NJStar Japanese WP v3.x for MSDOS

Frequently Asked Questions

よく聞かれる質問集

Last updated: 13 April 1997

[NJStar v4.0 for Windows 95 | Feedback | NJStar User Group page]

Cross-Platform questions

File related functions

Input related functions

Format related function

Dictionary related function

Cross-platform questions

Is there a Windows 3.X version / Macintosh verson / UNIX version of NJStar?

Sorry, there isn't, and we have no plan to develop them. We can only recommend you to get Windows 95. If you use Windows 3.X, then you can still use NJStar 3.1 as a "DOS application".

Can I mix Chinese in NJStar Japanese WP?

You can type in Pinyin mode (from Menu: Input/Other methods/Pinyin) directly in Japanese WP, but this is limited by the following:

File Related Functions

How can I send NJStar document via email?

Because NJStar's native document uses EUC encoding (8-bit), it is likely that your document will be corrupted when it reaches to the recipient. There are two ways to overcome the problem:

  1. Save the document in New-JIS code (7-bit) from OUTPUT Menu, and send it.
  2. Save the document as usual (in EUC) and encode your document in one of the well-known format, such as UUENCODE or BINHEX. Your recipients should be told to decode the file before they can read your message.

We recommend you to use option 1. In fact NJStar version 3.1 comes with a new macro assigned to Ctrl-X Ctrl-S which automates the saving and sending of the message. If you use an earlier version of the macro, edit "NJCONFIG.KEY" and update the default macro, incorporating the following: 

* New Improved Japanese email sending /replying via Pegasus Mail
meta+^S macro ASCInput SaveNewJis enter &
      BegFile Search "Reply-To:" enter JTrue OK: &
      BegFile Search "From:" enter JFalse NewMail: &
      OK: Search ':' enter  WordRight UnMarkBlock MarkBlock EndLine &
      MarkBlock copy &
      DOS 'pmail -f ' filename ' -t ' paste ' -s "[JIS] " ' pause &
      Jump END: &
      NewMail: DOS 'pmail -f ' filename ' -t (recepient) -s "[JIS] "' pause &
      END: saveEUC enter

Can I read Japanese document file created by applications on the Apple Macintosh or DOS/V?

Yes. Follow the steps below:

  1. Save your document under Macintosh or DOS/V PC as "plain text" (or ASCII).
  2. Open the file from NJStar. You should be able to read the file correctly.

If you find that the document appears to be corrupt, then check if you have selected the program configuration correctly:

  1. Run Configuration routine from either Tools menu, select NJ CONFIG" or from DOS prompt and type "NJCONFIG").
  2. Select option G for "general options"
  3. Answer "Yes" to "Do you want to detect Shift-JIS automatically?"
  4. Skip all the other questions by pressing ENTER
  5. Save the change to the setting and quit the configuration program.

When you open the document, you should see that the file now appears correctly. If you still have trouble, then there is yet another option. Quit NJStar session, and from DOS prompt, execute NJStar with "-j" switch:

NJSTAR -j



This guarantees that NJStar will read Shift-JIS file, as it uses

Why can't I read a file larger than 64K byte in length?

I am afraid this is a technical limitation at the moment. You can split the large file in several smaller files and edit them individually. NJStar version 4 can handle large document, however.

Input related functions

How can I type "zu" (づ), i.e., tsuzuku (続く= to continue)?

Type "dzu". In NJStar version 4, you can also type "du".

How can I type Japanese particles, wa (は), e (へ) and o (を)?

Please remember that Japanese particles use kana characters different from what they are pronounced. Type how they are written in Japanese, e.g., wa = "ha", e = "he", o ="wo".

How can I type rubi (okurigana)?

Editing rubi is possible in NJStar, though it is laborious. At any rate the following is the basic guideline:

  1. type the body text first
  2. make sure that you will set the range of text as half-size ascii font [\ascii(0)]
  3. create a blank line for rubi
  4. set the half-size font, e.g., \fontsize(4) [= 32 x 32 dots] if your main text uses \fontsize(8) [= 64 x 64 dots]
  5. remembering that you have two kana spaces (or 4 spaces) for one Kanji, type kana version.
  6. run Print Preview to check the format, and insert/remove spaces if necessary

Example in NJStar:

\ascii(0)
\fontsize(8)
ルビのフォーマットのデモです
\fontsize(4) \linespace(6)
ぶんしょう に ほん ご
\fontsize(8) \linespace(12)
この文章は日本語です
そして、ここには、ルビはありません。

how it looks
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Format related function

I don't want page number to appear in my document. How can I set otherwise?

set the following command in the document (preferably at the beginning) \footer(" ")

Dictionary related function

How can I add / edit / compile my own entries in the Japanese-English dictionary?

What you need is a text editor / word-processor that is large enough to edit a large text file of 3 mega bytes or more (such as Windows Write).
Before editing the dictionary files, please study the document format of EDICT (see EDICT.DOC).

  1. Make a copy of the original file before editing.
  2. Add / Delete / Edit the contents of the dictionary file.
  3. Save any changes that you have made to the file.
  4. Re-compile the index files by running the following:

Note that you need the above program must be dated after February 1995 if you want to convert one of the latest copies of EDICT.