I was using it for example sentences which I occasionally got my wife to check and too many times she didn’t understand them and a couple of times I could tell that the translations were wrong myself so I gave up on it.
I don’t have any examples to show you because I purged them and I don’t use it much anymore but if I do come across something dodgy, I will try to post them here.
to be honest, i also don’t like those sentences… i’ve said so in another post, i was also expecting a ton of japanese names, if i had to punctualize the reason i don’t like that it’s because it’s like talking with a friend that somehows expects you to be in his mind and understand all of the references he’s making. I mean, i was not sure who koichi was and why was he used as a mnemonic, so i had to search that oh, he’s the ceo. ok, now who’s viet? oh so it’s a cofounder and an engineer working here.
what if i dont know what tofugu is? so yeah, you are presented with info out of context, at least at first, but tbh at the end it is not like its a hindrance to the objective of presenting a useful sentence to practice, so yeah pretty much is like thinking about koichi and viet as your friends so you can deal with it.
I use the script here mentioned, it provides more sentences, you should add it
3 Likes
Hahaha that’s fantastic! I love you 
1 Like
I do study them ( I even copy them for studying them later) as they are full of vocabulary and grammar too ! It help you in recognising sentence structure. How complex sentences are formed and much more else… 
Just came across one.
意図的で駄じゃれ
an unintentional pun
If I am not mistaken this is an intentional rather than unintentional pun.
1 Like
That’s from 日本語WordNet, which is kinda like Tatoeba, if I recall correctly. They have a disclaimer that they estimate 5% of entries have errors and say to email them.
You need to check the source of the sentence.
斎藤和英大辞典 for instance is unlikely to be wrong.
Weblio, unlike Jisho, includes reliable sources in with the more questionable ones.
1 Like
I get it. The page I am using is fine but many of the sources are unreliable and you recommend 斎藤和英大辞典.
That’s just one of the reliable sources Weblio uses. It was an example.
When you said “weblio has unreliable sentences” it sounds like Jisho where everything has to be treated with skepticism (even sometimes the dictionary content itself)
Generally speaking, they are pulling the definition pages from reliable dictionaries. The “here’s a bunch more sentences” pages include some things you have to doublecheck, sure, but that’s bonus content.
3 Likes
I’ve only been using weblio for example sentences rather than as a dictionary and I didn’t even think about the sources too much. I wouldn’t know which are reliable anyway and that’s how my opinion that it’s unreliable was formed.
I like http://tangorin.com. The English translations are very natural and relatable but it sometimes doesn’t have what I’m looking for. My second choice is https://eow.alc.co.jp but it usually just has phrases rather than sentences and finally weblio which has it’s issues.
Doesn’t Tangorin use Tatoeba? At least it says it does on the about page.
Surely it’s more interesting to build up a world of these characters working together in an office having multiple interactions rather than Tanaka san working at ABC Company this week and Suzuki san going to XY Restaurant next week?
The sentences aren’t even level appropriate most of the time, they’re there so that you can see how you might see the kanji in a sentence sometime. They aren’t officially for grammar/vocab practice etc.
As for seeing Japanese names, well, lol, Japanese people can’t even read everyone’s name, and yes there are many names in Japan and they can be read in many ways. Family names are usually very nature-y, based on where the family came from, while given names can more imaginative but sometimes have no meaning at all. Paperwork etc here always has you write in Kanji/English and Hiragana/Katakana.
Here you go, these are some of my workmate’s family names, I forgot how to write some of their given names because we don’t use them. You will notice that if you try to write their given names that there are multiple kanji to choose from and noone minds if you ask them which one is correct.
安永 正弘 やすなが まさひろ
梅澤 うめざわ あきひと
荻原 理 おぎはら おさむ
原沢 奈津子はらさわ なつこ
You could go to any Japanese company’s website and they will probably have lists of the staff, in particular the CEO etc if you really want to see some names?
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I think it does. I’ve never used Tatoeba directly so I don’t know much about it but I haven’t come across any strange sentences yet. I might have missed a few, though, as I don’t get my wife to check every sentence. I am thinking of getting her to at some point.
Tatoeba is what Jisho uses and it’s the reason that I personally don’t consider it reliable. Anyone can contribute to Tatoeba, no matter what their Japanese or English level is.
1 Like
I don’t think that’s an argument against using real Japanese names. The more exposure the better, in my opinion. I really don’t think it’s beneficial to see the katakana of フグ or コウイチ over and over again. I actually think that sentences with these characters are mostly just lazy and prefer sentences that don’t use character names at all. Although, I do like coming across names like アインシュタイン. That is helpful.
They aren’t officially for grammar/vocab practice etc.
I don’t know where you get your information but they may not be official but that’s what I use them for and so far those sentences have been the best part of WaniKani for me despite the monotonous uses of character names. Recently the vocabulary is catching up and I imagine around level 40 or so I will start to benefit from the kanji more. But for the moment, I read all the sentences and check vocabulary that I don’t know.
You could go to any Japanese company’s website and they will probably have lists of the staff, in particular the CEO etc if you really want to see some names?
I know that there are lots of places to go see names but that’s beside the point. I am studying here and I think that it would be more beneficial for people to see real a broad range of names that we will probably come across in real life.
I know there are others ways to learn names but I just think that it’s a wasted opportunity here.
BTW, for those interested in learning to read Japanese family names I created this Tiny Cards deck last year of the 100 most popular family names.
I was going to make one for 100 most popular men’s and women’s names but I couldn’t find a good source.
2 Likes
You mean, like the Cambridge Latin Course? Except that the first book literally ends with the main character dying. Really not the kind of feels I need from a textbook. 
3 Likes
This is an example of the kind of sentence I really enjoy:
あなたのために旅の間に読める本を一冊買っておいたの。タイトルは『地図』よ。
1 Like
I’m with you man, till the end. No disrespect to Koichi intended. But this is something that deserves an overhaul.
3 Likes
Well before they do that, they should at least provide 3 example sentences for every vocab first.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.