J-Ben is a Japanese language learning software designed to help users learn and improve their language skills. It allows learners to practice reading, writing and speaking Japanese through various exercises and lessons.
J-Ben is a Japanese study program that specializes in teaching Japanese, primarily "kanji" – the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. This software is exceptionally helpful for those who are preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), but it can also be an excellent resource for anyone studying Japanese and seeking to master the art of reading and writing kanji.
One of the best things about J-Ben is that it is free software, released under the GNU General Public License version 2 (although its dictionary files are under separate licenses). This means that users are free to copy and distribute the program, but if they want to make changes to the software package, they will need to read the licenses since restrictions do apply.
Designed to work on Windows 2000 or later (with East Asian font support installed) and most modern Linux distributions, J-Ben has been tested directly using Windows XP Professional and Debian GNU/Linux "Sid." The software features a range of functionalities, including kanji and vocab study lists, kanji "Flash Card" drilling, Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionary search, kanji dictionary search, paper dictionary cross-reference codes, cross-referencing with vocab study list (allowing users to see what words use the kanji they are looking at), kanji stroke order diagrams (licensed from KanjiCafe.com), and multi-method kanji character search (including search by stroke count, Halpern SKIP code, and handwriting recognition).
J-Ben is powered by various publicly available free dictionary files from Monash University, including KANJIDIC2, KANJIDIC/KANJD212, EDICT2, RADKFILE, and KRADFILE. Windows versions of J-Ben come bundled with EDICT2, KANJIDIC2, and KRADFILE. For more information about these files, users can refer to Jim Breen's page on Monash University's website. Overall, J-Ben is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to improve their Japanese language skills, and its range of functionalities makes it a must-have for anyone looking to master kanji.
One of the best things about J-Ben is that it is free software, released under the GNU General Public License version 2 (although its dictionary files are under separate licenses). This means that users are free to copy and distribute the program, but if they want to make changes to the software package, they will need to read the licenses since restrictions do apply.
Designed to work on Windows 2000 or later (with East Asian font support installed) and most modern Linux distributions, J-Ben has been tested directly using Windows XP Professional and Debian GNU/Linux "Sid." The software features a range of functionalities, including kanji and vocab study lists, kanji "Flash Card" drilling, Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionary search, kanji dictionary search, paper dictionary cross-reference codes, cross-referencing with vocab study list (allowing users to see what words use the kanji they are looking at), kanji stroke order diagrams (licensed from KanjiCafe.com), and multi-method kanji character search (including search by stroke count, Halpern SKIP code, and handwriting recognition).
J-Ben is powered by various publicly available free dictionary files from Monash University, including KANJIDIC2, KANJIDIC/KANJD212, EDICT2, RADKFILE, and KRADFILE. Windows versions of J-Ben come bundled with EDICT2, KANJIDIC2, and KRADFILE. For more information about these files, users can refer to Jim Breen's page on Monash University's website. Overall, J-Ben is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to improve their Japanese language skills, and its range of functionalities makes it a must-have for anyone looking to master kanji.
What's New
Version 1.9: N/A