辞典

• Reading: じてん
• Romaji: jiten
• Kanji breakdown: 辞 (ji) — word, speech, resign; 典 (ten) — canon, law, book
• Pronunciation: /dʑi.teɴ/

Meaning

A dictionary; a reference book. A book used for looking up words, their meanings, and usage.

Refers to dictionaries organized by word entries, such as 国語辞典 (kokugo jiten, Japanese language dictionary) or 英和辞典 (eiwa jiten, English-Japanese dictionary). Distinguished from 事典 (also read jiten), which means encyclopedia. The more casual word for dictionary is 辞書 (jisho), which is more common in everyday speech.

Examples

1. わからない言葉は辞典で調べます。 I look up words I don't know in the dictionary.
2. 英和辞典を持っていますか。 Do you have an English-Japanese dictionary?
3. この辞典はとても使いやすいです。 This dictionary is very easy to use.

Usage Guide

Context: education, language learning, research

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 辞 (ji, word/speech) and 典 (ten, book/canon). Literally 'a book of words,' indicating a reference work for language.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal