For example, if you want to write あたらしい (”new”) using kanji, it would look like this:

新しい

The two hiragana characters し and い are the “okurigana” that complete the word.

In each kanji entry on KanjiHacks.com, the okurigana are indicated by an underline.

You don’t need a special keyboard or software, so just follow these steps to get started.

If you are using a Mac, go to System Preferences, then select International, then choose Input Menu at the top of the window. Make sure you check the box next to Kotoeri and the one next to hiragana (you can do others if you like, but check those at least).

If you are using Windows you need MS-IME, which is already on your hard disk if you use Windows XP, Vista, or 7.

If you use Windows XP:

1. Go to the Start Menu and choose Control Panel.
2. Select Date, Time, Language and Regional Options.
3. Click Add other languages.
4. Click the Details… button.
5. You will get a window entitled “Text Services and Input Languages.” Ignore the first drop-down menu and click on the Add… button.
6. Select Japanese, then select Microsoft IME, then click OK.
7. Now look in the lower (or upper) right corner of your desktop, and you should see a little box with “EN” in it. If you click on it you can choose English (EN) or Japanese (JP) input.

If you use Vista:

1. Go to the Start Menu and choose Control Panel.
2. Select Clock, Language, and Region.
3. Beneath Regional and Language Options choose Change keyboards or other input methods.
4. There will be 4 tabs at the top. Choose Keyboards and Languages. Then click on the Change Keyboards… button.
5. You will get a window entitled “Text Services and Input Languages.” Ignore the first drop-down menu and click on the Add… button.
6. Select Japanese, then select Microsoft IME, then click OK.
7. There will be a list of “installed services” including English and Japanese. Confirm your choice by clicking OK at the bottom of the window.
8. Now look in the lower (or upper) right corner of your desktop, and you should see a little box with “EN” in it. If you click on it you can choose English (EN) or Japanese (JP) input.

Step 2: Switching between language modes.

For the Mac, go to the task bar at the upper right corner of the screen, and click on the flag. Select Hiragana. In place of the flag you should now see あ in the task bar. You are now ready to type.

For Windows XP or Vista, go to the task bar on the lower right corner of the screen and click on EN, then select Japanese. You should now see JP in the task bar. Next to that you will see a paintbrush, and a capital “A.” Click on the A to get the input modes, and then select Hiragana. You are now ready to type.

Step 3: Typing

To type hiragana, input the words as they are spelled in Roman letters. For example, to get ひらがな you would type “hiragana” and the letters will automatically change as you type.

There will be a line under the word as you type (more on than in a moment), so when you are finished with the word hit “enter” and the line will disappear.

To get ん you have to type “n” twice.

To get a long vowel as in きょう you need to type “u” (”kyou” in this case).

To get a small つ you need to type the following consonant twice. For example, まって is written “matte.”

For small や, ゆ, and よ just type as you would spell it in Roman letters. べんきょう is spelled “benkyou.”

For は and を you type “ha” and “wo.”

To type katakana, either choose katakana from the input menu, or just hold down the shift key as you type.

To type kanji, write the word in hiragana (e.g. べんきょう), then hit the space bar. The underlined word will now change to kanji (e.g. 勉強). If the kanji is correct, hit “enter” and you are finished. If the kanji is not correct (there are lots of synonyms), keep hitting the space bar until you get the kanji you need.

Coscom.co.jp has an excellent primer on typing Japanese, complete with lessons you can complete online. If you are just learning how to type in Japanese, this is a fantastic resource.

]]> http://kanjihacks.com/2010/02/how-to-type-in-japanese-faq/feed/ 0 http://kanjihacks.com/2010/02/how-to-type-in-japanese-faq/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kanjihacks/~3/800KU1FiEi0/ http://kanjihacks.com/2010/02/ikic/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:18:46 +0000 Shindo http://kanjihacks.com/?p=1153 There is a new product out there for the iPhone or iTouch that looks great for those who are serious about mastering all the Japanese kanji!

It’s called iKIC, which is short for “Kanji in Context.” Many of you already know Kanji in Context as the kanji learning series of textbooks and workbooks published by the Japan Times and written and used by the Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies (a.k.a. Stanford Center) in Yokohama. I also know from experience (as a former student at IUC) that this series is extremely well researched, well written, easy to use, and IMHO the best textbook for learning kanji on the market. In fact, even though I have an entire bookshelf full of kanji books, KIC is the one I go to first for all my kanji needs.

I haven’t used the iPhone/iTouch version yet, but I am planning to download and goof around with it, so look for my review in the near future.

You can read more about iKIC from the IUC website, or you can get it directly from the iTunes App store by clicking this link:

For users who are just getting started and don’t want to download the whole thing, there is also a “lite” version, available here:

Here’s the rundown of what you get for your money:

DISCLAIMER: While I do have a relationship with IUC, I do not receive anything for telling you about their product. Anything I have to say about any product is my honest opinion, and not influenced by money or favors of any kind.

Long, long ago, the Japanese did not have an extensive writing system, but they did notice that the Chinese had a pretty nice set-up going. So, as they interacted with Chinese people, they started to “borrow” some of their writing system.

Sometimes it would go like this:

Japanese person: Hey, what does that character mean for you? (referring to, say, 大)

Chinese person: Oh, that means “big.” We pronounce it “da.”

Japanese person: Nifty. Mind if we use that? We’ll pronounce it “dai,” but close enough.

…and that is basically what “ON” readings are. They are readings that are based (more or less) on the original Chinese pronunciation.

But sometimes this would happen:

Chinese person: Hold on, don’t you already have a word for “big?”

Japanese person: Sure, it’s “ookii.” But we can just use the same kanji for that too.

Chinese person: Uh, don’t you think that will be confusing?

Japanese person: Nah.

…and that is basically what “KUN” readings are. They are readings that are based on the original Japanese pronunciation.

You will notice that ON readings are short (just one or two kana long), as in 大 (だい), and there are usually just one or two ON readings per kanji.

KUN readings, on the other hand, are all over the place. They can be short, as in 木 (き), but the reading can also “overflow” the kanji, as in 忙しい (いそがしい), in which case you will have to memorize which hiragana you have to stick on the end to make the word (these hiragana are called “okurigana”). There can also be a LOT of KUN readings for each kanji, but don’t lose heart, because the readings do get simpler as you learn more kanji.

Have any questions or anything to add? Leave them in the comments!

*This is a very rough explanation to save you some time, so please understand that I am glossing over a LOT.

Daniel Scocco is the blogger from DailyBlogTips.com, so you know he knows what he is talking about!

UPDATE: Woo hoo! I actually won a contest to join the training program Daniel is running! For those interested in blogging I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Meaning: blue/green*

Readings: あお、あおい、セイ、ショウ

Components: 月 (moon), and “growing”

My hack: I think of the song “Blue Moon” and change some of the lyrics.

Blue Moon

You saw me growing alone….

*Traditionally blue and green are covered by the same word 青, but in modern Japanese the word 緑（みどり）refers to green as most English speakers understand it. Traffic lights are still considered 青 though!

Meaning: public, official

Components: 八 (eight) or katakana ハ, and 厶 (private) or katakana ム.

My Hack: “Ham for everyone!” OK, it doesn’t really mean “ham,” but it does look like ハム, so that makes it easy. Imagine a picnic in a public park with some political official offering free ham to everyone. (I specifically think of a park because 公園 is a common kanji compound for this character.)

Image by ReneS

Components: 二 (two), and the radical 儿 (legs)

My Hack: Have you ever heard the expression, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?” Another way to say it might be: “It all begins with 2 legs.”

Image by Melody Campbell

Assortment of radicals

If you are just starting to learn kanji, you may be wondering what these “radicals” are that everyone is talking about. Put simply, they are the building blocks of kanji. You will often find them put together in various ways to form larger kanji.

For example, take the kanji 窓 (window).  If you were going to memorize this just by writing it over and over, it would take you forever (and you may still miss a few strokes!). This is where radicals come in. This kanji is actually made up of just 3 radicals:

穴 (hole), which can be broken down into 宀 (roof) and 八 (eight) or katakana ハ

厶 (private), or katakana ム

心 (heart)

Now all you have to do is make up a “hack” (mnemonic) to help you remember it, such as:

“This hole is a private window into my heart.” (Imagine someone talking about a time capsule they dug in the yard, or even someone talking about heart surgery. The more graphic it is, the easier it is to remember!)

For the purposes of memorizing kanji this is about all you need to know, but I should tell you that there is much more to know about radicals. For more advanced students, About.com has a nice summary.

Meaning: now, this

Components: 人 (person), katakana ラ

My Hack: Imagine some cheerleaders recruiting new members: “What do you want? People! When do you want them? Now! Rah rah rah!”

I also think that this character looks a lot like the “Eye of Horus,” which I believe is also the eye of Ra (the sun god). So you could say that people love Ra even now (since you see this symbol on tattoos and necklaces all the time).

Image via wikimedia.org