How to Type in Japanese on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows

How Japanese typing works

Japanese has thousands of kanji, so no keyboard has a key for each one. Instead, every phone and computer uses an input method, often called an IME (input method editor). You type the sound of a word, the input method shows it in hiragana, and then it offers kanji and katakana spellings that match that sound. You pick one, and it goes into your text.

Here is the whole process with 日本語 (にほんご, Japanese language), written with the kanji 日, 本 and 語:

1. Switch to the Japanese keyboard and type nihongo.
2. The text appears as にほんご, usually underlined, which means it is not final yet.
3. Press Space (or tap a suggestion on a phone) to convert it to 日本語.
4. Press Enter or Return to confirm the text.

The steps are the same on every device. Only the setup menus differ, and every major system includes a Japanese keyboard for free.

Set up a Japanese keyboard on each device

On iPhone, Apple's guide says that adding a keyboard for a new language also adds that language to your Preferred Languages list, but your phone's display language stays the same. Japanese offers two keyboards: Romaji, a QWERTY layout where you type syllables in Latin letters, and Kana, a keypad of kana syllables. You can add both.

On Android, Google's Gboard help says to open Gboard's settings from the keyboard, go to Languages, tap Add keyboard, then choose Japanese and a layout. To switch languages, touch and hold the space bar, or turn on the globe-shaped language switch key in Gboard's Preferences. Other Android keyboards have their own settings menus.

On Mac, Apple lets you choose Japanese - Romaji or Japanese - Kana when you add the input source. Apple notes that Romaji is the useful choice if your keyboard is not a Japanese one. On Windows, Microsoft's guide says you can add Japanese without changing your Windows display language, and none of the optional language features are needed just to type.

Romaji input or kana input?

Romaji input means you type the Latin spelling of each sound: ka gives か, shi gives し. It is the easiest place to start, because it uses the keyboard you already know. Almost all learners, and many people in Japan, type this way on computers.

Kana input means each key or keypad button produces a kana directly. On a computer this uses the kana printed on Japanese keyboards, and it is mostly used by people who learned it on that layout. On phones, kana input usually means the 12-key keypad, where each key holds one row of the kana chart (あ, か, さ and so on). You tap a key for the first sound in the row or swipe from it in a direction to get the other sounds. This is called flick input, and it is very common on phones in Japan because each kana takes one touch.

Flick input is a good kana drill. Every swipe makes you recall where a kana sits in its row, so it reinforces the chart. Keep the hiragana chart open while you get used to it.

Turning hiragana into kanji and katakana

After you type a word, the input method offers candidates. On a phone they appear above the keyboard, so you tap the one you want. On a computer, press Space to convert. Microsoft's guide explains that the first press converts what you typed and a second press opens the candidate window, where you can move with Space or the arrow keys and choose with Enter. If you press Enter without converting, the word stays in hiragana. Microsoft's example is spring: type haru, see はる, press Space once to get 春.

On Mac, Apple's input method offers Live Conversion, which converts to kanji as you type. Press Space to see other candidates, Return to confirm, and Escape to go back to the hiragana you typed. If you prefer to convert each word yourself, you can turn Live Conversion off from the Input menu.

Katakana words usually show up as candidates too, so typing koohii offers コーヒー. On Windows you can also force the form with function keys: F6 for hiragana, F7 for full-width katakana and F8 for half-width katakana. To switch between Japanese and English input on Windows without changing keyboards, press Alt + ` (the back quote key).

Romaji rules for tricky sounds

Romaji input follows the kana spelling, not the pronunciation, so a few sounds need a specific key sequence:

• ん: type nn, as in konnichiha for こんにちは. A single n works before most consonants, but nn is always safe.
• Particles: type them as they are spelled. The topic marker is は, so type ha, and the object marker を is wo.
• Small っ: double the next consonant, so kitte gives きって. The small tsu and long vowels guide explains the sound.
• Long vowel mark ー: type a hyphen, as in ra-men for ラーメン.
• Voiced sounds: type the voiced letter, such as ga for が or pa for ぱ. For ぢ and づ type di and du. The dakuten guide covers when those two are used.
• Small kana on their own: add x or l before the vowel, so xa or la gives ぁ.

You can practice these rules in the browser with the romaji to kana converter, which shows hiragana and katakana as you type.

Use typing to learn, not just to write

1. Pick the kanji yourself. When the candidate list shows 橋 and 箸 for はし (bridge and chopsticks), choosing the right one is a small reading test.
2. Watch out for over-reliance. Typing teaches you to recognize kanji, not to write them. If you want to write by hand, practice stroke order separately.
3. Type katakana words. Loanwords are easy to guess from English, and typing them teaches the spelling rules in the katakana words guide.
4. Text in Japanese. Writing short messages or notes in Japanese every day turns typing into steady practice, and pairs well with daily kanji reviews in Moji or another spaced repetition app.