Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words

JIYUKOKUMINSHA

The venerable encyclopedia of contemporary words, containing explanations by field, ranging from basic terms to specialist terms. Contains “New Word/Buzzword Award” feature. Annually updated.

The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words collects those terms in actual present use, relating to current events, which are not fully covered by a dictionary of Japanese; specialist terms which may be too minor or particular to be found in a standard encyclopedia, with reliable definitions which may not be available on a search engine, in approximately 120 genres. The broad-ranging coverage of the encyclopedia encompasses culture, art, science, buzzwords, and trivia, in addition to specialized knowledge and basic words to give clear explanations of complex subjects such as Japanese international affairs, economics, politics, welfare, and administration.

The JapanKnowledge edition enables smooth navigation between entries, from main contents table to currently displayed entry via breadcrumb links, and entries from the same genre displayed on the main text screen, so there is no need for repeated searches. In addition, starting from 2023, instead of the "Advanced Search" that has been available up until now, you can now view the encyclopedia on "Bookshelf" to see an index for each year and jump to more detailed genres or the main text from there.

The JapanKnowledge edition contains the six editions from 2019 to 2024. In addition to the familiar features of “New Word/Buzzword” and “News Review,” which supports a deeper understanding of topical news, there are also six years’ worth of special feature columns available to view.

Contents information

Original books 現代用語の基礎知識2019
現代用語の基礎知識2020
現代用語の基礎知識2021
現代用語の基礎知識2022
現代用語の基礎知識2023
現代用語の基礎知識2024
Publisher JIYUKOKUMINSHA
Publication date January 1, 2019
January 1, 2020
January 1, 2021
January 1, 2022
January 1, 2023
January 1, 2024
Number of volumes Six volumes
Book price 2019 Edition: ¥3,520 (Pre-tax price ¥3,200+tax10%)
2020 Edition: ¥1,650 (Pre-tax price ¥1,500+tax10%)
2021 Edition: ¥1,650 (Pre-tax price ¥1,500+tax10%)
2022 Edition: ¥1,650 (Pre-tax price ¥1,500+tax10%)
2023 Edition: ¥1,760 (Pre-tax price ¥1,600+tax10%)
2024 Edition: ¥1,760 (Pre-tax price ¥1,600+tax10%)
Release date February 2002
Number of entries 28,994 entries
Number of characters 5,514,300 characters
About search Bookshelves feature available
Frequency of update Annually
Available services
(as of June 2024)