How to enable Japanese characters on your PC
 

what about mac? got a MAC X (10)

couldn't be easier on an Apple computer, be default you have all major languages installed, all you need to do is turn on the input mode. You can even change your System Langauge so all menus etc are in that language. My macbook i bought in Hong Kong is currently running OS X in Japanese system language.

Picture 1: Here you can change language settings

Picture 2: There are you options, the first one allows you to set your system language. This means all your menus in your computer. such as the apple menu bar at the top.

Picture 3: This is where you can select your language input methods

Picture 4: If you wish you can force a program to always open in a particular language. For example I have shown Adium. there is a languages section (where the blue check boxes are) If i wanted to make it open in Simplified Chinese as the application language (not the input but actually menus etc) rather than the default system language, i can deselect all the other languages there and it will always open only in Simplified Chinese no matter what the system language is set to.

I tried this yesterday but it didn't work out cuzz of some cd he's lookin for.. Which one cd should i get or wut? *confused*

well you should have a copy of Windows XP/Vista on disc, this is the disc you are looking for.

Well, they're already on my compy.
But how to set the keyboard and stuff so I can use it...
It's a pain being only able to read and not reply back, especially since I screw up romaji so badly. *Is it ha, or wa? Is it you or yoo? ARGH!!!*

you will find the answers to your questions in the advanced tab in regional and language settings from the directions in the first post.

...I've got nothing. :/
I can't set up the whole computer to have everything in japanese...my family will kill me, since we share it.

I'm sorry, I'm computer dumb, but I'm confused.
-_-

What if you use a computer where you don't have administrative rights, like at the library?

thanks that is helpful.

Not always. A lot of computers don't come with the CD, just windows installed and a partition made in the HDD for recovery.

You're pretty much sol.

While I have been a mac user for the past 3 years i do find that hard to believe the a lot of computers are like this. perhaps a small few. over the past few years i have had to fix many windows machines and every single one has come with a recovery disc. on this disc is a copy of windows. it would be too troublesome for the company supplying the computer to not supply you with a recovery disc and simply leave it on a separate partition. it isn't good business practice.

@Kayci you should have some form of recovery for your computer, if you are one of the few people who have their computer set up like Tyrien then I'm not sure how to help you, borrow a friends disc or something. if you have a recovery disc supplied with your computer then it will contain windows and you should be able to use it.

It is impossible to make your whole Windows system Japanese unless you install a Japanese version of Windows This system language changing ability is a OS X feature, not a Windows feature. You can install only Japanese language support and input system on Windows.

Why aren't Windows users here supporting each other?? I would rather have nothing to do with the windows system. come on people help each other out ^^

thank you a lot

I'm unable to use japanese characters on my computer because the disc won't work. :mad:

well, my dad works the whole computer. if I try to do somethin, it will blow up on me lol jk. but he said any type of disc for the computer to download different language characters wont work

um.. it is the official windows disc, it certainly will work. even if you have a pirated windows system.

i don't know but my dad help make computer so I know he knows what he is talkin bout. like I said, don't ask me...i'd probably blow up the computer if i tryed downloading anything

If you use windows/linux/os x as your operating system and you dad says you can't then your dad has no idea what he is talking about. also it is not hard to build a computer.

ありがと！

crap... I can't wait til I can get a new comp for at home... and also afford internet.

Konnichi-wa, minasan.
Zannen nagara gaijin de orite watakushi-wa nihon-ni ichido mo ikanakatta deshita. Sore yue-ni, nihongo wa jozu-de nakutemo shi, o-bokokugo-de sukoshi shika hanasu koto-ga dekimasu sumimasen.
Towaie kono fouramu ni sanka-shitai deshita ga nihongo-no tekisuto editaa ga nakute sukoshi komarimasu.
Dewa minasan , douzo, romaji dake naku kanji mo kana o kaita messaji-o dasu yō-ni, dono nihongo-no komupyuutaa tekisuto edītaa-ga (text editor program for PC) mottomo yoi de oshiete moraitai desu.

Arakajme, o-gaman mo o-jogon mo o-tezudai mo doumo arigatou gozaimasu!

Arigatou Gozaimasu

same here. ありがとう！

Thanks a lot! I've been wondering how to do this for a while. Now all I need to do is learn Japanese. :confused:

英語ユーザ向きだけだそうだ

it sucks that the only computer left in my house that has XP is my school issued laptop -.-;

First,let's learn Japanese Hiragana .
 

The basis of Japanese language is [Hiragana].
Hiragana is composed by 51 characters.
http://kids.nifty.com/study/hira_rensyu/index.htm
Let's practice again and again until you can write these 51 characters.
If you can write these characters completely,at next stage you can try to easy Kanji.:)

To type Japanese on an English version of Windows, don't you have to install the IME? Then a little "EN" and "JP" appear in the taskbar allowing movement between Japanese and English easily. I do this all of the time at home (the computer I'm on now won't allow the IME). Is the check box on the screen shot a shortcut I didn't know about?

ようこそ！

If you have XP just press ALT+Shift and it will automatically switch from English To Japanese and then you have to activate Hiragana by pressing the big A in your task bar.

You can get ime here　（Windows only) -->Install Microsoft Global IME 5.02 for 32-bit Windows

here is a site that will convert romaji to hiragana and katakana -->Romaji Conversion

japanese fonts -->http://www2.i-love-epson.co.jp/downl...page/ttf30.exe

These will work on earlier windows!

The romaji converter should work anywhere with internet!¡　

I know the fontｓ works on windows, but i don't know about other os's！！

Well, I'm now really confused. Which one should I choose, I mean, I don't want my computer to be all in japanese :s

I just want to write japanese in forums so that I can train.

Oh, and no, I haven't that CD to install it.

And I'm curious, how does that work, I mean, japanese as at least 2000 hundred kanji plus Hiragana and katakana, how do japanese write? How is their keyboard?

thank you!!! ^-^ ありがとう！

I don't read or speak japaness, what happen if I do this to my comp? would it all turn in japaness language? I was looking for a translator program which would write all i english and the program would turn it into characters.

It won't. It'll just give you the option of encoding a page that has Japanese language so that you can see it. If you don't have it, then the pages will look like a bunch of squares and blocks and other symbols.

Let's say you go to... Amazon.co.jp. This is the Japanese side of amazon (even though, this is a bad example since there is a link there to convert everything into English). I'm sure if you go there, without something to convert the text, it'll look weird. With an encoder, you'll be able to see all the Japanese writing.What I do, though, if I want to post Japanese on the board, is type what I want in a Japanese word-processor and just copy and paste it.They have keyboards with all the characters on it (Hiragana/Katakana). When typing out the word, depending on it, it'll turn the word into Kanji.

If you use a Japanese word-processor, you don't need a Japanese keyboard. You just need to know your Japanese alphabet so you can type it in right.

For instance, let's say you want to type the word "hikari" which means "light". You type it just like that. "h-i-k-a-r-i". On a Japanese keyboard, you'd type it, "hi-ka-ri", since the characters of those would be on the keyboard. I hope that made sense.

Sometimes, depending on the word, it'll show a Kanji for it. Using Hikari as the example again, depending on your setting, might just pop as the Kanji character for it since Hikari is a word that does have a Kanji character for it. It gives you a meaning, usually, too. I'm sure someone could explain this better. I think I confused myself here. ^^No, it wouldn't. It usually only enables your computer to see Japanese text instead of symbols and blocks. I don't know too much about translator programs.

In japanese websites I can see all in japanese, the only thing I can't is the bar above, it appears squares as you said.

Thanks, that was helpful ^^

hmmm what should i do with windows vista.....?

I have Windows XP and I don't have the instalation CD (My windows are original, I just don't have the CD)..what to do?

And I've read back few pages. MANY computers don't come with the CD. Mine is one of those.

I feel so stupid now...xD Yeah sure, will do, thanks.