Japanese Keyboard › English to Japanese Typing

English to Japanese Typing

To type Japanese in English letters, write a word the way it sounds – for example “konnichiwa” – and pick “こんにちは” from the suggestions. Press Space to take the first suggestion. Your English letters turn into Japanese (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) text as you type – free, in any browser, with nothing to install.

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How to type Japanese with English letters

  1. Keep Keyboard Type on English – QWERTY. It is already selected on this page; switch to Japanese – Kana (JIS) any time to type with the Japanese layout instead.
  2. Type the word as it sounds. Use plain English letters, without accents – for example konnichiwa. A list of Japanese words appears under the cursor.
  3. Pick the word. Press Space, Enter or a punctuation mark for the first suggestion, a number 1–6 or a click for another one, or Esc to keep the English word.
  4. Copy or share. Use the toolbar to copy the Japanese text, download it, share it on WhatsApp or translate it.

Type this, get this

Everyday Japanese phrases written in English letters. Type the left column and pick the suggestion to get the Japanese text.

Type in EnglishJapaneseMeaning
konnichiwaこんにちはHello
arigatoありがとうThank you
o-genki desu kaお元気ですか？How are you?
o-namae wa nan desu kaお名前は何ですか？What is your name?
ohayo gozaimasuおはようございますGood morning
mata neまたねSee you

Spelling does not have to be exact: the suggestions understand common ways of writing a sound, such as aa or a for a long a.

English to Japanese typing or the Kana (JIS) keyboard?

English-letter typing (also called transliteration or phonetic typing) is the quickest way to start: there is no new layout to learn, so it suits messages, posts and short texts. The Japanese – Kana (JIS) layout puts every Japanese letter on its own key. It takes a few weeks to learn, but it is faster for long texts and is what most typing exams and offices use – practise it with the Japanese typing tutor.

English to Japanese Typing – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I type Japanese in English?

Write Japanese words with English letters the way they sound and pick the Japanese word from the list of suggestions. Space or Enter takes the first suggestion.

Is English to Japanese typing free?

Yes. It is free, with no sign-up, no download and no limit.

Do the suggestions need an internet connection?

Yes. The word suggestions come from Google Input Tools, so the letters you type are sent to Google to find the matching words. The rest of the keyboard works without a connection once the page has loaded.

What if the word I want is not suggested?

Try another spelling (for example a double vowel for a long sound), or switch Keyboard Type to Japanese – Kana (JIS) and type the letters directly.

Can I use the Japanese text in WhatsApp or Word?

Yes. The result is standard Unicode Japanese text: copy it and paste it into WhatsApp, Word, Google Docs, email or social media.

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