There are approximately 850 million people in the world who speak Mandarin Chinese! Of course, almost all of them have a computer or a phone and write something during the day. Good With so many different and many characters How does that work?

Chinese speaking people, Because they can’t use a 40,000-key keyboard There has to be another way to type things on a computer or phone. Let’s take a look at these methods.

The first method is to use IME, software that allows text to be entered in a language that cannot be easily displayed on a standard QWERTY keyboard.

In the so-called “input method editor” method, various Chinese characters can be created on a standard keyboard. Users can view characters interpreted by the IME instead of each character appearing on a single keyboard key. key combinations author.

The software creates the character that corresponds to the sequence of keystrokes or a list of characters for you to choose from. Characters are not directly tied to each key. Instead of key combinationscreates certain characters.

There is another method called “Pinyin” keyboard.

Pinyin keyboard users type with Latin letters on the keyboard and computer with the symbol or symbols corresponding to the completed word changes automatically.

Although it seems functional, the Pinyin keyboard obviously has some shortcomings. Many Chinese words sound the same, but completely different spelling It has it.

When the computer automatically translates the desired word written in Latin letters, a completely different word So it can happen.

However, some advanced Pinyin software can predict the corresponding word more accurately based on the context of the text. Even in some shortcuts for specific words You can even assign it.

With the “Wubi” method, there are labels on each key.

To write a character in Wubi, you don’t try to explain what it sounds like. What it looks like and how it is drawn you press a series of corresponding keys.

On a keyboard configured by Wubi There are additional labels. QWERTY keys are divided into zones such as left, right, horizontal and vertical for different pressing options.

You spell a character by making up to four strokes in the order drawn on the paper. If Wubi is talented enough It can produce up to 160 characters per minute.

Ancient countries may prefer tablets.

Older people may choose to write characters by hand using electronic tablets. Because the shape of each character is clear enough Chinese written language So it can be transferred quite easily.

However, all methods Based on a Latin alphabet keyboard It sounds quite annoying. We now better understand the value of our letters and keyboards…

You can also check out our content on keyboards below: