Adding a Chinese Keyboard to Your Electronic Device
In order to send a text message, add a comment on Written Chinese or search for a character in Chinese, you need to add a Chinese keyboard to your device.
These instructions focus mainly on adding a Pinyin keyboard, but if you want to add a handwriting keyboard for your Android or iOS device, read Nora’s great instructions for adding a handwriting keyboard and using it to practise your Chinese characters!
Just click on the links below to find your device!
- Windows
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- OS X
- Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks
- Yosemite and Above
- iOS Devices
- Android
- Chrome Book
Windows
Windows 7
1. Click start
2. Go to Control Panel
3. Under Clock, Language and Region click ‘change keyboards or other input methods.’
4. Click ‘Change Keyboards’
5. Click add and scroll down to find ‘Chinese (Simplified P.R.C)’
6. Choose one of the options then click ‘OK.’
7. You will find the different keyboards on the bottom of the window.
8. You can change the language by clicking on the EN (or which ever keyboard you are currently using) and switch to CH (for Chinese).
9. You can quickly change between keyboards by pressing down ‘control’ and ‘spacebar’ at the same time.
Windows 8
1. Bring up the search window by pressing win+w and type in ‘language’ and click ‘Add a language’
2. Find the language you want (Simplified Chinese) and double click to add.
3. To change the language press Ctrl+Shift+0 at the same time and Ctrl+Shift to return back to English.
OS X
Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks
1. Go into System preferences from the Apple menu in the left corner.
2. Go to ‘Keyboards’.
3. Select ‘Input Sources’
4. Search for Chinese (Simplified) and select ‘Pinyin – Simplified’
5. You can see your different languages in the top right-hand corner of the menu bar. Click to change between languages.
6. You can also add a keyboard shortcut to change between languages faster.
Yosemite and Above
1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple drop down menu.
2. Click Keyboard then select ‘Input Sources’
3. Click ‘+’ then search for Chinese (Simplified) then click ‘Add’.
4. Click on the language flag in the right corner of the menu bar to switch between languages.
iOS Devices
1. Click on the Settings icon and then scroll down to General.
2. Next scroll down to find the Keyboard option.
3. Click on Keyboards and then Add New Keyboard.
4. Find Chinese (Simplified) or Chinese (Traditional) and add the desired keyboards.
5. Press Done.
6. To change keyboards on your iOS device touch the globe on the bottom left side of your keyboard. The space bar will inform you which keyboard you are currently using.
Android
Note: To use a Chinese keyboard you may need to download a keyboard such as Samsung Chinese IME or Google Pinyin Input. Before using the keyboard it needs to be turned on by going to ‘Language and Keyboards’ in your phone’s setting.
1. Go to settings and find a tab named ‘Language and Keyboards/Input’ (This will vary on different android devices).
2. Look for ‘Language’, then search for Chinese. It may be in Chinese characters like this: 中文.
Chrome Book
1. Sign into Chromebook.
2. Where your account picture is in the right-hand corner click Settings.
3. Then go to Show Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the Language section and click Languages and Input Settings.
5. Click add and find Chinese Simplified/ Traditional.
6. To change between different input languages Press Alt+Shift.
7. Press Ctrl+space to switch to a different language.
If you want to learn how to add a handwriting keyboard to your mobile device, read Nora’s post here!
If there’s another device you think we should add, please leave a comment below! If you have problems using our instructions don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll do our best to solve the problem!