How do I enable Japanese IME?

Symptoms

Japanese keyboard layout does not change in Windows. I can't type anything in Japanese and only English appears( Conversion does not happen).

Some keys such as @, ] are located at the wrong place.

I can't change input mode between Kana ('かな'キー) and English&Number ('英数'キー) by pressing the Kana&English&Number key.

Cause

Windows internal issue.

Resolution

1. Try Microsoft FixIt

or

1. Try this method: (provided on official Microsoft forum)

Change the Keyboard Layout and then check:

• Go to Start > Region and Language

• Go to the 'Keyboards and Language' tab and choose Change keyboards.

• On the 'General' tab click 'Add'.

• Navigate to Japan and select Japanese and*Microsoft IME* options.

• Click ‘OK’, you should have those options in your list now (For Windows 10 go to Start > Settings > Time and Language > Region and Language, click Add a language and choose Japanese).

• Go to the Language bar tab in the same panel, and check Docked in the Taskbar.

• The language bar lets you select Japanese language by clicking on the EN, then switch to Japanese.

• Change the keyboard input then by clicking on the capital A and changing it to “あ”.

• You should be typing in Japan now.

• If you load the Onscreen keyboard you should be able to see where the keys are and what your keyboard is set to.

NOTE: The article is applicable only to solve this issue in Windows virtual machine.

In case nothing helps, please contact Microsoft Support for the further assistance.

Many users need to use a foreign language on their computer. If you are one of those, who want to install the Japanese keyboard on Windows 11/10, here is our guide. The process is straightforward, and there is no need to install through external sources. Once installed you will be able to switch between your native, language and the Japanese keyboard.

Windows has always been an easy-to-use OS, hence to install a Japanese Keyboard on Windows 11, you don’t have to be a technical expert. You will be able to write Japanese from your computer with the help of this article.

To install Japanese Keyboard on Windows 11, follow the given steps.

1. Open Settings from the Start Menu.
2. Click Type & language > Language & region and then Add a language from Prefered languages.
3. Now, type “Japanese” in the Search Bar.
4. Select the Japanese Keyboard and click Next.
5. Then you will be greeted with an Install language and features window.
6. Now, untick the Install language pack and set as my Windows display language (you can enable it, but since we are just installing the keyboard, we are not doing that).
7. Finally, click Install and wait for a few minutes for the process to complete.

Change Keyboard Layout in Windows 11

If you have an English keyboard, then it is recommended to change the Keyboard Layout.

1. So, open Settings.
2. Click Time and Language > Language and Region.
3. Go to the language that you want to change the layout of, click on the three horizontal dots, select Language options.
4. Now, click Add a keyboard from the Keyboard section.
5. Finally, you can select the one you want to use.

How to enable Japanese On-screen Keyboard in Windows 11

If you want to have a touch keyboard to write in Japanese, you can do that in Windows 11.

1. Open Settings by Win + I.
2. Go to Time & Language and then Language and region.
3. Go to Region Format settings.
4. Search and choose Japanese from there.

Install Japanese Keyboard on Windows 10

there are three ways you can do this:

1. Install Japanese Keyboard using Time and Language
2. Type in Japanese using native Keyboard
3. Use Physical Japanese Keyboard in Windows 10

It is possible that you have an English or a native keyboard. If you are planning to use this with Japanese keyboard on your computer, make sure you know how to use it properly. Follow the steps to install Windows 10 Japanese keyboard.

• Open Settings > Language > Add a Language
• In the popup window, type Japanese and the keyboard listing will show up.
• Select it, and click Next. Be careful of the options in the next windows.
• In the Install language and features window
  • Uncheck the option which says “Install Language Pack and set as my Windows Display.”
  • If you plan to use Voice and handwriting for Japanese work, make sure to keep the options selected.
• Click on the install button.

Post this; it will download the packages, and install it. In the options, you will have the opportunity to download and install language packs, but we are not doing it. If you do, it will change the system-wide language to Japanese. Lastly, if you click on the language icon on the system tray, or use the Windows button + spacebar, you can switch between keyboards.

How to Type in Japanese using English Keyboard

Microsoft offers “Microsoft IME” which allows you to type in Japanese. When you click on the language option on the system tray and select Japanese, you should see the alphabet A as well. It means you are still typing in English. Click on it, and it will change to Japanese.

Right click on the icon, and you can change the keyboard to different variants. You can choose between Katakana or Hiragana to what fits best. These are Japanese syllabary for those who don’t know. The input tool also offers IME pad. On this, you can draw characters you remember, and it will recognize it for you.

Post that anywhere you type on the keyboard, it will predict and type in Japanese font. If you switch to anything else which is not text, it will change the language back to English. To configure IME, you can go to Settings > Time and Language > Select the Japanese language > Options > Microsoft IME > Options.

The options allow you to add words, configure touch keyboard, turn on cloud suggestions and so on. If you are configuring this on a touch keyboard, it’s a good idea to configure Kana 10 key input method. Usually used on smartphones, this method allows users to swipe from the key in a certain direction to produce the desired character.

You can choose between Flik and Multi-tap input or Flick input. They will help you type faster. Also, make sure to turn off Kana input. When its toggled on, the letters show as an individual letter, and it will be difficult to type long sentences.

How to use Japanese Physical Keyboard in Windows

If you have a Japanese physical keyboard, you can connect it to existing Windows Installation. Go to Settings > Time and Language > Select the Japanese language > Options > Change hardware keyboard layout.

You will have the option to switch between Japanese (106/109 keys) and English (101/12 keys) in my case. Once you are sure of your selection, click on the restart button for the keyboard to be recognized by the system.

That said, there are multiple combinations to get how you exactly want to type in Japanese.

This post showed you how to install the language and use it either with an actual Japanese keyboard or use your native keyboard to type in Japanese. Let us know if it helped.