https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Google Japanese keyboard, it just works, has suggestions from trending words, has multiple layouts (regular, flick).

Otherwise Swiftkey added support for Japanese language some time ago, can be a decent all in one solution, but afaik it doesn't have different layouts

Actually, I use this keyboard. Its from Google and is pretty much a specialized form of Gboard for Japanese. The actual Gboard only recently added Japanese support so I assumed it was the same as this but it's not.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Just get the google IME

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese&hl=en_US

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this is what literally everyone uses

The IME does have a direct Kana input method and they are mapped to keys, often keyboards look like such but its still more common to use the romaji input.

Also on phones the flicky thing here is common.

I like Google's Japanese keyboard (you can change between 12-key or romaji in the settings): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

This is what you want:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

It's the best Japanese keyboard I've found.

It has pretty good customizability too.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese&hl=en

Is the one I'm using. You get an option to get the standard Qwerty keyboard for your romaji -> kana input. (4th or 5th picture in the App description on the play store)

You can't do that; tapping the same kan just results in e.g. はは. I refer to this. However upon looking closer I found the 小 <->大 button so it's okay now.

You can use Swiftkey, but if you don't want to use it, like me, you can just download Google's Keyboard on the play store. Which you can find right here.

Sorry, I don’t have a video. These are the instructions I used to get setup on phone, though がんばってね:

For iPhones and iPads:

Go to Settings > General > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Japanese - Romaji (do NOT select Kana) > Done. To select this when you want to type in Japanese, switch between languages by clicking on the little globe on the bottom left corner of your keyboard. Enjoy!

For Android phones:

Go to the Google Play Store and install the Google Japanese Input app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese). Open the app and follow the instructions to enable the keyboard in Settings and Select Input method. To enable the Romaji version of the keyboard, select Keyboard layout > switch keyboard layout to QWERTY (not 12 keys or Godan). You are ready. To switch back to your regular keyboard, you can change it by using the keyboard icon on the navigation bar when the keyboard opens.

Well I'm doing this on an android phone which I had to download a keyboard on the play store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese On my windows PC, I had to load/download the Japanese in 'Language preferences' You can probably find a walkthrough vid online for what you need

> How do you get the paid version of the app

It is an in-app purchase. You download the app and then unlock the full version. It has been too long since I first got it to remember exactly how it is done though.

> does it have any ability to translate a picture of kanji or something spoken into the microphone?

No.

> If not do you know of anything that could do these?

The Google translate app can do these things, and it does work offline if you download the appropriate dictionaries in advance. However, not all functions will work offline. I know that the OCR (reading a picture of text) does not work offline even if you download the dictionary in advance. I'm not sure about whether the microphone works offline.

You could download Google Japanese Input for your phone and switch to that keyboard so that Japanese people can type into it, if you'd like.

This is the app I was referring to.

Does it not look like this?

Just a heads up but you can also do it with Google Japanese Input. Just for those of us who need Japanese on their Android.

I recommend Google Japanese Input: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese It also supports western keyboard, but if you use some other software keyboard... switching keyboards might be a turn-off... You have to know the word in kana, though. In this case you would write kotoba, so ko-to-ha-" (turns "ha" to "ba") - or こ・と・は・” - and then you'd find the word in kanji in offered box above keyboard.

I downloaded the Google Japanese keyboard. I'll try to find a link.

Got one. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

This is for android but if you have an iphone I'm sure you can find something similar. But on a computer using Google chrome you can download the Japanese IME. I don't know how to use that one yet.

Also see: How to learn Japanese by yourself ♥ 日本語を独学で勉強する方法: http://youtu.be/UleQzuqcaYg

I just installed the Google Japanese Input app.

I just use Google's. Punctuation could maybe be better but otherwise it works great.

あと一応Google日本語入力も貼っておこ

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Here :)

I personally use the Google IME app and I haven't had any problems with it.

There's also Google Japanese Input which is practically Gboard but for Japanese.

Try this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

OP is using an Android phone. Here's Google's Japanese keyboard: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Switch to Google Japanese Input. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese&amp;hl=en

That looks similar to the Google Japanese input - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Might have to give it a try.

Check the play store for a Japanese add on for Google keyboard

Or here's a link. I found it for you https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

I'm gonna be real with you, I just use this and some copy & paste websites (¯▽¯٥)☆

Handwriting:

Do you have an Android phone? (that's the kind I have so my app recommendations would be based on that). You should get a Japanese keyboard for your phone. Googles is good, it has a handwriting section. I would use that section to see if the keyboard can read your handwriting. If it can, you don't have to worry about it, and if it can't, then you might have to do the practicing handwriting thing. I would say that practicing with a context would be more useful (for example, writing a word over an over rather than one character at a time)Your handwriting will get better with practice, like, just the act of making physical notecards is good practice.

I'm at the level that I can read most things if I have a dictionary, so when I read manga like Natsume Yuujinchou, I make a bookmark and put the vocabulary I don't know on the bookmark until I fill it up. Once I fill it up, I re-read that section and then get out a new bookmark for the next section. (I keep the bookmarks in the book in case I ever want to re-read it fast--some vocabulary you just won't memorize like "Handrails." (I use sticky notes for where I switch the bookmarks, lol)

Anki

This is the anki thing for Hiragana I was talking about.

If Yotsuba looks like a manga you think you'd like, you should get the anki deck for it. This way you can study the vocabulary that shows up in it before you try to read it. They also give you the plain old vocab list, so you could do the bookmark thing I do instead if you don't think you want to memorize the vocabulary used in the deck (as if you're going to japan soon, you might focus more on memorizing different more relevant words and just use Yotsuba as reading practice for grammar). You can also read Yotsuba for free online on Bilinguemanga.

Export Anki as CVC file. This is for your computer so you can easily upload Anki decks into google sheets, so you can edit them that way.

APPS

Lingodeer. A game-like app like Doolingo but works for Asian languages like Japanese. (Doolo is for indo-Eropean)

Japanese Pod 101's app is called Innovative

HelloTalk- This app has native Japanese speakers who correct your grammar. If you can, you should treat it as a diary. Be free to experiment!

Japanese-A dictionary app that looks nice and has its own nice flashcard system. You cannot send out your flashcards though.

Yomiwa-A dictionary app with a web browser that has furigana and a section where you can past like a paragraph and it lets you click each word. Its ugly, but it works. You can send decks to anki somehow

Takoboto-A dictionary app Prettyer then Yomiwa that you can send decks to Anki

Pipop for music and Voiky for clips--these are random youtube videos where they have the script in Japanese and in English, with the vocabulary separated out and defined. They are short, and you get to watch two clips every day. For Voikey they are like commercials or cooking videos.

Other

Gamegrammer for pokemon looks cool. They also have Anki decks for their episodes.

I can DM you the places with Anime Episodes with Japanese subs/scripts with dictionaries.

If you have Google's Japanese keyboard, tap "!?#" and it should be under the ":-)" tab at the bottom.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese&amp;hl=en

I think we're referring to the same thing.

I'm using this on my phone https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese as a japanese keyboard

Does anyone know how to make this symbol: 「っ」 ?

As in だった

Layout reminds me of Dasher with heavy use, or the default Android Japanese English text input (keypad with rollover).

ja..en kbd.

key rollover.

emoji included.

Of course, it isn't FLOSS, it's Google'd Android.

Though I don't believe it relies on Googlr services like the standard Google keyboard does.

I use google's japanese input and it works really well for me.

Try installing this.

You can try it easily on your phone. Googles keyboard apps are free. Android

Google's Japanese IME

Wow, that while last paragraph is just completely false. Google keyboard has a Japanese input function you can download on the side if you want it.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

No root or anything. Maybe you should actually look for things before you make assumptions.