How to Type in Chinese Characters on Your U.S. Keyboard

Type in Chinese on your American computer.

Regardless of whether you have a Windows or a Macintosh system, you can use your U.S. keyboard to type in any language. By switching to a language other than English, such as Chinese, your keyboard remains the same on the outside, but the accents and language symbols of Chinese characters appear in the correct form. All you need are just a few clicks plus some necessary additional software.

Instructions

Windows

1. Wait for your computer to turn on. Then, go to the "Control Panel" located under "Start" on the bottom left corner of your computer screen. Look for "Regional and Language Options" or a similar option that enables you to manage the computer language.

2. Look for Chinese under the "Languages" option and add it to your list of languages by clicking "Add." That way, you can easily switch from English to Chinese with just a click since these languages will be located on the desktop of your computer, somewhere on the task bar. If you can't locate the Chinese language, click on "Install Files for East Asian Languages" under the "Languages" options and click "OK" or "Apply." You will need to restart your computer. After it has restarted, repeat the steps and select Chinese as the language.

3. Locate the languages on your task bar and click on the language you currently want, whether it is English, labeled as "EN", Chinese, labeled as "CH" or another language.

4. Type in "pinyin" on your keyboard and notice how Chinese characters appear on your screen. To switch back to English, simply click on "EN" on the task bar.

Macintosh

1. Locate the "System Preferences" in the dock on the bottom of your computer screen. Look for "Language and Text" in the first row of options.

2. Look for Chinese in the list of languages on the left hand side. If you cannot find it, click on "Edit List..." and add Chinese to this list. This list doesn't contain all of the world's languages, but by editing it, you can include the languages you like.

3. Click on the "Input Sources" option. Scroll down until you find the "Chinese- Simplified" input method. Click on the box next to it to select it.

4. Type in "pinyin" to see if Chinese characters appear on the screen. To switch between languages, look for the "Language & Text" options in the top right-hand corner of your desktop. The chosen language will be displayed with the country flag as an icon. Click on this icon to see the chosen language options and select the language you want.

References

• New Concept: How to Input Chinese in English Windows
• Microsoft: Install East Asian Language Files on Your Computer
• Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center: How to Read and Type Chinese Characters on Your Computer...
• Yale.edu: Chinese Mac