{"id":1967,"date":"2022-07-15T17:12:31","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T09:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maayot.com\/blog\/?p=1967"},"modified":"2023-08-15T12:56:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T04:56:32","slug":"how-to-type-in-pinyin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maayot.com\/blog\/how-to-type-in-pinyin\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering Pinyin Typing: A Comprehensive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Do you think pinyin is complicated? Don\u2019t know how to type in pinyin to communicate in Chinese? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we\u2019ll teach you how to type Chinese using the pinyin system on your phone and computer. Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basics of Typing in Pinyin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, you have to grasp the basics of the pinyin system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that typing in pinyin doesn\u2019t require you to know the four tones, which is one of the most complicated parts of learning Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typing Chinese with the pinyin system is easy for English speakers because you just type the alphabet in how the Chinese character is pronounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to type \u201cone,\u201d which is \u4e00 (y\u012b) in Chinese, you only have to type \u201cyi.\u201d The keyboard will provide you with all the \u201cyi\u201d sounding Chinese characters, regardless of their tone. You just need to choose the character you want, and voila!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take note of the difference between retroflex sounds (\u7fd8\u820c\u97f3 qi\u00e0o sh\u00e9 y\u012bn) like \u201cz-\u201d and \u201czh-,\u201d \u201cs-\u201d and \u201csh-,\u201d and \u201cc-\u201d and \u201cch-\u201d! Most people tend to get confused when they should add in the \u201ch\u201d when typing pinyin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Special Case: The \u201c\u00fc\u201d Sound<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve learned pinyin before, you may know that there is an \u201c\u00fc\u201d sound that is pronounced differently from \u201cu.\u201d So, how do you type in this character?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy. The \u201c\u00fc\u201d is typed as \u201cv\u201d on the pinyin keyboard. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To type \u65c5\u884c (l\u01da x\u00edng), which means travel, you\u2019ll need to type \u201clv xing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are only two types of sounds that require you to type \u201cv,\u201d which are l\u00fc and n\u00fc, typed as \u201clv\u201d and \u201cnv.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for other \u201c\u00fc\u201d sounding characters such as \u201cju,\u201d \u201cyu,\u201d \u201clue,\u201d and \u201cnue,\u201d you only need to type the normal \u201cu.\u201d They do not have other pronunciation alternatives like \u201clu\u201d and \u201cnu.\u201d However, the keyboard can also recognize it if you type it as \u201cjv,\u201d \u201cyv,\u201d \u201clve,\u201d and \u201cnve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Convenient Ways of Typing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can also type in several characters at once – or even a whole sentence! It makes typing faster and more convenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say you want to type \u4eca\u5929\u6211\u60f3\u5403\u82f9\u679c (j\u012bn ti\u0101n w\u01d2 xi\u01ceng ch\u012b p\u00edng gu\u01d2), which means I want to eat an apple today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can type \u201cjin tian wo xiang chi ping guo\u201d one by one. But that is too slow and tedious, right? So, you can type in short phrases like \u201cjin\u2019tian,\u201d \u201cwo\u2019xiang\u2019chi,\u201d and \u201cping\u2019guo.\u201d The keyboard will automatically separate each character and provide the most commonly used same-sounding phrases for you to choose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to type even faster, you can just type in \u201cjin\u2019tian\u2019wo\u2019xiang\u2019chi\u2019ping\u2019guo.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the continuous characters that you can type in are separated by punctuations. For example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u6211\u770b\u8fc7\u300a\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6\u300b\u540e\uff0c\u51b3\u5b9a\u770b\u300a\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49\u300b\u3002(w\u01d2 k\u00e0n gu\u00f2\u300ah\u00f3ng l\u00f3u m\u00e8ng\u300bh\u00f2u\uff0cju\u00e9 d\u00ecng k\u00e0n \u300as\u0101n gu\u00f3 y\u01cen y\u00ec\u300b): After I finished reading \u201cDream of the Red Chamber,\u201d I decided to read \u201cRomance of the Three Kingdoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, if you type \u201cwo\u2019kan\u2019guo\u2019hong\u2019lou\u2019meng\u2019hou\u2019jue\u2019ding\u2019kan\u2019san\u2019guo\u2019yan\u2019yi\u201d, what you can do is add in the punctuation marks after you\u2019ve finished typing the whole sentence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If not, you need to stop the continuous typing before each punctuation mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another convenient tip is typing abbreviated pinyin. Look at this example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To type \u201clunch,\u201d which is \u5348\u9910 (w\u01d4 c\u0101n), you can just type \u201cwc,\u201d and this phrase will pop out. It will also list other phrases that have \u201cw\u201d and \u201cc\u201d as the first consonants, such as \u665a\u9910 (w\u01cen c\u0101n), \u5b8c\u6210 (w\u00e1n ch\u00e9ng), and more. Pretty handy, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Picking the Character You Want<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the sentence or phrase is not that commonly used, you may have to pick the characters and phrases one by one from the list provided. For instance, when typing a name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u827e\u7f8e\u8389 (\u00e0i m\u011bi l\u00ec), which is the Chinese pronunciation of the name \u201cEmily.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first word that might pop up will be \u7231\u7f8e\u4e3d, which sounds exactly the same as \u827e\u7f8e\u8389, but it means \u201cto love beauty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you\u2019ll need to scroll through the list to find the exact characters you\u2019re looking for. Usually, the first few recommendations are common phrases. After that, it\u2019ll be the first character of the phrase you typed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this example, after \u7231\u7f8e\u4e3d, the following choices would be \u201cai\u201d sounding characters. Pick the one you\u2019re looking for (\u827e), and the list will continue to let you pick among \u201cmei\u201d sounding characters, which is the second character you typed in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, if you try typing the same characters again, the keyboard will remember your choices and give you \u827e\u7f8e\u8389 as the first choice. It works just like your keyboard recommendations in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try typing it and see for yourself! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typing on Phone vs. Typing on PC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before that, you\u2019ll have to turn on your device settings and add the Chinese pinyin input system to your keyboards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Windows PC:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Windows Start menu >> Control Panel >> Clock, Language and Region >> Change keyboards or other input methods >> Change Keyboards >> Add >> Select \u201cChinese (Simplified) \u2013 Microsoft Pinyin IME\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click \u2018OK\u2019 here and in \u2018Region and Languages\u2019 too. Shortcut key for switching languages is \u201cAlt + Shift\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For MAC OS:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

System Preferences >> Choose Keyboard >> Choose Input Sources >> Click + >> Select \u201cChinese (Simplified) \u2013 Pinyin \u2013 Simplified\u201d >> click Add.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confirm that \u2018Show Input menu in menu bar\u2019 is checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To switch modes, use the language icon in the menu bar at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For iOS Devices:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Settings >> General >> Keyboard >> Keyboards >> Add New Keyboard >> Select \u201cChinese – Simplified (Pinyin)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Android Devices:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Settings >> System >> Languages & input >> “Keyboards,”  >> Virtual keyboard >> Gboard >> Languages >> Pick \u201cChinese (Simplified) – Pinyin\u201d >> Done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To switch between languages on your phone, tap the globe icon on your keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then you\u2019re ready to go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between typing pinyin on the phone and a PC? Not much, really. The main difference is how you choose the characters on the character list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The keyboard will give you 5-6 recommended characters on your phone. You\u2019ll need to tap on the arrow beside it to show the complete list of other less-used characters. You only have to tap on your desired character or phrases, and you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for PCs, the keyboard will give you 7 choices of characters or phrases. If the character or phrase you\u2019re looking for isn\u2019t among the top 7, you\u2019ll need to press the \u201cdown button\u201d on your keyboard or click the right arrow on the list to see more choices. To choose the character or phrase, press the corresponding number on your keyboard or just click on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, we\u2019ve covered most of what you need to know about typing Chinese in pinyin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, you must understand how each character is pronounced to know the pinyin you need to type. After that, typing in pinyin will be a breeze!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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