JMdictDB

The goals of this project (in priority order) are:

1. To create a database to serve as a master repository for the information in the JMdict, EDICT, JMnedict, Examples, Kanjidic and other related files distributed by Jim Breen and the EDRDG.
2. To provide a web-based system for the submission, review, and approval of corrections and new entries to these data.
3. To provide freely available software to others who want to use or build upon, "JMdict in a database".
4. To provide an open-source replacement for the principal author's Microsoft Access based JMdict database. :-)

Discussion of this project takes place on the edict-jmdict@yahoo.com mailing list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edict-jmdict/).  Jim Breen maintains a web page describing the JMdict project's use of JMdictDB at http://www.edrdg.org/wiki/index.php/JMdictDB_Project. There is also some older information at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/edictredev/.

The project code is still undergoing active development but is currently in use as the primary repository for the JMdict project dictionary data and the web interface (which provides submission and approval cababilities among other things) is undergoing public testing.

All the code developed for this project is GPL'd and maintained in a publicly accessible Mercurial repository (links below). Additional help is welcome; please post to the edict-jmdict mailing list, or email the current principal developer at the address at the bottom of this page.

The code currently consists of scripts to create and load JMdict (and related data such as the JMnedict "Japanese names" file, or the Tanaka "examples" file) into a Postgresql database, some maintenance and other command line tools, and a set of CGI scripts to allow access and updating of the database using a web browser. The code was originally written in Perl but has been migrated entirely to Python as of 2008-05-02. The code is developed and tested under Ubuntu Linux and Fedora 11 (both with Apache web server), and Microsoft Windows XP-pro (with IIS web server). More information on prequisites is in the README.txt file.  

News

New 2010-07-13: In this email on the Edict/JMdict list, Jim Breen announced that WWWjdic is now using JMdictDB for accepting corrections and new entries from WWWjdic users worldwide.

New 2010-06-15: In this email on the Edict/JMdict list, Jim Breen announced that the WWWjdic testbed system now updates the live JMdictDB database, from which the JMdict XML, EDICT, WWWjdic and other EDRDG files are produced. List members are asked to try making real submissions for inclusion in WWWjdic and the EDRDG files.

New 2010-06-02: Call for testers. In this email on the Edict/JMdict list, Jim Breen announced that the WWWjdic testbed at had been interfaced to the JMdictDB test database and submission pages. The WWWjdic Suggest button will submit corrections and new entries using JMdictDB. This is for testing only and changes will not go into the real WWWjdic. Caution, the WWWjdic testbed now updates the live JMdict database, see the 2010-06-15 news item.

New 2010-06-01: Call for testers. In this email on the Edict/JMdict list, Jim Breen requested testing of the JMdictDB database. URLs are:
  Search for an entry: http://www.edrdg.org/~jwb/cgi-bin/srchformq.py?svc=jmtest
  Advanced Search (lots more options.) http://www.edrdg.org/~jwb/cgi-bin/srchform.py?svc=jmtest
  New Entry: http://www.edrdg.org/~jwb/cgi-bin/edform.py?svc=jmtest&c=1
  Quick Overview http://www.edrdg.org/~jwb/cgi-bin/edhelpq.py
  Full Help File http://www.edrdg.org/~jwb/cgi-bin/edhelp.py
Note that this is a test database and changes made will not go into the real WWWjdic database and may be periodically discarded.

New 2010-05-09: The JMdictDB database and web interface are now being used by Jim Breen as the primary repostitory for JMdict data. The distribution JMdict XML and related files are being produced from the database data, and new entry and amendment submissions from WWWjdic and processed into the database. See http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/edict-jmdict/message/3716 for more details.

Try it !

Access to the online test version of JMdictDB. (Note that these links are to the web pages provided in the JMdictDB source code. The pages linked to from WWWJDIC are very similar but have been tweaked to the needs of WWWJDIC.)

  Find and edit existing entries: search / advanced search
  Add a new entry
  Editing quick overview or full help

Please feel free to try these out, including adding any real or junk entries you want, but be aware that all changes will be thrown away periodically and will NOT go into the real JMdict.

Code and Documentation

jmdictdb -- Browsable (read-only) access to the JMdictDB code Mercurial repository.
tip.tar.gz -- Download source code, latest development version (gzipped tar file).
README.txt -- The README file, includes install prerequisites and instructions (2010-03-10)
schema.html, schema.pdf -- Comprehensive description of the database schema (2008-11-12).
schema.png -- Diagram of the database schema (200KB, 2008-11-12).
todo.html -- To-do list for the project (2010-07-24).
T021.tar.gz -- Source code for last version implemented in Perl, obsolete, 2008-05-03 (gzipped tar file).

Related files, but not part of JMdictDB...

The following HTML pages list all jmdict entries that share a common kanji or reading text with at least one other entry. The entries are sorted by the text making it relatively easy to identify enties that are very similar and possibly should be merged.
This data is based on the 2007-01-14 version on JMdict.
Shared kanji (800KB)
Shared readings (10MB)

Matchup of Kale Stutzman's 2007-01-14 google hit counts and corresponding JMdict entries (Kale's email):
README.txt (also included in the .zip files)
kale-u.zip UTF-8 encoded files
kale-w.zip SJIS (Windows) encoded files

Kale Stutzman's original data file in alternate encodings:
edict-gfreq.euc EUC-JP encoded
edict-gfreq.utf UTF-8 encoded

Please send questions or comments about these pages or the JMdictDB project in general to: Stuart McGraw <smcg4191x@friix.com> (remove the x's)