How to type Cantonese: Install Input Methods

Angie lin | April 23, 2022

It is much easier to type Chinese than to write Chinese. If you know jyutping, then it isn’t hard to type an entire passage. It is also good practice to further familiarize yourself with different vocabulary. In this blog, we will provide you with the resources you need to start typing Cantonese.

The most basic thing you need is, of course, knowing jyutping. The good news is: you don’t need to know all the tones perfectly to use jyutping to type. If you are already studying Cantonese, it is safe to assume that those are the first things you would learn and you are already equipped with the basic knowledge. However, if you happen to jump onto this blog by accident and haven’t started the learning journey yet, now you know where to start. Inspirlang also has videos and other resources that teach jyutping basics. If you are interested in learning more deeply and accessing more conveniently, feel free to schedule a free consultation with us here.

Digressing for a bit, pinyin might be easier to start as Mandarin has less tones than Cantonese. You can read more about the differences between Mandarin and Cantonese in our following blog and decide for yourself which one of these you think you will be more interested in studying. 

Going back on track, the second thing you will need is to install or add the input method onto your laptop or desktop, as well as your phone (iphone or android). Scroll down to see a compilation of the step-by-step methods to install the input methods for jyutping on different devices.

Note: We also have a separate blog that talks about typing Mandarin here.

Jyutping

Note: Jyutping or Cantonese may not be an option for some devices. In order to have the Cantonese input option you will need an installation, which we will provide the link for.

MacOS

1.Click on the Apple Icon and go to System Preferences.

2.Go to Keyboard and go to the input sources tab.

3. Click on the “+” at the bottom of your input source list.

4. Search for Cantonese and choose “Cantonese: Phonetic”. Then click done.

Windows 10

1.Install Rime windows-sfx-2021.05.16-installer.exe. 

2.Once installed access Language Picker in the Taskbar and left-click on Rime.

3.Select Input Method Setting.

4.Uncheck all options except Jyutping.

5.Click 【中】to indicate you’re done.

Link with a visual tutorial: https://www.cantonese.tools/windows.html 

iOS

1.Head to Settings.

2.Go to General, then click on Keyboard.

3.Click on Add New Keyboard…

4.Search and click on for Cantonese, Traditional

5.Choose Phonetic and click done.

Android

1.Go to Settings, then go to Systems.

2.Click on Languages & Input.

3.Go to Virtual Keyboard and click on Gboard. (You would need to download it from the Playstore if you don’t have Gboard.)

4.In Gboard settings head to languages, then Add Keyboard.

5.Click on Chinese and then on Cantonese.

6.Select the keyboard pinyin standard which allows you to type Cantonese using three different ways.

Link to a visual guide: https://www.cantonese.tools/android.html#:~:text=Go%20to%20Settings%20%3E%20Accessibility%20%3E%20Select,Cantonese%20(Hong%20Kong)”.

This video below will show you step by step how to install the Cantonese input method for Mac and iOS.

Those are the ways to install the input methods for Cantonese. If you need additional help to start learning jyutping, check out all the resources we have available on our Inspirlang website. We have books, podcasts, and courses available for you to take advantage of in your learning journey. Click on the images below to check them out.