Learning with Google Images

November 15, 2007 on 11:51 pm | In Language | | Email This Post

Google image search makes a great language learning tool!

For example at work I came across the Katakana word スパナ (su-pa-na).

Spanner? Usually Katakana words have roots in English, but what’s a spanner?

So when checking a dictionary I get…

スパナ (n) spanner; wrench;

Ahhh… So maybe it’s a what I think of as a “wrench”.

To double check, I can put スパナ into Google images… And most of the results look like this, Google Images search for スパナ.

NARUHODO. the world.

My kingdom for a wrench!

Does anyone else have ways they use Google or other sites to help with language learning?

- Harvey

Related Posts... (in theory)   Checking your Japanese-English Translations with Google Fight    Using Google as a Japanese English Translation Tool Tips    New Japanese - Google  

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14 Comments »

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  1. Gravatar

    Spanner is how the British say wrench. Like torch for flashlight and rubber for eraser. Teehee.

    Comment by Adam — November 16, 2007 #

  2. Gravatar

    I usually look up unknown words in J-J dictionaries. If I’m having trouble understanding the definition, I’ll use google/googleimages to try to figure it out without resorting to J-E. It’s good for seeing how words are actually used in real life. It’s also great for words you can’t find in most dictionaries. 20 seconds of googling and I figured out the meaning (by reading how it’s used) and reading of 激白 (げきはく), a word that most kokugo dics don’t have yet.

    Comment by Sean — November 16, 2007 #

  3. Gravatar

    oops. forgot to terminate the italic. Just meant for “actually” to be italicised. No edits?

    Comment by Sean — November 16, 2007 #

  4. Gravatar

    I’ve been using this for English words I’m not familiar with, mostly food names XD

    Comment by shari — November 16, 2007 #

  5. Gravatar

    I fing it very useful for 擬態語 and 擬音語.

    Comment by James — November 16, 2007 #

  6. Gravatar

    I let it decide things for me when I’m not sure of grammar.

    私は分からない returns 24,300 results.
    私がわからない returns 9,450 results.

    OK, majority rules, が it is!

    Comment by Joe — November 16, 2007 #

  7. Gravatar

    Oops. That should be:
    私が分からない returns 9,450 results.

    私がわからない returns 18,000 results, so I guess more people use hiragana for the word than kanji in this case?

    Comment by Joe — November 16, 2007 #

  8. Gravatar

    Oh yes… SPANNER / WRENCH
    Another reminder that the US and UK are “divided by a common language”

    Comment by Get a Job, Son! — November 16, 2007 #

  9. Gravatar

    I went to Yakushima with a couple of Brits last month, and got quite the education as we climbed mountains in the wilderness.

    Bugger me! Seriously though, British English is the dog’s bollocks innit.

    Do you fancy studying some cockney rhymes?

    Comment by harvey — November 17, 2007 #

  10. Gravatar

    Nothing to do with Google, but I’m watching figure skating right now, and I found it hilarious hearing the Japanese announcer talking about a “flying sit spin”

    Comment by Godzilla — November 18, 2007 #

  11. Gravatar

    great “nihon hack”

    never thought of using Google images for that

    Comment by Tori — November 19, 2007 #

  12. Gravatar

    Great tip. I hadn’t thought of doing that, but it’s faster than pulling out my dictionary :)

    Comment by Clay — November 22, 2007 #

  13. Gravatar

    I’m absolutely blown away you didn’t know what a spanner (3,490,000 results) was! And how bizarre that you should learn that it’s a wrench (12,800,000 results) through Japanese! I suppose I’ve learned lots of Americanisms through Japanese, so I can’t criticise (3,770,000 results) or criticize (12,200,000 results) you.

    Good tips on learning Japanese here. I keep promising myself I’ll pick it up again…

    Comment by Nick Ramsay — November 24, 2007 #

  14. Gravatar

    Hey Nick! Yes British English is as foreign to me as Japanese sometimes. Recently went hiking with some British friends and my brain hiccuped a bit when they reminded me to bring a “torch”. Ahhh, flashlight. Heh.

    Comment by harvey — November 25, 2007 #

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