Learning with Google Images

Posted on 15. Nov, 2007 @ 11:51 pm by in Language Views: 905

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

  • http://slashandburn.typepad.com/slash_and_burn/ Adam

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

  • Sean

    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.

  • Sean

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

  • http://sharii.com shari

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

  • James

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

  • Joe

    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!

  • Joe

    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?

  • Get a Job, Son!

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

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    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?

  • Godzilla

    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”

  • http://dailyj.net Tori

    great “nihon hack”

    never thought of using Google images for that

  • http://www.1nichi1kai.com Clay

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

  • http://www.longcountdown.com Nick Ramsay

    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…

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    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.

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