How to Type in Japanese on Windows, Mac and Phones
Quick answer: on Windows, add Japanese in the language settings, switch to the Microsoft IME with Win+Space, and turn Japanese input on with Alt+`. Then type in romaji: nihongo becomes にほんご, Space converts it to 日本語 and Enter confirms. F7 turns what you typed into katakana.
Quick reference: every method
Every Alt code below is verified against the real Windows code pages — where none exists we say so, rather than list one that won’t work.
| Char | Name | Windows | Mac | HTML | Word (Alt+X) | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 「 | Left Corner Bracket | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | 「 |
300C + Alt+X |
U+300C |
| 」 | Right Corner Bracket | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | 」 |
300D + Alt+X |
U+300D |
| ¥ | Yen Sign | Alt+0165 |
Option+Y |
¥ |
00A5 + Alt+X |
U+00A5 |
| 、 | Ideographic Comma | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | 、 |
3001 + Alt+X |
U+3001 |
| 。 | Ideographic Full Stop | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | 。 |
3002 + Alt+X |
U+3002 |
Set it up
- Windows 10/11: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Japanese. The Microsoft IME is installed with it.
- Mac: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → + → Japanese → Romaji. Switch with Ctrl+Space or the Globe key.
- iPhone and Android: add the Japanese keyboard; choose Romaji (QWERTY) or Kana (12-key flick input).
Typing with romaji
| Type | Get | Note |
|---|---|---|
| arigatou | ありがとう | long vowels are written out |
| kitte | きって | double consonant → small っ |
| konnnichiha | こんにちは | nn gives ん; then ni gives に |
| xa, xtsu, xya | ぁ っ ゃ | x (or l) gives small kana |
| ra-menn | らーめん | - gives the long mark ー |
| [ ] | 「 」 | Japanese quotation brackets |
| , . | 、 。 | Japanese comma and full stop |
Conversion keys (Microsoft IME)
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | convert to kanji; press again for the candidate list |
| Enter | confirm |
| F6 | hiragana |
| F7 | full-width katakana |
| F8 | half-width katakana |
| F9 | full-width letters (ｒｏｍａｊｉ) |
| F10 | half-width letters |
| Alt + ` or Hankaku/Zenkaku | Japanese input on/off |
On a Mac, Ctrl+Shift+J switches to hiragana and Ctrl+Shift+K to katakana; Space converts and Return confirms, as on Windows.
Phones: flick input
The 12-key Kana keyboard puts あ か さ た な は ま や ら わ on the keys. Tap for the first sound and flick left, up, right or down for the other vowels: on the か key, flick up for き, right for く, down for こ. Many people find it faster than romaji once learned.
Symbols in Japanese text
- Yen ¥: Alt+0165 on Windows, Option+Y on a Mac, or type
enin the IME and convert to 円 or ¥. On Japanese (JIS) keyboards the key where US keyboards have \ shows ¥ (yen sign). - Brackets and marks: 「」『』【】〜 are in our CJK punctuation list. In the IME, typing
kakkoand converting offers many brackets. - Faces: the IME converts
kaomojiinto faces; or copy one from our kaomoji collection.
If Japanese text shows as boxes, the system lacks a Japanese font (fix). For other languages, see the overview how to type in other languages, and the Chinese and Korean guides.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch to Japanese typing on Windows?
Add Japanese in Settings, Time and language, Language and region. Then press Win + Space to choose the Microsoft IME and Alt + ` (the key left of 1) to turn Japanese input on or off.
How do I turn hiragana into kanji?
Type the word in romaji, for example kanji, and press Space. The IME converts it; press Space again to see more choices, then Enter to confirm.
How do I type katakana?
Type the word in romaji and press F7 for full-width katakana (F8 gives half-width). F6 turns it back into hiragana.
How do I type the small tsu っ or ん?
Double the next consonant for a small tsu (kitte gives きって), or type xtsu on its own. For ん, type nn when the next letter is a vowel or y.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.