There are approximately 850 million people who speak Mandarin Chinese in the world! Of course, almost all of them have a computer or a phone and write something during the day. That’s enough, but how does that work with so many different and numerous characters?
Since Chinese-speaking people cannot use a keyboard with 40,000 keys, there must be another way to type something on a computer or phone. Let’s take a look at these systems.
The first system uses IME, software that allows text to be entered in a language that cannot be easily represented on a standard QWERTY keyboard.
In the method called “input method editor”, various Chinese characters can be created on a standard keyboard. Users type key combinations interpreted by the IME, rather than each character appearing on a single keyboard key.
The software creates the character that matches the set of keystrokes or a list of characters to choose from. Characters are not directly linked to each key. Instead, key combinations necessarily create characters.
There is another method called “Pinyin” keyboard.
Pinyin keyboard users type using Latin letters on the keyboard, and the computer automatically replaces the completed word with the corresponding symbol or symbols.
Although it seems functional, the Pinyin keyboard has some flaws, of course. Many Chinese words sound similar but have completely different spellings.
When the computer automatically translates the word that is intended to be written in Latin letters, a completely different word can emerge.
However, some advanced Pinyin software can predict the corresponding word more accurately depending on the context of the text. In some of them, you can even assign shortcuts for certain words.
In the “Wubi” method, there are labels on each key.
To write a character in Wubi, you don’t try to explain how it sounds. You press a series of keys that correspond to what it looks like and how it is drawn.
A keyboard configured by Wubi has additional labels on it. QWERTY keys are divided into zones such as left, right, horizontal, 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 properly skilled, it can produce up to 160 characters per minute.
Old lands may prefer tablets.
Older people can choose to write characters by hand using electronic tablets. Since the form of each character is clearly defined, the Chinese written language can be conveyed quite easily.
However, all the methods sound quite challenging compared to a keyboard containing the Latin alphabet. We now understand better the price of our letters and keyboards…
You can also take a look at our content regarding keyboards below: