<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/0asDB.png" alt="enter image description here">You can use the Tablet PC Input Panel (whether you are on a tablet pc or not) by right clicking the taskbar, hovering over the toolbars submenu and checking tablet pc input panel</p>

<p>If that option isnt available, you may need to install it by going to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn windows features on or off and checking tablet pc components</p>

<p>The tablet pc input panel allows you to draw characters (english or chinese depending on what the current input language is set as) using the mouse or, if you have one, a touch screen or drawing tablet</p>

<p>If you want to type your characters using Pinyin, then you can use the microsoft pinyin IME installable through Control panel -> region and language -> keyboard and languages</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-14T12:57:45.717Z
Hmm, for some reason I can only use the writing pad with English, not Chinese :( (the keyboard icon is greyed out if I select Chinese)
Cocowalla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:30:21.047Z
2011-12-13T22:30:21.047Z
arcyqwerty
<p>It depends on the OS you're in. On <a href="http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/Search/Search?SearchTerm=chinese&amp;CurrentScope.ForumName=Windows&amp;CurrentScope.Filter=windows_7-desktop&amp;askingquestion=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">answers.microsoft.com</a> I searched chinese and you can see the solutions for each OS from Microsoft.</p>

<p>Just for completeness, let me add also a quick guide for the Mac OS X. You do the following:</p>

<ol>
<li>Go to <em>System Preferences</em> (you can reach it in the menu by clicking on the apple symbol on the top-left side);</li>
<li>Click on "Language and Text" or something similar, it has a flag icon;</li>
<li>Click on the "Input source" tab;</li>
<li>Scroll down until you see "Chinese - Simplified" or "Chinese - Traditional";</li>
<li>Select the input type you desire;</li>
<li>You can select the language input by clicking on the Flag on the top bar, near the time and the battery level.</li>
</ol>

<p>Now open a document. If you selected the "pinyin input" type, which is the most used (sometimes the only one available) and the easiest one, then you can type the "alphabetical" version of the characters, which is called <strong>pinyin</strong>, indeed. </p>

<p>For example, if you wanna write "你好", type "nihao". A menu will "open". To select one of the choices, click on the number that corresponds to the expression you wish to write and voilà. Below you'll see the menu I was talking about:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/MKf4P.png" alt="screenshot pinyin chinese"></p>

<p>By clicking one, I choose to write the two characters that correspond to "nihao" which mean "hello". </p>

<p>On the Mac it is also possible to draw using the trackpad or an external graphic tablet:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/tzJnY.png" alt="screenshot trackpad"></p>

<p>This was done like the video showed in the <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4288" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Apple support page</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:43:25.627Z
A good answer... if I had a Mac ;)
Cocowalla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:50:49.380Z
Eheheh, sorry, I know it doesn't apply to you but I felt it wouldn't harm to post it. I hope the first link can be helpful for you!
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:30:00.223Z
2011-12-14T14:30:34.507Z
2011-12-14T14:30:34.507Z
Alenanno
<p>So I've got an answer that works on both Windows and Mac (quite recently), which is <a href="http://pinyin.sogou.com/" rel="nofollow">Sogou Pinyin Input</a>. The default Mac input system has terrible sentence generation, and the default Windows system is even worse, IMHO. Sogou is really fantastic, and quite a step up from either the <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/" rel="nofollow">Google Pinyin IME</a> for Windows, or the recently-turned-freeware <a href="http://glider.ismac.cn/RegQIME.html" rel="nofollow">QIM for Mac</a> (which isn't too bad, I just didn't think it was worth paying for)</p>

<p>For character recognition, there are all sorts of tablets available (it would be very time consuming with a mouse), but there is also an app called <a href="http://thisfinger.com/" rel="nofollow">Finger</a> which works on your iOS device, and links up with your computer for doing handwriting.</p>

<p>Lastly, and this is Mac only - you can <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4288" rel="nofollow">use the trackpad/magic touchpad</a> to do Chinese handwriting. It's pretty neat.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-15T09:26:10.820Z
I prefer qq pinyin input (http://py.qq.com/) but that's just a matter of personal opinion.
Zhanger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T23:24:54.197Z
2011-12-13T23:24:54.197Z
Ciaocibai
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_input_methods_for_computers" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is a nice Wikipedia article outlines Chinese input methods</p>

<p>Using a keyboard, the most popular ones are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin_input_method" rel="nofollow">PinYin</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_method" rel="nofollow">Wubi</a>.</p>

<p>Yes, you can also use a drawing pad to draw characters using mouse or stylus. It's called "写字板" or "手写板".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:24:56.003Z
2011-12-13T22:24:56.003Z
StarCub
<p>I'd better say that we all use SouGou PinYin input method <a href="http://pinyin.sogou.com/" rel="nofollow">http://pinyin.sogou.com/</a> in Windows. It is the best pinyin input method and support all the functions you wanted. BTW, in linux (for example, ubuntu), we use Sunpinyin or Googlepinyin with ibus or fcitx.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-13T02:21:02.047Z
2013-08-13T02:21:02.047Z
Eden Harder
<p>Try the Chrome Extension <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-input-tools-by-goo/mclkkofklkfljcocdinagocijmpgbhab" rel="nofollow">Google Input Tools</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-13T04:24:04.273Z
2013-08-13T04:24:04.273Z
leesei
<p>What options are available for input of simplified Chinese on Windows computers?</p>

<p>Is it possible to draw characters using a mouse or stylus, or perhaps input using speech recognition?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:20:14.467Z
Can you rephrase the question to include also Mac, for example? So we don't ask several questions for the same subject.
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:27:32.393Z
I'm interested specifically in Windows, and I guess the options on Mac, Linux, Android etc are going to be completely different. I think it would be valid for others to ask about other platforms if they are interested (there surely aren't *that* many platforms, so I don't think we'll get too many such questions)
Cocowalla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T22:30:24.337Z
I included it anyway, if you don't mind. :)
Alenanno
<writing><input-methods>
Input of Simplified Chinese on Windows
# Input of Simplified Chinese on Windows

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-12-13)

What options are available for input of simplified Chinese on Windows computers?

Is it possible to draw characters using a mouse or stylus, or perhaps input using speech recognition?

**Tags:** writing, input-methods

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you rephrase the question to include also Mac, for example? So we don't ask several questions for the same subject.  
> **username_0**: I'm interested specifically in Windows, and I guess the options on Mac, Linux, Android etc are going to be completely different. I think it would be valid for others to ask about other platforms if they are interested (there surely aren't *that* many platforms, so I don't think we'll get too many such questions)  
> **username_1**: I included it anyway, if you don't mind. :)  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2011-12-13. Score: 4

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/0asDB.png)You can use the Tablet PC Input Panel (whether you are on a tablet pc or not) by right clicking the taskbar, hovering over the toolbars submenu and checking tablet pc input panel

If that option isnt available, you may need to install it by going to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn windows features on or off and checking tablet pc components

The tablet pc input panel allows you to draw characters (english or chinese depending on what the current input language is set as) using the mouse or, if you have one, a touch screen or drawing tablet

If you want to type your characters using Pinyin, then you can use the microsoft pinyin IME installable through Control panel -> region and language -> keyboard and languages

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hmm, for some reason I can only use the writing pad with English, not Chinese :( (the keyboard icon is greyed out if I select Chinese)  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2011-12-13. Score: 4

It depends on the OS you're in. On [answers.microsoft.com](http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/Search/Search?SearchTerm=chinese&CurrentScope.ForumName=Windows&CurrentScope.Filter=windows_7-desktop&askingquestion=false) I searched chinese and you can see the solutions for each OS from Microsoft.

Just for completeness, let me add also a quick guide for the Mac OS X. You do the following:

1. Go to *System Preferences* (you can reach it in the menu by clicking on the apple symbol on the top-left side);
2. Click on "Language and Text" or something similar, it has a flag icon;
3. Click on the "Input source" tab;
4. Scroll down until you see "Chinese - Simplified" or "Chinese - Traditional";
5. Select the input type you desire;
6. You can select the language input by clicking on the Flag on the top bar, near the time and the battery level.

Now open a document. If you selected the "pinyin input" type, which is the most used (sometimes the only one available) and the easiest one, then you can type the "alphabetical" version of the characters, which is called **pinyin**, indeed.

For example, if you wanna write "你好", type "nihao". A menu will "open". To select one of the choices, click on the number that corresponds to the expression you wish to write and voilà. Below you'll see the menu I was talking about:

![screenshot pinyin chinese](https://i.sstatic.net/MKf4P.png)

By clicking one, I choose to write the two characters that correspond to "nihao" which mean "hello".

On the Mac it is also possible to draw using the trackpad or an external graphic tablet:

![screenshot trackpad](https://i.sstatic.net/tzJnY.png)

This was done like the video showed in the [Apple support page](http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4288).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: A good answer... if I had a Mac ;)  
> **username_1**: Eheheh, sorry, I know it doesn't apply to you but I felt it wouldn't harm to post it. I hope the first link can be helpful for you!  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2011-12-13. Score: 1

So I've got an answer that works on both Windows and Mac (quite recently), which is [Sogou Pinyin Input](http://pinyin.sogou.com/). The default Mac input system has terrible sentence generation, and the default Windows system is even worse, IMHO. Sogou is really fantastic, and quite a step up from either the [Google Pinyin IME](http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/) for Windows, or the recently-turned-freeware [QIM for Mac](http://glider.ismac.cn/RegQIME.html) (which isn't too bad, I just didn't think it was worth paying for)

For character recognition, there are all sorts of tablets available (it would be very time consuming with a mouse), but there is also an app called [Finger](http://thisfinger.com/) which works on your iOS device, and links up with your computer for doing handwriting.

Lastly, and this is Mac only - you can [use the trackpad/magic touchpad](http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4288) to do Chinese handwriting. It's pretty neat.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I prefer qq pinyin input (http://py.qq.com/) but that's just a matter of personal opinion.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2011-12-13. Score: 1

[Here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_input_methods_for_computers) is a nice Wikipedia article outlines Chinese input methods

Using a keyboard, the most popular ones are [PinYin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin_input_method) and [Wubi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_method).

Yes, you can also use a drawing pad to draw characters using mouse or stylus. It's called "写字板" or "手写板".


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-08-13. Score: 0

I'd better say that we all use SouGou PinYin input method <http://pinyin.sogou.com/> in Windows. It is the best pinyin input method and support all the functions you wanted. BTW, in linux (for example, ubuntu), we use Sunpinyin or Googlepinyin with ibus or fcitx.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2013-08-13. Score: 0

Try the Chrome Extension [Google Input Tools](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-input-tools-by-goo/mclkkofklkfljcocdinagocijmpgbhab).


---

