Introduction: Stardict dictionaries are versatile and easy to use with a number of programs on a variety of devices. This project focuses on making available Indian language dictionaries in this format and enabling their easy installation and use.
Motivation
There are so many dictionary apps. What is the advantage of using this system?
- Usually dictionary apps carry one dictionary, perhaps 5 at most. This system brings many more (100+) dictionaries in one single app.
- So, a user can easily see the descriptions of a word in a dozen dictionaries one below the other.
- Also, both devanAgarI and latin-based scripts are supported for lookups (sometimes even others, like telugu).
Dictionaries
- We collect and offer several dictionaries (including those prepared elsewhere). A complete list of dictionary indices is here (and, mirrored with some delay here).
These include:
- stardict-sanskrit project
- stardict-kannada project .. Announcement here.
- stardict-pali project. Announcement here.
- stardict-hindi.
- stardict-telugu. stardict-tamil. stardict-bengali. stardict-assamese. stardict-marathi.
- And others
A full list of (language/topic-specific) lists of curated dicts is available here. Click on the tars.MD link of interest to get relevant dictionary urls.
Elsewhere:
- aupAsana.com collection (with very useful installation / usage tips) : here. Further tips for Linux and Android here.
- sanskrit.infria.fr here.
How to install and use dictionaries on your device?
- Overview:
- install the dictionaries on your device (see recommendations and notes below).
- install a dictionary app (see recommendations and notes below).
- Installation of dictionary data is very simple in most cases!
- Instructions from aupAsana.com here.
- Video tutorials: koshadarshanam series by Chandrasekharan Raman of Vyoma pAThashAla
Android
- Handouts: 202401 color dict, 2019.
- If you have Android 5.0+: easy with Stardict Dictionary Installer app on android; available from this apk for direct installation https://rebrand.ly/dict-updater or play store https://bit.ly/SanskritStarDictUpdater or amazon store.
- Ratings certificate: here.
- Code for this is available for any one to copy and modify here. (May a 1000 apps bloom!) If you want to contribute new dictionaries to the stardict-sanskrit project, that is welcome too.
- On other Android devices, use https://github.com/nangia/pydictupdater .
- Still having trouble despite the above? Further workaround tips (if they are necessary) for Android are in this email.
Desktop computer options
In the order of most updated/ maintained -
- Install Java and use dict-tools jar:
- Download dict-tools.jar.
java -jar bin/artifacts/dict-tools.jar install --destinationPath=/home/vvasuki/sanskrit-coders/stardict-dicts-installed/ --dictRepoIndexUrl=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/indic-dict/stardict-index/master/dictionaryIndices.md
- Arch linux : stardict-indic-update/.
- In windows: SanskritDictionariesInstaller.jar (github source)
- Install python 2.7 and use https://github.com/nangia/pydictupdater
- You could just use the instructions analogous to the ones supplied here.
Recommendations for dictionary apps
Android:
- App being developed by prasanna.
- Goldendict (paid): here. (202312: Not available in latest android versions.)
Free alternatives:
- Qdict - github, install apk (Look for “Download APK” link.)
- ebdic.
- Google play link, inactive as of 2018-08: com.twn.ebdic
- lalitAlAlita strongly endorses this [link].
- Install via downloading apk.
- Mangodict - github 2011
- colordict.
- Cannot handle dict.dz files without uncompressing. Slightly higher rate of error reports from this app.
- (202312: Not available in latest android versions.)
- Goldendict free
- The number of active dictionaries is limited to 5. Buy the paid version for ad-free unlimited dictionaries experience.
- (202312: Not available in latest android versions.)
- DictAide (play store)
- Ad supported.
- Poor unicode support, rather clunky as of 2017.
iphone
2019 handout here, replicating aupasana.com instructions, explains how the “Dictionary Universal” app should be installed and used. Note that specific dict urls are likely to be outdated. Instead, use tars.md files linked above.
Desktop computers:
- Goldendict.
- Special handout for windows users: 2019.
Mac
- use 0.8 dmg.
- Note from ajita: “The one problem I have with that version is that if I leave it running in the background, and allow the laptop to go to sleep, it crashes. So, I typically exit out of goldendict once I’m done with it.”
- Use the native dictionary app after some conversion (DictUnifier) [BVP13].
- Native osx dictionaries are available at: