Hello! I can’t find how to put the general system messages of my Samsung Android Gallaxy in Nihongo. I mean, titles of standard apps, notifications from Whatsapp, low battery, menu options for configurations and so on. The strange thing is that I do can change to English (my language here is Brazilian Portuguese), Catalan, a bunch of dozens Western languages… and even other very different Eastern ones, such as Chinese, Arabics, etc… why just Japanese is not listed?
Another thing: I could install an app called Japanese Keyboard so I could write in Kanji and kanas. However, it’s not so practical… every time I need to change for Western or Japanese characters to write in the mobile, I need to go to Configurations, click in Languages, choose the option inside… there would be another more practical to switch possibility?
I’m not sure about your first point but as for your second I do know about. You go to settings → language and input → language → add language then choose 日本語. Then whenever your keyboard pops up to type in something, you can swipe the spacebar to switch between English and Japanese.
I have the same issue with my tablet, no Japanese listed in the language settings but I can use a Japanese keyboard setting no problem. I didn’t find a good solution, though.
I tried the same thing a while back. It may just be down to the localization of the device. Usually, they’ll only provide language options for the most common second languages of the country that the phone was localized for (not sure if this is the right term here). For example, mine only has English UK, English US, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, and Polish.
The only way I’m aware of getting around this is to root/jailbreak your phone, although there may be a simpler solution for different devices. I know this is a common issue however, so there should be a bunch of guides on how to get this to work online.
I have a Samsung Galaxy tablet - I just had a squizz, and Japanese is not listed in the Roman alphabet listings, but if you scroll right down through the non-alphabet scripts, you may find 日本語 at the bottom, as it is on mine.
Not everything is in Japanese, but most. As others have suggested, it may depend on where you purchased your device - I’m in Australia (Australasia sales region for tech stuff, so maybe it is only available on devices sold in this region?).
On recent Android versions you should have the option to add Japanese language. When that is moved to the top of the installed list your UI will change to Japanese.
In older versions of Android or if you don’t have a Japanese option you might try MoreLocale2 from the Play Store. I can’t recall if it needs root.
GBoard now supports Japanese. It’s slightly less clumsy than switching keyboards. You could of course just use the Google Japanese keyboard in western alphabet mode.
I’m not sure about the regional thing, just guessing (it certainly applied to DVDs and players as well as laptops 10 - 15 years ago, no idea anymore). I’m not very tech-savvy, sorry, I have no idea what a POBOX keyboard is.
There is actually a way, how to activate 日本語 on a android mobile phone, which has that language not installed. And it works pretty well! You need an app for that. It’s name is “MoreLocale 2” by the company “C-LIS Crazy Lab.”. That one activates the language on the fly and you don’t have to restart the app. It does NOT need root. Almost everything is translated, menus, standard apps, etc. The only thing that doesn’t work anymore, for some odd reason, is Google Fit. But I can live with that
Hello, thank you for checking in. Where your mobile is from? At least mine, bought in Brazil, has no option of Nihongo, as I said before… very strangely, because it has other Eastern no Western scripts, like Chinese, Corean and Arabics, take a look! Isn’t it unfair and ilogical?
For who else may be interested in this resource, just pay attention: I almost gave up when I tried that “More Locales 2”, because it presented a list of languages that already were available in my mobile. But a while later, I tried again, and clicked in two buttons on the right… And voilá! “Japanese” for the language and “Japan” for the country/local! Yatta!!!
it’s the “standard way” to add decent Japanese IME support
GBoard is here. This is Google’s new way to roll all keyboards into one effectively. It now has Japanese.
You could of course use any other keyboard with both English and Japanese such as Swiftkey as mentioned above (which I don’t really like).
There will always be some element of switching required unless, as I mentioned, you just use the English alphabet input on the Japanese keyboard which I sometimes do.
Now, is it possible to prioritize Japanese fonts without changing the locale, and without Root?
Continuing the discussion from Android 5.1.1 and Japanses Fonts
