The predecessor of the
Nikkoku, the was compiled by Matsui Kanji (then a professor at the Tokyo Higher Normal School, now
University of Tsukuba) and Ueda Kazutoshi (an Imperial University graduate), and was published from 1915 to 1919. The first edition of the
Nikkoku published from 1972 to 1976 included some 450,000 entries in 20 volumes, while the second edition reduced the number of volumes to 13 (by making each volume much bigger) and added 50,000 entries. The Second edition is the largest Japanese dictionary published with roughly 500,000 entries and supposedly 1,000,000 example sentences. It was composed under the collaboration of 3000 specialists, not merely Japanese language and literature scholars but also specialists of
History,
Buddhist studies, the
Chinese Classics, and the
social and
physical sciences, over the course of 40 years. Entries are listed by
kana, in the
gojūon (五十音) order (the native alphabetical order of the Japanese syllabary). They provide the most common kanji used to write the word, the part of the speech, the various definitions, some early examples of the use of the word, and notes on the pronunciation. The first edition required the use of a slim supplementary pamphlet to track down the date and author of the historical works cited, but the dates have now been incorporated into the actual entries in the second edition. A supplementary volume includes an index of kanji, dialect words, and greater detail of the historical citations. The concise edition (〔精選版〕日本国語大辞典), published in 2005-2006, is based on the 2nd edition, with 3 volumes, 300,000 entries, 300,000 examples. On July 25, 2024, Shogakukan formally began work on what will become the third edition of the
Nikkoku. This edition will utilize modern technologies such as cloud computing and digital typesetting in its creation and (eventually) revision processes, and is scheduled to be completed in 2032, followed by a physical release in 2034. ==Uses==