How do you type hiragana

In the process of learning Japanese, it is important to learn both how to hand-write the language and how to type it.

To view a full listing of our articles on technology and Japanese, click here! I am basing these instructions off of my own experiences with Windows If Japanese is the first language you have added to your computer, a language bar will appear.

The language bar will probably appear on your taskbar near your clock and volume buttons. But it may appear elsewhere on your screen, especially if you have an older version of Windows. If you already have a language bar, Japanese will now be an option when you click on the bar. I am basing these instructions off of my own experiences with a recent version of macOS. If Japanese is the first language you have added to your Mac, an American flag icon will appear on your menu bar near your clock and volume buttons.

If the default language of your computer is English, your language bar will read ENG most of the time. To type in Japanese, click on the bar and select Japanese. Hover on the American flag icon on your menu bar, and a small menu will appear. To get a head-start on hiragana, kanji and katakana, try FluentU.

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. This one-stop shop will kick your reading and listening skills into the next level, so you can focus on learning to type.

Check out the browser version or mobile app. Virtual keyboards can be installed onto just about any device, from laptops to tablets to smartphones. Find out how below! Before downloading anything, check and see if this is a possibility on your device. The vast majority of people type using a modified form of romaji , or the latin representation of Japanese sounds. Below are guides that explain the process fairly well. Windows Tips You can safely remove the English language setting.

This is done in the same window you used to add Japanese input language. It will inform you that you will need to restart to remove it completely. The Japanese input mode already allows you to switch to English so having a separate English setting is redundant and only adds more key-strokes for switching languages.