The Rakuyōshū (落葉集, "Collection of Fallen Leaves"), rendered on the cover as Racvyoxyv,[a] was a 1598 Japanese dictionary of kanji "Chinese characters" and compounds in three parts.
The Rakuyōshū, also known as the Rakuyoshu or Rakuyôshû, is notable as the first dictionary to separate kanji readings between Chinese loanword on (音 "pronunciation") and native Japanese kun (訓 "meaning").
Herein we propose to assemble "left-over [rakusaku]" kanji and compounds long in use but hitherto overlooked and to arrange them, after the manner of the Irohashū, in iroha order, their on [Chinese readings] to be on the right and their yomi to be on the left, and thus to produce in one volume a dictionary to be designated the Rakuyōshū.
Thereafter we propose to add a section of characters and compounds similarly grouped in iroha order but arranged in terms of their Japanese readings.
This part includes two appendices: the Hyakkan narabi ni Tōmyō no taigai (百官並唐名之大概 "Outline of the hundred government offices and their Chinese equivalents") and the Nippon Rokujūyoshū (日本六十餘州 "The 60-odd provinces of Japan") gazetteer.
Unlike the Nippo Jisho, this dictionary does not use rōmaji to romanize Japanese pronunciation, other than the title page spelling Racuyoxu.
The Japanese historical linguist Morita Takeshi (森田武) discovered that many Rakuyōshū character entries and almost half of the compound entries are alphabetized in the Jesuit system; most consistently after the 12th kana wo を. Bailey summarizes that the arrangement of compounds in the main text of the Rakuyōshū is primarily alphabetic, but inconsistent to the extent that words of related meanings are often grouped together, especially in the early portions of the honpen.
[6] Japanese Kirishitan ban (キリシタン版 "Christian publications") refers to the books, grammars, and dictionaries published 1591–1611 by the Jesuit Mission Press.
Furigana is printing smaller kana alongside a kanji to indicate the pronunciation, a practice which allows less-educated people to read Chinese characters.
Handakuten (半濁点) is printing a small circle to the upper right of a kana to indicate the voiceless bilabial stop /p/; for example, compare ha, hi, hu (は, ひ, ふ) with pa, pi, pu (ぱ, ぴ, ぷ).