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{{Update|part=handwriting, OCR, and voice recognition|inaccurate=yes|reason=Tech advances have vastly improved these input methods|date=June 2021}}
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Several [[input methods]] allow the use of [[Chinese characters]] with computers. Most allow selection of characters based either on their pronunciation or their graphical shape. Phonetic input methods are easier to learn but are less efficient, while graphical methods allow faster input, but have a steep [[learning curve]].

Other methods allow users to write characters directly via [[touchscreen]]s, such as those found on mobile phones and tablet computers.

== History ==
[[Image:Large chinese keyboard.jpg|thumb|right|An early experimental Chinese radical keyboard using 496 keys for input was developed by researchers of [[National Chiao Tung University]] in Taiwan, but was never widely used.<ref name="xinzhu">{{cite web|url=https://hccg.culture.tw/home/zh-tw/NCTU_PC_EQUIPMENT/597871|title=1973年交大研製第一個中文鍵盤|website=The memory of Hsinchu city|language=zh|access-date=2022-08-25}}</ref>]]
Chinese input methods predate the computer. One of the early attempts was an electro-mechanical [[Chinese typewriter]] Mingkwai ({{zh|c=明快 |p=míngkuài |w=ming-k'uai}}) which was invented by [[Lin Yutang]], a prominent Chinese writer, in the 1940s. It assigned thirty base shapes or strokes to different keys and adopted a new way of categorizing Chinese characters. But the typewriter was not produced commercially and Lin soon found himself deeply in debt.<ref>[http://203.68.20.65/science/content/1972/00110035/0018.htm 中文與計算機] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20030513120935/http://203.68.20.65/science/content/1972/00110035/0018.htm |date=2003-05-13 }}</ref>

Before the 1980s, Chinese publishers hired teams of workers and selected a few thousand type pieces from an enormous Chinese character set. Chinese government agencies entered characters using a long, complicated list of [[Chinese telegraph code]]s, which assigned different numbers to each character. During the early computer era, Chinese characters were categorized by their radicals or Pinyin romanization, but results were less than satisfactory.

In the 1970s to 1980s, large keyboards with thousands of keys were used to input Chinese. Each key was mapped to several Chinese characters. To type a character, one pressed the character key and then a selection key.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/newGbInfo?hcno=3D8D8DCA190E4CB90399EE2FB91F93CC|title=汉字整字键盘盘面字排列 |website=Standardization Administration of China |year=1987|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref> There were also experimental "radical keyboards" with dozens to several hundreds keys. Chinese characters were decomposed into "radicals", each of which was represented by a key.<ref name="xinzhu"/><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ir.nctu.edu.tw/handle/11536/137495 |author1=謝清俊 |author2=黃永文 |author3=林樹|title=中文字根之分析|journal=Science Bulletin National Chiao-Tung University|volume=6|issue=1|year=1973}}</ref><ref name="zhzn"/> Unwieldy and difficult to use, these keyboards became obsolete after the introduction of Cangjie input method, the first method to use only the standard QWERTY keyboard and make Chinese [[touch typing]] possible.<ref name="zhzn">{{cite book|url=http://www.open-lit.com/bid=506&id=18353|chapter=三、電腦 倉頡、天龍、零壹、漢卡|title=智慧之旅. 第3部, 炎夏(一九七三-一九九五) |author=朱邦復|publisher=時報出版|year=1995}}</ref>

[[Image:Keyboard layout cangjie.png|thumb|A typical [[keyboard layout]] for the Cangjie method, which is based on the [[keyboard layout#United States|United States keyboard layout]].]]
[[Chu Bong-Foo]] invented a common input method in 1976 with his [[Cangjie input method]], which assigns different "roots" to each key on a standard computer keyboard. With this method, for example, the character {{lang|zh|日}} is assigned to the A key, and 月 is assigned to B. Typing them together will result in the character {{lang|zh|明}} ("bright").

[[Image:2008 Taipei IT Month Day1 InstantDict MD6800.jpg|thumb|An electronic dictionary with Cangjie keyboard]]
Despite its steeper learning curve, this method remains popular in Chinese communities that use [[traditional Chinese characters]], such as [[Hong Kong]] and [[Taiwan]]; the method allows very precise input, thus allowing users to type more efficiently and quickly, provided they are familiar with the fairly complicated rules of the method. It was the first method that allowed users to enter more than a hundred Chinese characters per minute. Its popularity is also helped by its omnipresence on traditional Chinese computer systems, since Chu gave up his patent in 1982, stating that it should be part of the cultural asset. Developers of Chinese systems can adopt it freely, and users do not have the hassle of it being absent on devices with Chinese support.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://epaper.naer.edu.tw/edm.php?grp_no=2&edm_no=33&content_no=875|title=教育科技的專利與普及|author=朱麟華|journal= 國家教育研究院電子報|year=2012|issue=33}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.cw.com.tw/index.php/article/5036251?from=search|title=朱邦復的人文科技夢|year=1999|issue=219|journal=天下雜誌|author=藍麗娟|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref> Cangjie input programs supporting a large [[CJK Unified Ideographs|CJK character]] set have been developed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rime.im/|title=中州韻輸入法引擎|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chinesecj.com/|title=倉頡之友|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mingpaomonthly.com/article/details/%E6%80%9D%E6%BD%AE%EF%BC%8E%E5%8B%95%E5%90%91%2F2012-03%2F1590998177213%2F%E9%8C%A2%E9%8D%BE%E6%9B%B8%E5%85%88%E7%94%9F%E8%88%87%E3%80%8C%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E5%8F%A4%E5%85%B8%E6%95%B8%E5%AD%97%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B%E3%80%8D%E3%80%80%EF%BC%88%E7%94%B0%20%E5%A5%95%EF%BC%89|title=錢鍾書先生與「中國古典數字工程」|author=田奕|date=2012-03-02|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref>

All methods have their strengths and weaknesses. The [[pinyin method]] can be learned rapidly but its maximum input rate is limited. The [[Wubi method]] takes longer to learn, but expert typists can enter text much more rapidly with it than with phonetic methods. However, Wubi is proprietary, and a version of it has become freely available only after its inventor lost a patent lawsuit in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ciplawyer.cn/html/plcyzl/20090517/121932.html|title=王永民王码五笔字型专利纠纷案|website= 中国知识产权律师网|date=2009-05-17|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref>

Due to these complexities, there is no "standard" method.

By 1989, [[bopomofo]] and pinyin were available for the [[IBM PC]].<ref name="pournelle198902">{{Cite magazine |last=Pournelle |first=Jerry |date=February 1989 |title=Ready Line Overload |url=https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1989-02_OCR/page/n175/mode/2up?view=theater |access-date=2024-10-08 |magazine=BYTE |pages=121-137}}</ref> In mainland China, pinyin methods such as [[Sogou Pinyin]] and [[Google Pinyin]] are the most popular. In [[Taiwan]], use of [[Cangjie method|Cangjie]], [[Dayi method|Dayi]], Boshiamy, and bopomofo predominate; and in [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], the [[Cangjie method|Cangjie]] is most often taught in schools, while a few schools teach [[CKC Chinese Input System]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.dsedj.gov.mo/cre/tmag/07/9-2.htm|title=倉頡以外的另一個選擇 ─"縱橫輸入法"|journal=教師雜誌|issue=7|year=2004|access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref>

Other methods include [[handwriting recognition]], [[Optical character recognition|OCR]] and [[speech recognition]]. The computer itself must first be "trained" before the first or second of these methods are used; that is, the new user enters the system in a special "learning mode" so that the system can learn to identify their handwriting or speech patterns. The latter two methods are used less frequently than keyboard-based input methods and suffer from relatively high error rates, especially when used without proper "training", though higher error rates are an acceptable trade-off to many users.

== Categories ==

=== Phonetic-based ===
{{See also|Pinyin input method|Bopomofo|Jyutping}}
[[File:Interface of Weasel Input Method.png|thumb|Interface of a [[Pinyin]] input method, showing the need to choose an appropriate word out of a list of options. The word typed is "Wikipedia" in Mandarin Chinese, but the options shown include (from top to bottom) Wikipedia, [[Uncyclopedia]], Wiki, Crisis, and Rules Violation.]]
The user enters pronunciations that are converted into relevant Chinese characters. The user must select the desired character from homophones, which are common in Chinese. Modern systems, such as [[Sogou Pinyin]] and [[Google Pinyin]], predict the desired characters based on context and user preferences. For example, if one enters the sounds ''jicheng'', the software will type {{lang|zh-Hant|繼承}} (to inherit), but if ''jichengche'' is entered,  {{lang|zh-Hant|計程車}} (taxi) will appear.

Various Chinese dialects complicate the system. Phonetic methods are mainly based on standard [[pinyin]], [[Zhùyīn fúhào|Zhuyin]]/Bopomofo, and [[Jyutping]] in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, respectively.  Input methods based on other [[varieties of Chinese]], like [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]] or [[Southern Min|Minnan]], also exist.

While the phonetic system is easy to learn, choosing appropriate Chinese characters slows typing speed. Most users report a typing speed of fifty characters per minute, though some reach over one hundred per minute.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120707171007/http://bbs.sogou.com/284579/goYBXy1sJXqFBAAAA.html users' Report on Pinyin Method], Sougou BBS</ref> With some phonetic IMEs ([[Input Method Editor]]s), in addition to predictive input based on previous conversions, it is possible for users to create custom dictionary entries for frequently used characters and phrases, potentially lowering the number of characters required to evoke it.

==== Shuangpin ====
[[File:Microsoft Double Pinyin Scheme.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The Microsoft pinyin 2003 shuangpin scheme.]]
Shuangpin ({{lang|zh-Hans|双拼}}; {{lang|zh-Hant|雙拼}}), literally dual spell, is a stenographical phonetic [[input method]] based on [[hanyu pinyin]] that reduces the number of keystrokes for one [[Chinese character]] to two by distributing every vowel and consonant composed of more than one letter to a specific key. In most Shuangpin layout schemes such as Xiaohe, Microsoft 2003 and Ziranma, the most frequently used vowels are placed on the middle layer, reducing the risk of [[repetitive strain injury]].

Shuangpin is supported by a large number of pinyin input software including QQ, Microsoft Bing Pinyin, [[Sogou Pinyin]] and [[Google Pinyin]].

=== Shape-based ===
[[File:TypingChineseCharactersWithCangjieGedit383Ubuntu1310Screencast.webm|thumb|Typing Chinese with the Cangjie input method]]
* [[Cangjie input method]]
* [[Simplified Cangjie]]
* [[Dayi method]]
* [[Array input method]] ({{lang|zh|行列}})
* [[Four-corner method]]
* [[Stroke count method]]
* [[Wubi method]]
* [[Zhengma method]]
* [[Biaoxingma method]]
* [[ZYQ method]] ({{lang|zh|正易全}})<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zhang |first=Xiao-heng |date=2003 |title=正易全:一个动态结构笔组汉字编码输入法 (Towards Correctness, Easiness and Completeness : Building a Chinese Character Coding Input Method Based on Dynamic Structured Stroke Groups) |url=http://jcip.cipsc.org.cn/CN/abstract/abstract1316.shtml |journal=Journal of Chinese Information Processing |volume=17 (2003) |issue=3 |pages=60–66}}</ref>

=== Others ===
* [[Chinese telegraph code]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|中文電碼}})

=== Examples of keyboard layouts ===
<gallery heights="60px" widths="140px">
Image:Keyboard layout Zhuyin.svg|A typical [[keyboard layout]] for zhuyin on computers, which can be used as an input method
Image:Wubi keyboard.png|A keyboard using the [[Wubi method]]
Image:Keyboard layout cangjie.png|A typical keyboard layout for the [[Cangjie method]], which is based on the [[keyboard layout#US|U.S. keyboard layout]]. Note the non-standard use of Z as the collision key.
Image:Keyboard layout Dayi.svg|A typical keyboard layout for the [[Dayi method]]
Image:Keyboard layout Chinese Traditional.png|Chinese (traditional) keyboard layout, a US keyboard with Zhuyin, Cangjie and Dayi key labels, which can all be used to input Chinese characters into a computer
</gallery>

== Software ==
* Microsoft IME
* [[Sogou Pinyin]]
* [[Google Pinyin]]

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* [[List of input methods for Unix platforms]]
* [[List of CJK fonts]]
* [[Chinese language and computers]]
* [[Japanese language and computers]]
** [[Japanese input methods]]
* [[Korean language and computers]]
* [[Vietnamese language and computers]]
* [[Han unification]]
* [[Character amnesia]]
* [[Chinese character encoding]]s:
** [[Big5]]
** [[Guobiao code]] (GB)
** [[Unicode]]
** [[Chinese telegraph code|Telegraph code]]
* [[Chinese character IT]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2136726/ What Does a Chinese Keyboard Look Like?], article by [[Slate.com]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140617122743/http://www.b-t.asia/chinese/im.php Overview of Input Methods], by Sebastien Bruggeman.
* [http://input.foruto.com 中文輸入法世界] Chinese input method news.
* [https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/29/the-engineering-daring-that-led-to-the-first-chinese-personal-computer/ The engineering daring that led to the first Chinese personal computer]. With 1,000s of Chinese characters and limited memory, inventors of the Sinotype III had to push the limits of early machines. by Tom Mullaney, June 29, 2021, techcrunch.com
* [https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/24/how-intensive-modding-ushered-in-chinas-computer-revolution/ How intensive modding ushered in China’s computer revolution]: Early Chinese engineers needed to constantly push against the boundaries of 'alphabetic order,'by Tom Mullaney, October 24, 2021, techcrunch.com
* [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200219-xia-peisu-the-computer-pioneer-who-built-modern-china The computer pioneer who built modern China], By Leila McNeill, 19 February 2020, bbc website.

{{Input Method}}
{{Keyboard layouts}}

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[[Category:CJK input methods]]
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