How to Type in Japanese on Any Device (Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android)

How to type in Japanese: add the keyboard, type romaji, press space

To type in Japanese, add a Japanese keyboard to your device, switch to it, type the sounds in English letters (romaji), which turn into kana as you type, and press the space bar to change a word into kanji. You don't need a special keyboard: the Japanese keyboard you add in settings is software, so your ordinary English keyboard works.

That software is called an input method editor, or IME. It sits between your keys and the page. Type "nihongo" and it shows にほんご. Press space and it offers 日本語 (にほんご, nihongo, “Japanese (language)”). Press Enter and that word lands on the page. For a quick job with nothing to install, an online Japanese keyboard such as Lexilogos works in the browser. The rest of this guide is for typing on your own device.

The same three steps work on every device:

1. Add Japanese in your settings. You do this once.
2. Switch to it while you type, and check it is in Japanese mode (hiragana), not plain English letters.
3. Type the sounds, press space to convert, then Enter to confirm.

Where to add it, and how to switch, on each device:

The steps below come from Microsoft's, Apple's and Google's own help pages. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

Try it once it's added: type "haru", press space, press Enter. Then type "konnnichiha" for the greeting in Hello in Japanese. The extra n is explained in the romaji section.

How typing Japanese works: reading first, then kanji

Japanese is written with ひらがな, カタカナ and 漢字 (かんじ, kanji, “kanji”). A keyboard can't have a key for every kanji, so you type the reading and the IME converts it. The word for that step is 変換 (へんかん, henkan, “change”).

Apple's guide gives a clean example. Type "hana" and press space until the candidate window opens, and you can choose between two words that sound the same:

That's why conversion is a step you control. The IME suggests a word, but only you know which one you mean.

Romaji input or kana input

There are two ways to enter the reading. Romaji input means typing roman letters, which turn into kana. Kana input means pressing keys that have hiragana printed on them. Romaji input needs no special keyboard.

Romaji input uses only the 26 letter keys, so if you touch-type in English you can start at once. The drawback, says Japanese Wikipedia, is more key presses per kana. For a learner on an English keyboard, romaji is the obvious choice, and this article assumes it. On a phone there's a third way, flick input, covered below.

If you can't read the hiragana that appears yet, that's normal. Start with What is Hiragana?, keep the hiragana chart open to check what the IME gives back, then read What is Katakana?. How to Memorize Hiragana and Katakana shows how to make them stick.

How to type Japanese on Windows 11 (and activate the Japanese keyboard)

Microsoft's guide to the Japanese IME describes Windows 11. The IME lets you enter hiragana or katakana on an ordinary keyboard and converts your input into kanji. Using it doesn't mean changing your Windows display language. Windows 10 has the same IME, with its language options under Settings > Time & language > Language, but Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025.

Add the Japanese keyboard

1. Open Settings and select Time & language, then Language & region.
2. Select Add a language. Choose Japanese and select Next.
3. Look at the Optional language features. If you only want to type Japanese and keep your display language, you need none of them. Select Install.

Switch to it and type

The system tray (bottom right) shows the active keyboard layout, for example ENG. Switch with the Windows logo key + Space bar, or click the tray icon and choose from the list.

1. Choose Japanese Microsoft IME. The tray shows a Ⓙ icon, with an A beside it. The A means English input (half-width alphanumeric).
2. Select the A. It changes to あ, which means you can type hiragana. You can also toggle between Japanese and English with Alt + Back quote.
3. Type the word's sounds. A candidate window opens and updates as you type. Press the space bar to convert to kanji.

Microsoft's example is spring. Type "haru" and the IME shows はる. Press space once to convert it to 春 (はる, haru, “spring”). Press Enter instead and it keeps the hiragana.

To choose a candidate, press Tab to move into the window, use the Up and Down arrows or a number key, then press Enter. Esc closes the window.

Before you confirm, F6 converts what you typed to hiragana, F7 to full-width katakana, F8 to half-width katakana, F9 to full-width alphanumeric and F10 to half-width alphanumeric. Right-click the mode icon to change mode or open the IME Pad, which has handwriting input and an on-screen kana keyboard. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

How to type Japanese on a Mac

On a Mac, you add a Japanese input source in System Settings. Apple offers two: Japanese - Kana and Japanese - Romaji. Apple notes that Romaji is useful when you aren't using a Japanese keyboard, because what you type turns into hiragana automatically.

Add the Japanese input source

1. Choose Apple menu, then System Settings, and click Keyboard in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Go to Text Input and click Edit.
3. Click the add button, select Japanese (scroll down the left side or use the search field), then select Japanese - Romaji or Japanese - Kana on the right.
4. Click Add.

Switch to it

Click the Input menu in the menu bar and choose the Japanese source. You can also press Control-Option-Space bar for the next input source, or Control-Space bar for the previous one. The keyboard settings can also assign Caps Lock, Fn or the Globe key to switch.

Type and convert

Apple describes two ways to convert, and you choose in the input settings.

• Live Conversion turns hiragana into kanji as you type, so you don't press space for every word. Press space to see other candidates, then Return to confirm.
• Traditional conversion means you type hiragana, press space to open the candidate window, choose, and press Return. It's how conversion works on Windows too.

To change one part of a sentence, press the Left and Right arrow keys to select the underlined part, then press space for its candidates.

To switch to hiragana mode, press Control-Shift-J or Option-Shift-Z. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

How to type Japanese on an iPhone

To type Japanese on an iPhone, add a Japanese keyboard in Settings, then switch to it with the globe key. Apple's guide gives these steps:

1. Open the Settings app and tap General, then Keyboard.
2. Tap Keyboards, then Add New Keyboard, and choose the Japanese keyboard from the list.
3. To pick a layout, tap Japanese in the Keyboards list and select an alternative layout.
4. While typing, touch and hold the globe icon, then tap the keyboard you want.

Apple lists the Japanese layouts as Romaji and Kana.

• Kana is a keypad with syllables on it. Drag the list to the left or tap the arrow key for more options. Flick input uses this layout, as described below.
• Romaji is the QWERTY layout. You type the sounds, alternative choices appear along the top of the keyboard, and you tap one.

If you type English quickly, start with Romaji. Conversion works as on a computer: type the reading, then tap the candidate you mean. Apple's detailed description of the two layouts was written for iOS 13, so the wording on your phone may differ a little. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

How to type Japanese on an Android phone

On Android, the usual way is Google's keyboard, Gboard. Google's help gives two routes to add a language.

From the keyboard: install Gboard, open any app where you can type and tap a text field. Tap Settings at the top of the keyboard, then Languages, then Add keyboard, and pick Japanese. Pick the layout you want, then tap Done.

From Android settings: open Settings, then System, Keyboard and On-screen keyboard. Tap Gboard, then Languages, pick Japanese, turn on the layout you want and tap Done.

To switch languages, touch and hold the space bar. You can also turn on a language switch key, which shows a globe. Changing the keyboard language doesn't change your phone's language.

Gboard lets you pick a layout, so choose a QWERTY layout to type romaji, or a 12-key layout for flick input, which uses the older phone keypad layout according to Wikipedia. Google also offers Google Japanese Input, a free IME for Windows and Mac, and for iOS and Android through Gboard. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

How to type Japanese on a Chromebook

On a Chromebook you add a keyboard language in Settings. Google's Chromebook help gives these steps:

1. At the bottom right, select the time, then Settings.
2. Under Device, select Keyboard, then Change input settings.
3. Under Input methods, select the Japanese entry, then Add. If the list has more than one, choose the one meant for an English (US) keyboard.

To switch, turn on Show input options in the shelf under Inputs and keyboards, select your keyboard language code and pick the language. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + Space until the language you want is selected, and Ctrl + Space to switch back. Once Japanese is selected, type romaji and press space to convert, as above. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

Japanese keyboards: are they different, and does Japan use QWERTY?

Yes, they are a little different, and yes, Japan uses QWERTY. According to Wikipedia, the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) keyboard layout keeps the roman letters in the English QWERTY positions. It also prints hiragana on the keys, so the same keyboard serves romaji input and kana input. In direct kana input, the Q, W, E, R, T and Y keys give た, て, い, す, か and ん.

A Japanese keyboard also has a few extra keys, such as the Hiragana key and the Eisu (英数 (えいすう, eisū, “alphanumeric characters”)) key that Microsoft's and Apple's guides mention. Wikipedia adds that on most Japanese keyboards one key switches between roman letters and Japanese. On an English keyboard, a key combination does the same job, like Alt + Back quote on Windows.

So you don't need to buy a Japanese keyboard. Online keyboards such as Lexilogos are fine for a quick job, but an IME on your device is faster for real writing.

Romaji input: how to type ん, っ, small ゃ and long vowels

Most of romaji input is what you'd guess: type "ka" and you get か. The special cases trip learners up. The keys below come from Apple's table of roman characters and kana and from Tofugu's guide. They broadly match the older standard (JIS X 4063) that Japanese Wikipedia lists. It was withdrawn in 2010, and no IME follows it exactly.

Apple's table also lists l in place of x (ltu, lya, la). If an l form doesn't work in your IME, use x.

ん: when one n isn't enough

When you type n, the IME waits to see whether a vowel follows, because "na" is な, not んあ. So ん needs nn. Tofugu shows the difference: "ona" is おな, "onna" is おんあ and "onnna" is おんな. After the nn that makes ん, a following な, に, ぬ, ね or の needs another n, which is why the greeting こんにちは (konnichiwa, “hello”) is typed "konnnichiha". Apple's table also lists n' (n and an apostrophe), which can be clearer: kon'nichiha.

At the end of a word, nn is the safe habit.

っ: double the consonant

Type the small っ by doubling the consonant of the next sound. What the small っ does is a topic of its own. 学校 (がっこう, gakkō, “school”) is "gakkou" on the keyboard, with the doubled k giving っ, and 切手 (きって, kitte, “stamp (postage)”) is "kitte". If nothing can be doubled, type xtu to get っ on its own.

Why "matcha" doesn't work

The IME's romaji isn't the romaji in textbooks. Japanese Wikipedia gives this example: typing the Hepburn spelling "matcha" gives まtちゃ, so you type "maccha". Many IMEs behave this way.

Particles, alternative spellings and punctuation

Some spellings are easy to get wrong:

• Particles are typed as written. Tofugu notes that the particle は is typed "ha" even though it's said "wa". The particle へ is "he" and を is "wo".
• Alternative spellings. し can be si or shi, ち ti or chi, つ tu or tsu, ふ hu or fu, and じ zi or ji.
• Punctuation. Tofugu lists the keys: the period key gives 。, the comma key gives 、, the square bracket keys give 「 and 」, the slash key gives ・ and Shift + tilde gives 〜. The exact key can differ by IME and layout.

Long vowels and ー

Hiragana words spell a long vowel with an added vowel kana, so you type each vowel as you hear it:

The long-vowel mark ー is mostly for katakana. Wikipedia says it's usually used in katakana and rarely in hiragana, with ramen shops' らーめん signs as a known exception. You type it with the hyphen key, next to the zero key on a US layout. Type "ko-hi-" and you get こーひー. Convert it to katakana and you have the word below.

Foreign sounds in katakana

Katakana has sounds hiragana words don't. Apple's table gives the codes: fa is ふぁ, wi is うぃ, thi is てぃ, dhi is でぃ and vu is ゔ. So パーティー (pātii, “party (social gathering)”) is typed "pa-thi-" and converted to katakana. Typing "ti" gives ち, which is why you need "thi".

Converting to kanji with the space bar

The space bar is the convert key. Type the reading, press space, and the IME replaces the hiragana with its best guess. Press space again, or use the arrow keys, to move through the other candidates.

• To accept: press Enter (Return on a Mac).
• To keep the hiragana: press Enter before space. Microsoft's guide says Enter keeps the word in hiragana.
• To fix part of a long phrase: select the underlined segment with the Left and Right arrows, then press space (Apple).
• To fix confirmed text: select it, press Delete, type the correct reading and convert again (Apple).

If a long sentence converts badly, type shorter phrases. It also helps to know the kanji you're choosing. Our guide What is Kanji? explains how they work, and every common kanji has a page under kanji.

How to type katakana (F7 and other ways)

The quickest way to type katakana is to type the word in romaji and, before you press Enter, press F7. On Windows, F7 converts the input to full-width katakana. On a Mac, Control-K or F7 converts to katakana (add Fn if the function key doesn't respond, as in Fn-F7).

There are two other ways:

• Switch to katakana mode. On a Mac, press Control-Shift-K or Option-Shift-X, once the Katakana mode is selected in the input source's settings. On a Mac with a Japanese keyboard, Shift + the Kana key does it too. On Windows, use the mode icon's right-click menu.
• Press space. Tofugu notes that the space bar can convert hiragana to katakana, so the katakana form may appear in the candidate list.

Katakana and letters come in full-width and half-width forms, and F7 gives the usual full-width kind. The Japanese words for the two widths are 全角 (ぜんかく, zenkaku, “em”) and 半角 (はんかく, hankaku, “half-width characters (e.g. romaji)”).

Once you can type katakana, the pairs people mix up are worth a look: ツ, ン, シ and ソ.

Flick input: how to type Japanese on a phone

Flick input is the main way people type Japanese on a phone. You tap a key and slide your finger in the direction of the kana you want. Each key shows the first kana of a row: あ, か, さ, た, な, は, ま, や, ら and わ. Slide in one of four directions and you get the other four kana of that row: from あ, they are い, う, え and お.

The layout is a ten-key pad of the あ-row kana, with the other four in each row around it. The method became widespread in Japan around 2010, and the iPhone adopted it for Japanese in 2008. It replaced the toggle method of feature phones, where you pressed a key repeatedly to cycle through a row. It is hardly used outside Japan.

• Conversion works the same. Candidates appear above the keyboard. Tap the one you want.
• Dakuten, small kana and the long mark have their own keys or gestures. They vary by keyboard, so look at the one you've added.
• You don't have to use it. The Romaji layout on iPhone and the QWERTY layout on Android let you keep typing romaji.

Should you learn flick input? If you'll mostly type on a computer, no. If you'll chat in Japanese on a phone, yes: it's mainstream in Japan.

Japanese keyboard not working? Common problems and fixes

I only get English letters

You're probably in alphanumeric mode. On Windows, the tray shows A instead of あ: click it, or press Alt + Back quote. On a Mac, check that the Japanese source is selected, then press Control-Shift-J or Option-Shift-Z for hiragana. On an iPhone, press the globe key until the Japanese keyboard shows. On Android, touch and hold the space bar and choose Japanese.

Japanese isn't in my keyboard list

You haven't added it yet, so follow the steps for your device above. On Windows, Japanese Microsoft IME appears in the tray list once the language is added.

It works in some apps but not others

On a Mac, a dimmed input source in the Input menu means the app you're in doesn't support it, so try another app for that text. If text looks wrong, Apple says to check that the app's font matches the candidate window's.

The space bar won't convert, or I only get hiragana

If you pressed Enter before space, you kept the hiragana: retype the word. On a Mac with Live Conversion on, text converts as you type. You can switch to traditional conversion in the input settings.

I got the wrong kanji

Press space again to move through the other candidates. For confirmed text, select it, press Delete and type the reading again. The same reading often means different words, like はな for 花 and 鼻, so check the word before you use it.

The letters come out wide, or in the wrong width

You're probably in a full-width mode, where letters look wide, like ＡＢＣ. On Windows, press F10 to convert what you typed to half-width alphanumeric, or right-click the mode icon to change mode.

ん, っ or a long vowel comes out wrong

The usual causes are a single n before a vowel or another n, a missing doubled consonant, and "matcha" typed instead of "maccha". See the romaji section.

My phone's keyboard keeps going back to English

Adding Japanese doesn't change the phone's language, so the default keyboard stays until you switch with the globe key (iPhone) or by touching and holding the space bar (Android).

Practise what you type

Once you can read the kana the IME shows you, you can check your own typing.

Questions about typing in Japanese

How do I type Japanese on my keyboard?

Add the Japanese input to your device, switch to it, type the sounds in romaji, which turn into kana as you type, and press the space bar to change a word into kanji. You don't need a Japanese keyboard. The steps for each device are in the sections above.

How do I type Japanese on my PC?

On a Windows PC, add Japanese under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, then switch to Japanese Microsoft IME with the Windows logo key + Space bar, and click the A in the tray so it turns to あ. Then type in romaji and press space.

How do I activate the Japanese keyboard on Windows 11?

Open Settings, select Time & language, then Language & region, then Add a language, and choose Japanese. Then switch to Japanese Microsoft IME with the Windows logo key + Space bar. This doesn't change your display language.

How do I turn my keyboard into Japanese?

Add Japanese as a keyboard or input source and switch to it when you want to type Japanese. Your physical keys stay the same: only the software changes what they produce.

How do I type Japanese text?

Type the reading in romaji, press space to convert and press Enter to confirm. For katakana, press F7 before you confirm. For small っ, double the consonant. For ん, type nn. The romaji section has the full table.

How can I type in Japanese on my phone?

Add a Japanese keyboard in your phone's settings, then choose a layout: QWERTY for romaji, or the kana keypad for flick input. The iPhone and Android sections above have the steps.

How to type Japanese on an iPhone?

Add the Japanese keyboard in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard, then switch to it with the globe key. Choose Romaji to type with roman letters, or Kana for flick input. Either way, you tap the word you want from the candidates.

Are Japanese keyboards different?

Yes, a Japanese keyboard is a little different: it has the same QWERTY letters, hiragana printed on the keys and a few extra keys to switch modes. You don't need one, because an English keyboard with an IME types Japanese just as well.

Does Japan use QWERTY?

Yes, Japan uses QWERTY: the Japanese JIS keyboard keeps the roman letters in the QWERTY positions, and romaji typing uses them. On phones many people use flick input on a kana keypad instead.

What is "I love you" in Japanese?

People say it with 好き (すき, suki, “liking (romantically)”) or 愛してる, from 愛する (あいする, aisuru, “to love”), and 大好き (だいすき, daisuki, “liking very much”) is stronger than 好き. How people really say it is more subtle, and our guide I Love You in Japanese covers it. To type 好き, type "suki" and press space.

How do you say "what the f**k" in Japanese?

There is no single Japanese word for it, and a swear word isn't a good one to learn first. A neutral way to show surprise is えっ (e, “huh?”), and the word for "what" is 何 (なに, nani, “what”). Strong language depends heavily on who you're talking to, so ask a native speaker before you use any.

Sources

• Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0).
• Windows: Microsoft Learn, Japanese IME, and Microsoft Support, Microsoft Japanese IME (covers Windows 11 and Windows 10). Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.
• Mac: Apple, Japanese Input Method User Guide: Set up, Switch, Keyboard shortcuts, Roman characters and corresponding kana, Change the characters you entered, Enter Japanese text. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.
• iPhone: Apple, iPhone User Guide, Add or change keyboards, Use shorthand for frequently used text (lists Japanese: Romaji and Kana) and Use special input methods (iOS 13 edition, the newest that describes the layouts). Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.
• Android: Google Help, Gboard, Type in a different language and Use your keyboard; Google Japanese Input. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.
• Chromebook: Google Help, Choose keyboard language and special characters (it doesn't name the Japanese entry). Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.
• Romaji input rules, punctuation and particles: Tofugu, How to Type in Japanese. Japanese Wikipedia, ローマ字入力 (the standard list and the "matcha" example; asks for more citations). Flick input: Japanese Wikipedia, フリック入力 (asks for more citations too).
• JIS keyboards, input methods: Wikipedia, Japanese input method. The long-vowel mark: Wikipedia, Chōonpu. Online keyboard: Lexilogos, Japanese Keyboard Online.
• Reviewed independently; the points about how people really type (romaji against kana, flick), typing ん before な行, IME romaji such as "maccha", and the nuance of 好き, 愛してる and 愛する are waiting for a native speaker's check.