How to Add a Japanese Keyboard on Android

To add Japanese in Gboard, open Android Settings → System → Keyboard → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages, choose Japanese, enable the layout you want, and tap Done. Names vary slightly among Android manufacturers, but Gboard’s Languages screen is the key destination.

Add Japanese through Android settings

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select System, then Keyboard.
3. Open On-screen keyboard and choose Gboard.
4. Tap Languages.
5. Choose Add keyboard or select a new language.
6. Find Japanese.
7. Enable the desired layout and tap Done.

If your phone reorganizes Settings, open Gboard directly from a text field: show the keyboard, open its settings, and select Languages.

Choose a Japanese layout

Gboard may offer QWERTY, 12-key Kana, or handwriting options depending on device and current support.

QWERTY / Romaji accepts spellings such as nihongo and converts them to にほんご. It is a good bridge from desktop typing.

12-key Kana groups Japanese sound rows and supports taps or flick gestures. It is compact and efficient for touch typing after the positions are learned.

Handwriting lets you draw characters when available, but it is a recognition method rather than a substitute for learning normal typing patterns.

Switch keyboards in an app

Tap a text field to show Gboard. Use the Globe key or hold the space bar, depending on your current Gboard configuration, to select Japanese. The active layout should be visible from its key arrangement or language indicator.

If the Globe key is absent, more than one language may not be active, or the language-switch option may be configured differently. Return to Gboard Languages and confirm Japanese is enabled.

Type and convert a reading

With Japanese QWERTY active, type a Romaji sequence. arigatou produces ありがとう. Candidate suggestions appear above the keyboard and may include Kanji such as 有難う, although the all-Hiragana form is common in many contexts.

Select candidates by meaning and expected spelling. Prediction is helpful, but it cannot understand every name, specialist term, or sentence perfectly.

Fix unexpected output

If English words appear, confirm that the active language is Japanese. If Kana appear from seemingly unrelated QWERTY keys, you may have selected direct Kana input. Switch to the Japanese QWERTY layout.

For Romaji errors, check the sound pattern. Use kya for きゃ, double the following consonant for small っ, and separate ん before a vowel when necessary. Practice the reading in the Japanese keyboard before debugging candidate conversion.

Keep privacy in mind

Gboard and other keyboards have their own privacy settings and optional features. Review the keyboard provider’s settings if you use cloud prediction, personalization, voice typing, or other network features. KanaKeyboard’s web editor processes its text locally, but that does not change the behavior of a separate installed keyboard.

Android menus and Gboard features evolve. Consult the current Google Gboard help pages below if your manufacturer’s Settings path differs from these steps.