Time to review one of the most used apps on my phone. Out of all the Japanese dictionaries out there, Midori is the one to beat.
The search is very flexible (English-Japanese, Japanese-English) so when you’re on the go, you don’t have to select options or tap too many buttons to get your results.
I’m able to look up words I encounter in text or conversations easily and add them as a bookmark to a folder. This is really handy for going back and reviewing words or seeing a word I learned before (and forgot!). If the word in the dictionary has already been bookmarked, it will be highlighted and show the current folder where I saved it. There are many power options here as well. Exporting to files or being able to email lists I’ve made on the fly is a great feature.
Another wonderful feature is “translate”
The translate option consists of a white text box. You can paste text from websites, emails, or even SMS messages. Once you’ve pasted the text, tap translate and the paragraph will turn into clickable links, which quickly help you see the reading/meaning of each word. This saved me (and still does from time to time) when I’m corresponding with friends or companies.
Why I prefer Midori over other dictionaries
The developer is will usually respond to any feedback or questions. There were some features that were tweaked because I e-mailed him my feedback about the app. See? Developers really do listen!
Midori is also designed for both iPhone/Touch and iPad, so it’s a great value for people with both. Even if you only have 1 Apple device, it’s still a very well-designed dictionary.
Honorable mention
Imiwa
An excellent free Japanese dictionary. I dare say that most people would be satisfied with this alone, depending on their situation. If you have no Japanese dictionary yet or are just starting out with an iPhone/Touch/iPad, download this one before looking at the paid options. You might find that you won’t need anymore more than this.
If you are an app developer and would like me to review your app, feel free to contact me. I’m always enthusiastic about trying new ones.