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Such a fun dictionary if you want to try your first monolingual dictionary
What is it? A Japanese dictionary for Japanese children targeting kids in grades 1-6.
I've had this dictionary almost 2 years and feel like this is as good a time as any to review it.
Contents - well, obviously, the dictionary. But, it's way more than that.
As a book, as a learning resource, etc, this dictionary is AMAZING. You get some really fun stuff in addition to just a dictionary - cute animal sticker tabs, a "how to use the dictionary manga", grades 1-6 kanji posters, etc etc. Within the dictionary, there are interesting sections at the front - more on how to use the dictionary, parts of speech, and at the back, tricks to play the 百人一首. There is a lot to discover here in terms of reading material and content to explore.
As for the dictionary itself, there are some great features that are incredibly useful. You will see at a glance: Synonyms, homonyms, some pictures (1-2 per page), clear text, example sentences, highlighting more common words, furigana on all kanji.
Another great feature are text sections that distinguish similar words - whether that is similarity in meaning, kanji, or pronunciation. These will be highlighted here and there and it is super helpful to check out.
Let's say you are learning kanji and you wonder when to use 暖かい vs 温かい (atatakai). Well, when you look up that entry, there will be a little box on that page with a picture and a sentence for each showing the context for each kanji. I use this feature a lot as anytime I see multiple kanji used for something, I'm almost assured of finding that here. It's always way clearer and faster getting the explanation here than even googling it.
Now, of course you won't find the hardest/exclusively adult-level words, and you'll still need to use other dictionaries and resources for idioms and slang. But using this dictionary is great once you can read around the N20-23 level, because just by exploring definitions and the fun pre/post sections, you suddenly get a lot of casual reading practice. The definitions and explanation boxes all have full sentences written in simple language.
Oh yeah, and at the bottom of each page is a joke or a little wordplay. Did I mention this dictionary is delightful?