Usage

Note: For instructions on switching between Rōmaji input and Kana input, refer to Settings - Keyboard Tab.

Changing Input Modes

Hiragana IME has five input modes, as shown in the table below:

Symbol Input Mode Description
Hiragana Mode A mode for entering kanji and kana mixed text
A Alphanumeric Mode A mode for entering Latin alphabets and numbers
Katakana Mode A mode for entering katakana
Full-width Alphanumeric Mode A mode for entering Latin alphabets and numbers using full-width characters
Half-width Katakana Mode A mode for entering katakana using half-width characters

Note: You would switch between Hiragana and Alphanumeric modes frequently; the other input modes are rarely used.

The current input mode is displayed in the right corner of the desktop top bar.

Input modes

Inputting Kanji and Katakana Words

To enter a Kanji or Katana word, type the word in Hiragana first, then press the 変換 key to convert the word into Kanji or Katakana. The text cursor should be at the end of the word before you convert it. For example, to enter the sentence "しろうとむけのワープロの登場(とうじょう)期待(きたい)したいですね。", type as follows in Hiragana mode:

siroutomukenowa-puro変換notouzyou変換wokitai変換sitaidesune.

Or as follows using Kana input:

しろうとむけのわーぷろ変換のとうじょう変換をきたい変換したいですね。


Homonyms: With Kanji, there are words with the same reading but different meanings, like "衛星(えいせい)" (satellite) and "衛生(えいせい)" (hygiene). These words are called homonyms. When you encounter homonyms, use the 変換 key to select the right word from the candidate list. You can also use the up and down arrow keys to select the candidate.

Later, when you convert the same homonym again, the last selected word will appear first in the candidate list. Less frequently used homonyms will move towards the end of the list. So you won't have to keep selecting between homonyms over time.

Entering Words with Okurigana

To enter a word with okurigana, press the 変換 key right after the part written in kanji. For example, to enter the sentence "(あか)いチューリップの(はな)()きました。", you will type as follows:

aka変換ityu-rippu変換nohana変換gasa変換kimasita.

Or like below using Kana input:

あか変換いちゅーりっぷ変換のはな変換がさ変換きました。

When there are multiple conversion candidates, select the one that ends with a '―' (horizontal bar). For example, when you enter "()き", select the candidate "さ―". Initially, the conversion candidate ending with a '―' may be at the bottom of the list. However, after using the word, it will move to the top of the list. In this way, you can save the keystrokes.

When you type the first okurigana for a word, the word appears in kanji. If you press the 変換 key instead of typing okurigana, all candidates will appear.

Here are some examples:

As you type okurigana, the candidate list becomes shorter.

Changing the Length of the Reading

When you want to enter "()きがい(ろん)", you will type as below:

生きがいろん変換

When converting a word into Kanji or Katakana, Hiragana IME selects words with the longest reading. Therefore, Hiragana IME initially selects "概論(がいろん)" instead of "(ろん)". The screen will be changed like below:

生き概論

Press the Tab key to shorten the reading. The reading will be shortened to 'いろん', and the screen will change to:

生きが異論

Press the Tab key to shorten the reading again to 'ろん'. The screen will change to "()きがい(ろん)" as intended, like below:

生きがい

When using a shortened word next time, it will appear at the beginning of the candidate list, just like homonyms do.