How to put the keyboard in Japanese for any device? step by step guide (2023)

The keyboard is the most important input peripheral of any device, it allows us to perform great functions, including executing commands through the combination of special keys. Although there are infinities of models, they all fulfill the same function, which is to write and if you wish you can adapt the language you want.

If you want to change the language of this and place it in another, you can do it without complications, just change the configuration. In this case we are going to talk about how to adjust it to Japanese, but first you must know a little about it. This jargon is considered one of the most complicated, for this reason it comes to present many problems at the time of making an adaptation, since it has a large number of characters, approximately 256.

Not only that, but it has 3 syllables, which is summed up in that for example, for a syllable in this case KI, there are many variants, including 樹、来、木、機、匱. This for a person can be easy, since he has the ability to distinguish what he means if he studied it, but for an automatic equipment it is a bit complicated. Getting into the matter, in this guide you will be able to discover a little more about the ninth most spoken language in the world and how to adapt it to your team.

How is a keyboard to write with Japanese letters and characters?

Japanese is a very complex language, because this It is composed of two syllabaries that are the Hiragana and the Katakana (Kana), Besides these there is the kanji. Writing in this language can be a bit difficult if you don’t know it, as we mentioned has three writing systems and each one, although they have little difference with respect to the other, tend to create confusion. That is why you must distinguish them very well before practicing it and know what their discrepancy is.

One of the most important is that the Hiragana and the Katakana represent the phonemes and the Kanji, the complete words. This seems easy at first glance, but in reality it is not. Many of the words in this slang are written the same as Hiragana but have a different Kanji, that is, a different meaning.

Hiragana ひらがな

This is usually used to write the words of the language. It is characterized by having curved and simple lines. It consists of 46 characters; 40 are syllables formed by a consonant and a vowel, 5 are vowels and a single consonant that can go alone “N” (ん).

The Katakana カタカナ

This is used for foreign words, referring to those taken from other languages, particularly English. They are angular and geometric in shape. It has 46 characters that represent syllables composed of a consonant and a vowel, or failing that, by the latter. Of all the consonants, only “N” (ン) can stand alone.

kanji

This is a writing system, but different from the previous ones, in this case it makes the Japanese language logical. To understand a little this jargon, the function of this is to achieve the balance between each form of writing.

As we have said in this language there are several words that are pronounced the same, but have a different meaning, thanks to the Kanji it can be easily differentiated. An example of this can be the word “Hashi” which can be understood as “bridge”, “edge”… What to do to distinguish them? See the character.

Programs and applications to change and put your keyboard in Japanese language

In this part you will be able to experience the different ways you have to modify the keyboard through programs and applications in the different operating systems, Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone.

Switch for Windows PC

There are no programs as such to make these changes on your computer, but you can do it from the Windows operating system itself, since by default it brings this programming. For example, Microsoft IME it is one that is installed on all devices that have this OS. No matter what version you have, you can modify it.

Windows 7

This configuration is very easy to do, you can do it from two points, from the Toolbar or from the Menu through the Control Panel.

• To enter from the Control Panel, you just have to enter your menu. “Control Panel” > “Clock, language and region” > “Regional and Language Settings”.

• Select the option “Keyboards and languages” and click “Change keyboards”.

• press “Add” and look for the language “Japanese”. Choose “Japanese” either “MicrosoftIME”.

• After following these steps to the letter, you must click on “Accept” and “Apply”. This way you can check either in Word or a Notes Blog that you already have it activated.

Windows 8

change the language in this version it is the same or simpler than in the previous one, you just have to execute the following.

• The first thing you should do is find your bar “charms bar” and enter the “Setting”, At the top you will see a function that is “Change PC settings.”

• A new window will open “Setting”, there you must search and access in “Time and language” > “Region and language”.
• In this part you will see the language that you have as default and further down you will have a section that is “Languages”, enter in “Options”.

• You will see that several options were displayed, in it is one that says “Add a keyboard”, enter there to open a window with the languages. Look for the “Japanese” select it and click “Set as primary.”

Windows 10

The steps are very similar to previous versions of Windows. Only in this case you have to press the “+ Add a language” button.

• The first thing you should do is open the “Menu”.
• You’re going to go to “Control Panel”.

• This will open a tab, in it you must look where it tells you “Time and language”.

• Enter the section of “Region and Language” and look where it says “+ Add a language.”

• will show you all that bring, look for “Japanese 日本語” You select it and that’s it. Upon returning to “Region and language menu” You will be able to see that it has been added, all that remains is for you to finish configuring it.

• Enter in “Options” of the language you added, when you access it will ask you to download the “Language Options”. This may take a few minutes.

• After the download finishes, return to the menu where you were right now and select the one you downloaded, now you can set it as default.
• To complete you must restart your computer so that he can process the change you just made.

Use on Mac computers

Modifying the language of your computer is something very simple, although sometimes you don’t know how to change something specific and that this doesn’t damage its configuration. As it is in this case, which is sought change the keyboard language without affecting the rest of the computer. To do so follow the steps below.

• Open the popup “System preferences”.

• There select the icon of the “Keyboard”.
• Then you have to click on “Input Sources”.
• Search for the language “Japanese” clicking on the + sign and selecting it.

• when selecting “Japanese”, you must activate the function “Show Predictive Completions”. This option will allow autocomplete many words and you will avoid the time of writing them completely.

Put on your Android mobile

The typing options of mobile devices have some default languages ​​built in, as in this case we need to activate the Japanese you can see if it is available.

To do this you access a chat, for example, and at the bottom of the keyboard you will locate a symbol in the form of “Balloon” or the word “Spanish” on the space bar.

If it does not appear, go to the configuration of your equipment and make sure which ones you manage. “Setting” > “Language and input” > “Language”. If you don’t get it, you can locate it by Google Play Store through an app. In this part you will see one that can help you make the change without altering your device.

Go keyboard

This application is mainly designed to replace the traditional keyboard that comes with the device (Android), for a more dynamic one that you can adapt to your liking. With its new updates it has also incorporated a language pack, among them is the Japanese, so it will not only allow you to adjust the presentation of this but something else.

Put on the iPhone

These devices have a more advanced interface, which allows you to modify anything from their configuration. As we saw in the previous case you can check if you can perform it from these without having to download an additional program.

• head to the “Settings” of your team and access “General”.

• Look for the function “General options” > “Keyboard”, As soon as the window opens, you should look for the option “Add new keyboard”.

• This will display a popup with all the languages, choose the one you want.
• It only remains that when you go to use it you get on the globe icon that appears at the bottom of it and select the one you added earlier.

If you didn’t get it and you seek to complete the experience of another language new on your mobile device here you have an app to do it.

fleksy

This app allows you to configure the keyboard to your liking, because it comes with more than 50 themes that you can choose and customize. In turn, it brings 42 languages ​​in which Japanese stands out. An advantage of this is that it helps you with a specialized dictionary in the language you choose to prevent you from making mistakes.

Write in Japanese with virtual online tools

If what you are looking for is a program that does not ask you to download anything on your computer or mobile device, In this part you have some online tools that can be very helpful when writing in Japanese.

virtual online keyboard

In it you can write directly from the Japanese keyboard on the screen, you just have to press the letters with the mouse and copy the texts you write. Using it is very easy because there is no complication, plus she tells you how you can use it. Notably this page It only works for Windows or MacOS computers.

transliteration

This keyboard allows you to enter characters with the mouse. The best thing is that you can choose the syllabary method, either Hiragana or Katakana. The transliteration of each supported character is seen to the right of the character. You can convert the text from one alphabet to the other, depending on the chosen system. It works for all devices and you can access from here.