Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!kddlab!titcca!wsdohr!wucc!tex
From: tex@wucc.waseda.JUNET (Kamiya Fumiaki)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Chinese character input scheme -- call for references
Summary: Method used in Japan.
Keywords: Chinese characters
Message-ID: <391@wucc.waseda.JUNET>
Date: 14 Dec 88 11:05:30 GMT
References: <789@wasatch.UUCP>
Organization: Dept. of Mathematics, Waseda Univ.
Lines: 24

I don't know how it is done in other oriental countries, but at
least, I can tell you how it is usually done in Japan.

The main idea is to deploy what is called a kana-to-kanji
converter.  Given a string of kanas, which represents the
sound of the kanji he/she wants, it displays a list of
kanjis and the user selects the one he/she wants.  That's
all.  In fact there are other features implemented in real
kana-to-kanji converters in public but the fundamental part
is just what I have said.

Of course, since there are about 50 kana characters, we
can't enter a kana in a single stroke from an ASCII
keyboard.  But fortunately, there is so-called 'roma-ji'
that assigns a string of alphabets, usually two, to every
kanas.  So if this convention is known by the kana-to-kanji
converter, one can obtain kanji documents from an ASCII
keyboard.  (We also have so-called 'JIS keyboard' and one
can enter kana in a single stroke)

Kamiya Fumiaki
Department of Mathematics, Waseda University

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