Type Japanese the way Japanese people do on a computer: in romaji, turning into kana as you type.
Japanese words to try
Tap a word to put it in the box above, or type it yourself with the keys shown.
| Word | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | konnichiha | |
| Thank you | arigatou | |
| Excuse me | sumimasen' | |
| Postage stamp | kitte | |
| Coffee (Katakana ticked) | ko-hi- |
Romaji input: how Japanese is typed
Almost everyone in Japan types on a QWERTY keyboard using romaji input. You spell each syllable in Latin letters and it turns into kana as soon as it is complete: k waits, and ka becomes か. This page works the same way, on your physical keyboard or on the on-screen keys.
A computer in Japan would then offer to convert the kana into kanji. This page stops at kana. Hiragana and katakana are complete, correct Japanese writing, and they are what learners practise, what goes into a search engine or a dictionary lookup, and what Google Translate reads.
The rules worth knowing
The particle は is typed ha even though it is said wa, and へ is typed he. Romaji input spells what is written, not what is said.
| You want | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ん | nn before a vowel, n before a consonant, n' at the end | konnichiha → こんにちは, hon' → ほん |
| っ (small tsu) | double the next consonant | kitte → きって, maccha → まっちゃ |
| ー (long vowel in katakana) | - | ko-hi- → コーヒー |
| きゃ きゅ きょ | kya kyu kyo | kyou → きょう |
| しゃ ちゃ じゃ | sha cha ja | shashin' → しゃしん |
| し ち つ ふ じ | shi chi tsu fu ji | tsukue → つくえ |
| を | wo | hon'wo → ほんを |
| small ぁ ゃ っ on their own | x before the kana | xtsu → っ, xya → ゃ |
| 。、「」・ | . , [ ] / |
Hiragana or katakana
Hiragana is the default script for Japanese words and grammar. Katakana is for loanwords, foreign names, emphasis and sound effects: コーヒー (coffee), アメリカ, テレビ. Tick Katakana under the keyboard and everything you type from then on comes out in katakana; untick it to go back. Already-typed text stays as it is, so you can mix the two in one sentence, as Japanese does.
Hiragana chart with the romaji to type
Each cell shows the kana and what to type for it. Katakana follows the same chart; tick Katakana and type the same romaji.
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | あ a | い i | う u | え e | お o |
| k | か ka | き ki | く ku | け ke | こ ko |
| s | さ sa | し shi | す su | せ se | そ so |
| t | た ta | ち chi | つ tsu | て te | と to |
| n | な na | に ni | ぬ nu | ね ne | の no |
| h | は ha | ひ hi | ふ fu | へ he | ほ ho |
| m | ま ma | み mi | む mu | め me | も mo |
| y | や ya | ゆ yu | よ yo | ||
| r | ら ra | り ri | る ru | れ re | ろ ro |
| w | わ wa | を wo | |||
| g | が ga | ぎ gi | ぐ gu | げ ge | ご go |
| z | ざ za | じ ji | ず zu | ぜ ze | ぞ zo |
| d | だ da | ぢ di | づ du | で de | ど do |
| b | ば ba | び bi | ぶ bu | べ be | ぼ bo |
| p | ぱ pa | ぴ pi | ぷ pu | ぺ pe | ぽ po |
si, ti, tu and hu also work, as older romaji systems spell them: si gives し and tu gives つ.
Setting up Japanese on your own device
- Windows: add Japanese under Language and region. The Microsoft IME switches between English and kana with Alt+`; press Space after typing to convert to kanji.
- Mac: System Settings, Keyboard, Input Sources, add Japanese "Romaji". Switch with Ctrl+Space.
- Phone: add Japanese in Gboard or the iPhone keyboard. You can choose romaji input on a QWERTY layout, or the 12-key flick keyboard most people in Japan use on phones.