How do I type in Japanese in Elementary OS 6?

Question

I'm new to Elementary OS. I would like to type in Japanese, but I can't figure it out. I can add the option in iBus to switch to Japanese, but then it still just prints out roman characters. Plus, with iBus, every time I log in to Elementary OS, I need to go into settings and activate iBus again. And it doesn't let me switch the keyboards with Cntrl+Space - even though I have it configured it that way in the settings. Is there an iBus alternative that works with Elementary OS 6? I've looked on the internet for other answers, but all the other help topics I've been able to find are for previous versions of Elementary OS, and don't appear to work now (like this one: How can I enable Japanese input?).

Any help would be great. Thank you!

Answer 1

The best way to type in Japanese on Linux in my experience is to use the mozc input method. It's hidden a little bit in Elementary OS 6, but this is how you can get it working:

1. Open "System Settings" and go to "Keyboard"

2. Under "Layout", make sure the left-most list has the keyboard layouts that you have installed. I am using a Japanese keyboard, so only that one is listed.

3. Under "Input Method", enable IBus (if it has disabled itself again for you)

4. Click the + button under the list of layouts (on the left-hand side) and filter on "Japanese":

5. Click on "Japanese — Mozc", then click "Add Engine"

6. You will now see in the upper-right corner a little widget with a capital letter "A":

   

   This is how you can change your input going forward.

   ^{Note: If you do not see the little widget, click "Japanese — Mozc" in the settings or, set the language bar in the upper-right corner.}

   

7. Open any text editor you wish

8. Ensure the little Mozc widget is set to the input that you would like:

9. Give it a test:

When this is all said and done, the Input Method is remembered across reboots. You will not need to reconfigure, reinstall, or rejigger anything.

Note: You may want to also confirm that you have the Japanese language packs fully installed. This will ensure the autocomplete dictionaries are in place as well as a couple of decent fonts. This can be done in the "Language & Region" section of the system settings. Select 日本語 and just hit "Set Language". This will not change the language of Elementary, but will instead confirm that everything has been installed.

Answer 2

It might be worth noting that you can't add the Mozc engine if your display language is set to Japanese (or at least I have not been able to find a way to do it). If you want the GUI to be Japanese you need to set the keyboard before changing the display language.

It seems illogical but there is no input method engine available by default when the display language is set to a language which needs it.