Windows computer systems and Pinyin input of Chinese characters
Posted by site admin on 27 Mar 2006 at 12:37 pm | Tagged as: Chinese characters, pinyin, software, zhuyin
I often get messages from people asking how to use Hanyu Pinyin to input Chinese characters on their English-language Windows systems. But the most I’ve ever added to my site on this topic is a brief page on using Pinyin to type Chinese characters on a U.S. English Windows 2000 system. Fortunately for everyone, now there’s Pinyin Joe’s Chinese computing resources, which explains in user-friendly detail how to set up Western-language Windows XP computers to input Chinese characters using Pinyin and even zhuyin fuhao. I certainly don’t recommend using zhuyin; but it’s nice to know the information on how to type it (both by itself and for character input) is available and put forward so clearly.
The site covers a few other areas as well. Check it out. Pinyin Joe’s also promises to cover Vista once Microsoft finally releases it.
Another good place to ask related questions is Forumosa’s technology forum, especially within the thread on Hanyu Pinyin input for XP.
[...] The blogger at Pinyin News introduces some new literature on various Chinese input systems. “I certainly don’t recommend using zhuyin, [otherwise known as bopomofo] but it’s nice to know the information on how to type it (both by itself and for character input) is available and put forward so clearly.” [...]
Mac users should look at the Chinese Mac FAQ, and I highly recommend installing QIM for fast pinyin input.
I‘m also surprized that Pinyin Joe doesn’t seem to make reference to 自然輸入法, which IMHO offers much better Pinyin input on WIndows than what MS offers. And, as I’m sure you’ll be happy to know, it does Tongyong Pinyin as well!
Thanks for the extra links, Kerim.
As for Tongyong Pinyin, though, “happy” isn’t a word that I associate with it much, except in phrases such as “I’m happy that it looks like Tongyong Pinyin is about to become history in Taipei County.” (See my next post for more on that.)
Here is another good site for Windows 2000 and XP. It has some other helpful articles such as sending e-mail with characters.
http://newton.uor.edu/Departments&Programs/AsianStudiesDept/Language/index.html
>>kerim
Kerim mentioned the qim for mac osx is certainly very nice input system. fortunately although its requirements for mac osx is tiger but could use in the panther too. only fly in the ointment is lack of feature for nullify the wrong combined word by using key combination which could seen in similar window input system, for example ziguang or pyjj.