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Title: The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary: Based on the Classic Edition by Andrew N. Nelson by John H. Haig, Andrew N. Nelson ISBN: 0-8048-2036-8 Publisher: Charles E Tuttle Co Pub. Date: September, 1997 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $59.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.45 (11 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: The Universal Radical Index is wonderful for beginners
Comment: I understand the frustration of the long-time Japanese linguist who wrote the review below and misses the Nelson dictionary that he became used to, but as a beginning Japanese learner, the new Universal Radical Index (URI) is extremely helpful. I am gradually using it less and less as I become more familiar with picking out main radicals, but in the meantime, if I'm stumped, I can always find kanji with the URI. The URI does add 230 extra pages, but even without that, this isn't exactly a book you can stick in your back pocket. Also, for beginners, remember to supplement your kanji-learning with books that focus on contemporary Japanese. Many times, I've memorized a new and interesting word I spotted in the Nelson, only to find out later that it hadn't been used for over a hundred years. (Although I admit that this is useful for providing amusement to my Japanese friends - the equivalent of a non-native English speaker confidently telling his friends that he "went thither".)

Rating: 1
Summary: The Classic Nelson has been totally ruined
Comment: I purchased the original Nelson in Japan in 1962, the year it was first published. Over the last 41 years, I have worn out at least 2 copies, and presently own three.

The original Nelson was a masterpiece and for many years has been considered 'the kanji bible' for those interested in mastering Japanese characters. Unfortunately, the new version (The New Nelson, as it is inappropriately called) is a disaster... for several reasons:

1. Nelson's original 12 Step system, though still shown inside the front cover, is now unusable. For example, if a beginner wants to look up the character 'wa' (meaning peace or harmony) which is comprised of 'nogi hen' (Radical 115) plus 'kuchi' (3 additional strokes), following Nelson's 12-Step system will lead to failure--the character is not listed under Radical 115. WHY? (See reason number 2)

2. The New Nelson lists the characters under the old traditional Chinese system based on the K'ang-Hsi Dictionary of 1716. Under that archaic system, the character in question 'wa' was listed under Radical 30 ('kuchi-hen') for some reason even the Chinese could not explain. Guess what?!? This is PRECISELY what Mr. Andrew Nathaniel Nelson, PhD, most wanted to avoid in his original dictionary because in the old traditional Chinese system there was too much that was illogical and unfathomable about the ordering of the characters. So the New Nelson dictionary destroys one of the main advantages of the original Nelson dictionary.

3. The New Nelson adds a bulky, cumbersome 230-page Universal Radical Index. Every character is listed under every possible incorrect radical that any one could possible think of, any more. The end result is a total dumbing-down of the process of learning the radical-stroke character look-up system. It also makes the dictionary much bulkier and heavier and less handy. It is analogous to equipping a car with 5 extra gas tanks and 4 extra engines--in case you run out of gas or have some sort of engine problem.

We need to answer these questions:

Is the New Nelson a better dictionary than the old one? Definitely, NOT! It actually destroys the main advantage of the original Nelson--its handy character look-up system.

Is the New Nelson easier to use? Definitely, NOT! You first have to unlearn Nelson's original system of character look-up, and then try to learn an archaic, cumbersome, illogical Chinese system.

My recommendations:

1. Get a copy of the old Nelson and treat it with the utmost care. It may be a long time before an equivalent dictionary is available again.

2. Write to Charles E. Tuttle, the publisher, and complain about this horrible New Nelson.

3. Write to University of Hawaii at Manoa and complain about what they have done to an outstanding dictionary, which now has become unavailable.

I have done all the above. But what about my copy of the New Nelson that I purchased about 5 years ago?

I gave up on trying to use it and am now thinking of donating it to a needy Japanese fish pond as a form of ballast for growing barnacles or some other form of marine life... somewhere it might be useful. I'm also thinking of the Zen-related ramifications... the sound a New Nelson makes when it splashes into a fish pond on a moonlit night...

Rand Dorsey
Japanese linguist with 41+ years experience studying, researching, listening to, reading, writing, speaking, teaching, and enjoying the Japanese language.

Rating: 5
Summary: A Dictionary for the serious learner!
Comment: As I have said before, this dictionary is not easy to master. It does not include the stroke order form; but it does covers a vast number of Kanji. Nothing is hard once you understand it's principal! I would recommend it to anyone trying to be fluent in this language.

Overall it scores: -

Usefulness- *****
Value- *****
Ease of Use- ***

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