Advanced input methods for East Asian languages
Applies To
Windows 11 Windows 10Advanced input method options and tools
The Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) can be used to enter East Asian languages that are installed on a Windows device:
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Make sure an IME supported language, such as Japanese, is installed and selected. An IME language can be selected from the language icon in the system tray area of the taskbar. For more information on installing a language, see Install a language pack.
Tip: A language, such as Japanese, can also be selected by holding down the Windows logo key on the keyboard and then selecting the Spacebar. Each selection of the Spacebar while holding down the Windows logo key cycles through the installed languages.
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In the system tray area of the taskbar, right-click on the IME options icon and then select the desired input mode. For example, for Japanese, select one of the following input methods:
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Hiragana.
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Full-width Katakana.
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Full-width Alphanumeric.
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Half-width Katakana.
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Full-width Alphanumeric / Direct Input.
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From the same IME options menu, select a desired option. For example:
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To open the IME pad, select IME pad.
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To open IME settings, select Settings.
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To add a word, select Add Word.
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To show the IME toolbar, select Show/hide IME toolbar.
Note: Different languages have different options in the IME options menu. For example, Japanese has the Add Word option.
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The following are additional actions that can be done with IME for Japanese:
IME can find more candidates in Japanese by turning on cloud suggestion. Cloud suggestion uses Bing to help predict what will be written. To turn on cloud suggestions:
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Make sure Japanese is the currently selected language by selecting it from the language icon in the system tray area of the taskbar.
Tip: A language, such as Japanese, can also be selected by holding down the Windows logo key on the keyboard and then selecting the Spacebar. Each selection of the Spacebar while holding down the Windows logo key cycles through the installed languages.
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In the system tray area of the taskbar, right-click on the IME options icon and then select Settings.
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In the Time & language > Language & region > Options > Microsoft IME window, select General .
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In the Time & language > Language & region > Options > Microsoft IME > General window, under Predictive Input, switch On the option Cloud suggestion.
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In the Use Cloud suggestion window that appears, select the Yes button.
Tips: The Microsoft IME settings can also be reached using the following steps:
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Select Start and then select Settings .
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When the Settings app opens, navigate to Time & language > Language & region .
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In the Time & language > Language & region window, under the Language section, select the ellipses next to the desired language and then select Language options.
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In the Time & language > Language & region > Options window, under the Keyboards section, select the ellipses next to Microsoft IME and then select Keyboard options. The following Microsoft IME shortcut can also be used to open the Microsoft IME settings:Open Microsoft IME
Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025
After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11.
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Make sure Japanese is the currently selected language by selecting it from the language icon in the system tray area of the taskbar.
Tip: A language, such as Japanese, can also be selected by holding down the Windows logo key on the keyboard and then selecting the Spacebar. Each selection of the Spacebar while holding down the Windows logo key cycles through the installed languages.
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In the system tray area of the taskbar, right-click on the IME options icon and then select Settings.
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In the Microsoft IME window, select General .
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In the General window, under Predictive Input, switch On the option Cloud suggestion.
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In the Use Cloud suggestion window that appears, select the Yes button.
Tips: The Microsoft IME settings can also be reached using the following steps:
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Select Start menu and then select Settings .
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When the Settings app opens, navigate to Time & language > Language .
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In the Language window, under the Preferred languages section, select the desired language and then select the Options button.
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In the Language options: <Language> window, under the Keyboards section, select Microsoft IME, and then select the Options button. The following Microsoft IME shortcut can also be used to open the Microsoft IME settings:Open Microsoft IME
To manually add to the Japanese dictionary:
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Make sure Japanese is the currently selected language by selecting it from the language icon in the system tray area of the taskbar.
Tip: A language, such as Japanese, can also be selected by holding down the Windows logo key on the keyboard and then selecting the Spacebar. Each selection of the Spacebar while holding down the Windows logo key cycles through the installed languages.
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In the system tray area of the taskbar, right-click on the IME options icon and then select Add Word.
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In the Add Word window that opens:
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Add a new word and its meaning to the Japanese dictionary.
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Select the User Dictionary Tool button to edit an existing word in Microsoft IME User Dictionary Tool.
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