Characteristics of input styles for each OS and how to switch between English and Japanese layouts [Windows /Mac].

When I connect an English keyboard, it doesn’t output as it is printed…

This probably happens when a Windows user uses an English keyboard for the first time.

This is because the default keyboard layout of the Japanese version of Windows is [JIS106/109].

If you are living in Japan, the keyboard layout you see on a daily basis is almost certainly “Japanese layout.

However, this is a “super-niche” arrangement from a global perspective and is used only in Japan.

Many countries have adopted the English (ANSI) keyboard layout, and all the phenomena described at the beginning of this article occur when an English keyboard is recognized as a Japanese keyboard.

In order to take advantage of the key remapping function, which allows you to change the physical arrangement of the keyboard, you must first understand this arrangement.

This content will explain the characteristics of input styles for each OS and how to switch between English and Japanese layouts.

Key Entry Mechanism

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/ja-jp/windows/win32/inputdev/about-keyboard-input

It is not really that simple, but the above is a very simple diagram of the key input mechanism.

In short, you should be aware that when you press the button, it is reflected on the computer screen.

However, the behavior varies considerably from keyboard to keyboard.

The “Japanese alignment (JIS)” is used in Japan, while the “English alignment (ANSI)” is used in the United States and many other countries.

The “trouble” mentioned at the beginning of this article was a problem that occurred because the keyboard was recognized as a Japanese keyboard, even though it is an English keyboard.

Thus, we can see that even though “the key code input to the computer is the same,” the output is different depending on the “output language.

For Windows

Windows, while simple and straightforward, is not flexible.

A PC with Japanese Windows converts “any keyboard arrangement” into “Japanese code,” so even if an English arrangement (ANSI) is connected, the output will follow the “Japanese arrangement rules.

So, in the normal English sequence (ANSI), if you hold down shift and type “2”, you should get an “@”, but you will get “” (double quotation marks).

For Mac

Macs have a keyboard language identification feature.

As for Macs, Macbooks with English keyboards are available for sale, as well as genuine English keyboards.

If you connect a genuine English keyboard, it will be recognized as an “English” keyboard, and if it is not recognized properly, you can easily use the “Keyboard Setup Assistant” to recognize it as a keyboard in that language.

How to switch between English and Japanese layouts

This is the main topic of this article.

This section explains the respective settings for each OS when “I want to use a keyboard with an English layout.

For Windows users: If you are a maniac who wants to use the English layout but wants to turn on/off the IME with the keys set to “Halfwidth/Fullwidth”, use ” ULE4JIS “.

For Windows

The English keyboard can be used by following the above procedure.

However, a reboot is required.

Please note that if you wish to use the Japanese keyboard, you must follow this same procedure to switch the keyboard to the Japanese keyboard again and “reboot”.

For Mac

On a Mac, you can switch without rebooting by opening and setting up the Keyboard Setup Assistant.

Occasionally, this procedure may not work. If this happens, please reboot the system.

The base of the keymap modification software is often English alignment.

The most common example of a keyboard with a mechanism that allows the keymap to be changed is the use of the “QMK” mechanism.

The QMK is originally designed to use the command line to change the signal itself output from the keyboard by rewriting the key code and communicating it to the PC to make it input the key intended by the person who set it up.

The “VIA” and “VIAL” mechanisms allow this to be set via GUI (picture-based easy-to-understand settings).

This includes Keychron Lancher, Remap, and other proprietary web applications that use the QMK mechanism.

Since these are all based on the “English layout,” you will notice that they are different in many places when compared to the engraving on a Japanese keyboard.

Other countries that have adopted this oddly shaped Enter key include the United Kingdom and France, in addition to Japan.

Naturally, the letter placement is different when compared to ANSI.

Reference: https://support.apple.com/ja-jp/102743#ANSI

What you need to understand when using these keyboards is “how to set up the keyboard for each OS and how it works,” which has been explained so far.

In particular, Windows users will encounter a situation where they have set up a keymap setting with an “English layout” but the keymap outputs different characters than what they have set up.

This is, This is because it is recognized as a Japanese sequence.

In particular, with Japanese keyboards such as Keychron, you may find that you can type in Japanese normally when you try to use the keyboard, even though it looks like it is arranged in a random way on the settings screen.

This is because the keymap is set up in anticipation of the conversion.

A cross-compatibility chart between English and Japanese layouts can be found in the article below.