Glenn
一切皆苦
- 8 Jan 2004
- 7,684
- 200
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The following was contributed by Seyumi, and has been copied and pasted from the original thread here, which also contains information on kaomoji.
Reading Japanese Fonts
If you couldn't see those characters properly, it's because you don't have Japanese font installed on your computer. It's very easy procedure to be able to read Japanese fonts. I believe there's a few links to the Microsoft website to download quick IME reading packages (don't know them) but I'll show you how to truly install the fonts (it's like a 230MB package) to the point where you can type them as well instead of just reading (well on Windows XP anyway)
Just go to your Control Panel and click on Region and Language options. Click the Languages Tab and click on the bottom button saying "Install Files for East Asia languages" you'll need your Windows XP CD since it installs quite a large amount of files. After that it may require a restart (I forgot) and that's it.
How to turn your OS into "Japanese Mode"
Another easy procedure but has small consequences if stayed on the mode. Just go to your Control Panel and click the Region and Language Options button. Click the Advanced tab and at the top dropdown box find "Japanese."A restart will be required.
They're ups and downs to being in Japanese mode but it's just as easy to switch back to your original language than it was to change it. While in Japanese mode more Japanese things will display properly. Example is like a text document with Japanese in it, Japanese programs that display a bunch of ????'s or squares and symbols while trying to run will now display proper Japanese, ect. The downsides are if you're trying to install programs or something the setup may be in Japanese (if you can't read JP might be a problem). Or when you run it it'll be in Japanese (Nero for example). Another is your default font changes to something uglier in something like Internet Explorer. Some websites will look a lot different. Another example is like Microsoft Word. Typing in something like an apostrophe will look normal to you but if you like post it on the internet it'll look like some weird Japanese kanji instead to everyone else making your text look jacked up. Just something I noticed.
How to type in Japanese
First thing you need to do is setup a Japanese keyboard. (Don't worry you don't actually need a physical one just change around some options.) Again go to your control Panel and click Region and Language Options button. Click the Languages tab at the top and hit the Details button. Just click the "Add button" on the middle right and scroll till you see "Japanese." Then click the Keyboard layout/IME button and click "OK". After doing this a language bar will popup on your desktop. You can configure it a bit in the "Language Bar" button at the bottom after you click OK. That's pretty much it, now how to actually type.
Typing can be tricky and a pain. The default way to shift from your language to another one is holding down Left Alt+Shift at the same time. You also sometimes have to hold down Left Alt+~ (tilde). Just keep pressing these two until it switches. You can switch back the same way.
When you type in Japanese it'll originally be in roman (just English looking characters). It's also by default in hiragana. Most Japanese words have kanji to represent the word. Press the spacebar to bring up the kanji list (if the word has one), also it displays the Katakana version of the word which you can also do by pressing F7 (press F6 through F10 for different options, also you can press the same button multiple times for more options) Just a tip, pressing spacebar and getting the first Kanji is "usually" the right one you want to use but don't count on it. Remember that words have multiple meanings and kanjis. Example I want to type Tree き (ki) and when I press space, the first on the list is this: 気, but I want 木 which is like the 4th one down. Just be careful.
------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to a page that tells you how to install Microsoft's Japanese IME.
Links to more threads that discuss the issue:
How are you inputting Japanese Characters?
How do I get Kanji displayed on my computer?
Japanese IME
Write Hiragana Above Kanji - Microsoft Japanese IME 2003
Japanese on windows xp
Reading Japanese Fonts
If you couldn't see those characters properly, it's because you don't have Japanese font installed on your computer. It's very easy procedure to be able to read Japanese fonts. I believe there's a few links to the Microsoft website to download quick IME reading packages (don't know them) but I'll show you how to truly install the fonts (it's like a 230MB package) to the point where you can type them as well instead of just reading (well on Windows XP anyway)
Just go to your Control Panel and click on Region and Language options. Click the Languages Tab and click on the bottom button saying "Install Files for East Asia languages" you'll need your Windows XP CD since it installs quite a large amount of files. After that it may require a restart (I forgot) and that's it.
How to turn your OS into "Japanese Mode"
Another easy procedure but has small consequences if stayed on the mode. Just go to your Control Panel and click the Region and Language Options button. Click the Advanced tab and at the top dropdown box find "Japanese."A restart will be required.
They're ups and downs to being in Japanese mode but it's just as easy to switch back to your original language than it was to change it. While in Japanese mode more Japanese things will display properly. Example is like a text document with Japanese in it, Japanese programs that display a bunch of ????'s or squares and symbols while trying to run will now display proper Japanese, ect. The downsides are if you're trying to install programs or something the setup may be in Japanese (if you can't read JP might be a problem). Or when you run it it'll be in Japanese (Nero for example). Another is your default font changes to something uglier in something like Internet Explorer. Some websites will look a lot different. Another example is like Microsoft Word. Typing in something like an apostrophe will look normal to you but if you like post it on the internet it'll look like some weird Japanese kanji instead to everyone else making your text look jacked up. Just something I noticed.
How to type in Japanese
First thing you need to do is setup a Japanese keyboard. (Don't worry you don't actually need a physical one just change around some options.) Again go to your control Panel and click Region and Language Options button. Click the Languages tab at the top and hit the Details button. Just click the "Add button" on the middle right and scroll till you see "Japanese." Then click the Keyboard layout/IME button and click "OK". After doing this a language bar will popup on your desktop. You can configure it a bit in the "Language Bar" button at the bottom after you click OK. That's pretty much it, now how to actually type.
Typing can be tricky and a pain. The default way to shift from your language to another one is holding down Left Alt+Shift at the same time. You also sometimes have to hold down Left Alt+~ (tilde). Just keep pressing these two until it switches. You can switch back the same way.
When you type in Japanese it'll originally be in roman (just English looking characters). It's also by default in hiragana. Most Japanese words have kanji to represent the word. Press the spacebar to bring up the kanji list (if the word has one), also it displays the Katakana version of the word which you can also do by pressing F7 (press F6 through F10 for different options, also you can press the same button multiple times for more options) Just a tip, pressing spacebar and getting the first Kanji is "usually" the right one you want to use but don't count on it. Remember that words have multiple meanings and kanjis. Example I want to type Tree き (ki) and when I press space, the first on the list is this: 気, but I want 木 which is like the 4th one down. Just be careful.
------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to a page that tells you how to install Microsoft's Japanese IME.
Links to more threads that discuss the issue:
How are you inputting Japanese Characters?
How do I get Kanji displayed on my computer?
Japanese IME
Write Hiragana Above Kanji - Microsoft Japanese IME 2003
Japanese on windows xp