How to Use Chinese Fonts With a US Keyboard

Thousands of symbols make up the Chinese language.

There are more than 20,000 characters in the Chinese alphabet, but they can all be typed using roman characters with a phonetic system called pinyin. You can enable Chinese characters on your computer by changing some of your computer's settings. Learning how to speak Chinese may require years of hard work and dedication. However, by learning the basics of pinyin and learning how to install Chinese characters on your computer, you can successfully type Chinese characters in minutes.

Instructions

1. Install the Chinese language characters on your computer. Go to your computer's control panel, click on "Region and Languages" and click on the "Keyboards and Languages" tab. Click "Change Keyboards," click "Add" on the lower-right side of the window and click "Chinese (Simplified)." Click the minus button next to "Keyboards" and click "Chinese (Simplified, PRC) - Microsoft Pinyin ABC Input Style."

2. Install the language bar on your computer. Click "Keyboards and Languages" on your computer's control panel, click "Change Keyboards" and click the "Language Bar" tab located on the upper middle section of the window. Click on either the "Docked in the Taskbar" option or the "Floating on Desktop" option to display the language bar on your computer.

3. Click the button on the language bar that says "EN" and change it to "CH."

References

• Windows: Install a display language
• Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center; Introduction to the Chinese Language; Kenneth Katzner