kanji tags, Compounds, Sentences, and Tatoeba Corpus Sentences.

Word Cards​

To show, hide, or reorder the cards of your Words Dictionary, go to Settings -> Word Cards. Use the drag handles to reorder the cards and the visibility switches to show or hide any of them.

  • Pitch Accent Card: Displays the pitch accent pattern of the word (see below).
  • JMDict Card: Shows detailed definitions and information from the JMdict (Japanese-Multilingual Dictionary), including all variants and multiple senses with their part-of-speech tags. Tapping a kanji inside a variant opens its Kanji Dictionary page.
  • Kanji Tags Card: Lists all the kanji used in the word as clickable tags linking to the Kanji Dictionary.
  • Compounds Card: Displays a list of words that start with or contain the main word.
  • Sentences Card: Lets you generate sentences based on the media type of your choice (AI sentence generator).
  • Tatoeba Corpus Sentences Card: Provides example sentences from the Tatoeba project, showing how the word is used in real-life contexts.

Pitch Accent​

Pitch Accent Overview​

In the Japanese language, pitch accent refers to the variation in pitch across the syllables of a word, which can distinguish words that otherwise look and sound similar. The pitch pattern is an integral part of correct pronunciation and can significantly impact the meaning and understanding of words in spoken Japanese.
Check out our blog post to learn more about pitch accent.

Pitch Accent Settings​

The Pitch Accent setting allows you to visualize the pitch accent patterns directly in your vocabulary study. Options in the Pitch Accent Setting:

  • None: Disables the display of pitch accents. This might be preferred by users who are either not focusing on spoken language skills or are already familiar with the accent patterns.
  • Arrow: This option marks the point of pitch drop with an arrow symbol. It's a straightforward way to indicate where the pitch falls in a word, which is crucial for understanding how to pronounce it correctly.
  • Overline: Displays an overline over the syllables where the pitch is high, before dropping. This visual aid is particularly useful for visual learners who benefit from seeing the accent pattern laid out across the word.

Tatoeba Corpus Sentences​

The Tatoeba Sentence Cards in the Kanjiverse app provide real-world usage examples of words and phrases. The settings page allows you to customize how these sentences are displayed based on several criteria:

  • Max Difficulty: Use the slider or dropdown to set the maximum difficulty level of the sentences you want to see. Lower settings are ideal for beginners, while higher settings offer more complex sentence structures for advanced learners.
  • Min Rating: Adjust this setting to filter sentences based on their user ratings. A higher threshold ensures that you are shown sentences that are generally considered to be more helpful or accurate.
  • Min Author Level: Select the minimum proficiency level of the sentence authors. This helps in ensuring that the sentences are reliable and grammatically sound.
  • Sort by Rating: Toggle this to sort sentences first by their rating and then by difficulty. This is useful for quickly finding the highest quality examples.
  • Translation Language: Choose the translation language from the options available. This translation helps you grasp the meaning of sentences if you're not fully proficient in Japanese yet.

Sentence Generator​

The Sentences card includes an AI sentence generator that creates example sentences using the word you are studying.

  • Select Media Type: Choose from Books, Manga, News, Dramas, Movies, and Games.
  • Generate sentence: We will generate a sentence that fits the chosen media type, incorporating the word from the dictionary.
  • Explore and Learn: Use the generated sentences to enhance your vocabulary and understanding of how words are used in different contexts.
  • You can bookmark generated sentences and add them to your lists. Generated sentences are public: they are listed on the dashboard's Explore Sentences section according to their media type, which means you also have access to all the sentences generated by other users.

Tips for Effective Use:​

  1. Customize Regularly: As your proficiency in Japanese improves, revisit these settings to challenge yourself with more complex sentences or adjust the translation settings as needed.
  2. Balance Difficulty and Quality: Use a combination of rating and difficulty filters to find the best sentences for your current level.
  3. Explore Variants: If available, explore different sentence variants to see multiple usage examples of the same word or phrase.