Is the English Layout Hard to Use? A Multi-Angle Comparison of English and Japanese Layouts

When you visit electronics retailers, most notebook computers use the “Japanese layout.”

The Japanese layout is primarily used in the Japanese market and has different characteristics from the globally prevalent English layout (ANSI).

One characteristic of the Japanese keyboard market is that it presents a different picture from the globally mainstream “English layout (ANSI).”

While exact data is unavailable, most Japanese people likely use this Japanese layout as their primary keyboard.

So, is an English layout keyboard hard to use for Japanese input?

Actually, that’s not the case.

The keyboard layouts I mainly use are often based on the English layout, and I rarely feel any inconvenience when typing in Japanese.

The question “Which is easier to use, English layout or Japanese layout?” has been examined by many media outlets over the years.

This time, we’ll compile those examinations and verify the two layouts from multiple angles.

Premise of This Article
While commonly called “Japanese layout” and “English layout,” physical shape and OS-level logical layout are separate concepts.
In this article, we refer to the Japanese JIS layout shown in the attached diagram as “JIS layout” and the US ANSI layout as “ANSI layout.”

Before Considering English Layout Usability, Let’s Organize How Japanese Input Works

First, keyboards are deeply involved with “language systems.”

When directly inputting English, alphabetic characters are treated as confirmed characters the moment they’re pressed.

In contrast, with Japanese romaji input, after pressing keys to input readings, you convert them to hiragana or kanji through the IME.

Additionally, an operation to confirm the conversion result is added as needed.

This characteristic of having more input steps than other languages is a feature of Japanese and other non-Latin-based language input.

Inputting the Example Sentence with Actual Operations

Let’s consider the actual “effort” involved in typing Japanese.

Here’s the example sentence.

Hi, John. How are you? It’s a beautiful day today.

I convert this sentence in three parts:

1. Input “Yaa, Jon.” convert with Space, confirm with Enter
2. Input “Choushi wa dou dai?” convert with Space, confirm with Enter
3. Input “Kyou wa subarashii tenki da ne.” convert with Space, confirm with Enter

In this operation, Space for conversion is pressed 3 times, and Enter for confirmation is pressed 3 times.

If you input the same reading as Latin characters without going through the IME, it looks like this:

yaa john. tyoushihadoudai? kyouhasubarashiitennkidane.

In this string, Space is pressed 2 times, and Enter for confirmation is 0 times.

Converting to an English sentence with the same meaning gives us:

Hi, John. How are you? It’s a beautiful day today.

Since it consists of 10 words, Space between words is pressed 9 times, and Enter to confirm IME conversion results doesn’t occur.

Summarizing this gives us something like this:

When we total the number of Space and Enter presses targeted this time, the English sentence had more.

However, Japanese input includes the step of checking and selecting conversion candidates.

This cognitive load is not included in the press count this time.

In other words, the task of selecting conversion candidates is omitted here.

Thus, one characteristic of Japanese input is the slight additional effort that comes from including “conversion.”

In Japanese Input, Enter and IME Keys Become More Significant

What this example shows is that in Japanese input, Enter is used for more than just line breaks.

If you’re only typing English, Enter is only for “line breaks,” but when typing Japanese, it has the meaning of “confirmation” as well as line breaks.

Therefore, when comparing JIS and ANSI layouts, it’s necessary to consider not just the shape and position of Enter, but also how often Enter is pressed, which keys are used for conversion and confirmation, and how Japanese and English characters are switched.

Differences Between Japanese and English Layouts Discussed So Far

Comparing Japanese and English layouts is not a new topic.

It has been examined from various perspectives over the years.

Looking at these, we can see that differences between English and Japanese layouts have already been pointed out in various ways.

Greenkeys Examines “Usability” of Japanese and English Layouts

At Greenkeys, we’ve been investigating differences in finger movement between layouts using the distance from home position to key center.

However, shorter finger travel distance doesn’t necessarily mean less fatigue, faster typing, or fewer errors.

Actual usability involves at least the following factors:

• Travel distance from home position
• Key size and shape
• Whether operation requires one key or simultaneous pressing
• Frequency of key presses
• Switching cost when changing layouts
• OS, IME, and key settings being used

Therefore, this time we won’t treat finger travel distance as the conclusion itself, but as one of multiple pieces of evidence.

Finger travel distance is just one of those evaluation metrics.

By separating center distance, key area, press count, simultaneous pressing, input mode specification method, and switching costs, we can consider which aspects each layout prioritizes.

In the 75% JIS/ANSI models used this time, the alphabetic sections are quite similar.

On the other hand, there are major differences in the Enter/Backspace area on the right edge and the Japanese input keys on the bottom row.

Red: Enter, Orange: Backspace, Blue: IME-related keys, Purple: JIS-specific keys.

Key Layout and Distance Differences

In Japanese input, Enter is used not only for line breaks but also to confirm conversion results.

Therefore, the movement from the right pinky finger to Enter may be more noticeable than in English input.

We measured the straight-line distance from the home position of the right pinky finger at the ; key center to the Enter key center.

array (programming, programing)	To Enter center	Difference from ANSI
JIS array	Approx. 59.2mm	Approx. 9.1mm farther
ANSI Layout	Approx. 50.0mm	—

The center distance from the right pinky home position to the Enter center was about 9.1mm shorter for the ANSI layout.

On the other hand, ISO Enter is about 22% larger than ANSI Enter.

Therefore, ease of pressing may vary depending on where the user actually presses the Enter key.

In other words, it’s difficult to definitively determine Enter key ease of pressing based on distance alone.

However, the Backspace key is clearly closer on the English layout and has a larger area, so it seems fair to say it’s “easier to press.”

array (programming, programing)	To Backspace center	Key Size	Difference from ANSI
JIS array	Approx. 72.7mm	1u	Approx. 7.9mm farther
ANSI Layout	Approx. 64.8mm	2u	—

Differences in IME Usability

In Japanese input, English and Japanese are often typed together, requiring frequent IME switching.

One major characteristic of the Japanese layout is the “Hankaku/Zenkaku” key that implements IME on/off with a single key.

Also, rather than a simple on/off toggle, recently it has become possible to switch using the “Muhenkan/Henkan” or “Eisu/Kana” keys on both sides of the spacebar.

While there are low-frequency and redundant functions, the ability to operate input mode with a single key is a characteristic of the JIS layout.

On the other hand, the ANSI layout doesn’t have these dedicated physical keys.

Microsoft provides Alt＋Backquote as a common shortcut for turning Japanese IME on and off.

On macOS, you can switch input sources with Control＋Space.

• Microsoft Japanese IME
• Apple: Switch Japanese Input Sources

Thus, the ability to turn IME on/off with a single key makes the Japanese layout easier to use.

On the other hand, many recent keyboards come with keymap customization features, and cases where IME on/off functionality can be implemented even on English layouts are becoming more prominent.

Therefore, regarding the point of having dedicated IME on/off keys, it seems the difference between English and Japanese layouts is diminishing.

Symbol Layout Differences

JIS and ANSI layouts also differ in number row and right-side symbol placement.

Representative differences are as follows:

Item	JIS array	ANSI Layout
Backquote/Tilde	No dedicated position same as ANSI	Dedicated key in upper left
@	Near right side of P	Shift side of number 2
:	Dedicated position in right pinky area	;Shift side of
"	Shift side of number 2	'Shift side of
\・_	Includes JIS-specific positions	ANSI-specific positions
ろ(KC_RO)	Has dedicated physical key	No dedicated physical key

Which is easier to use varies depending on document creation, programming, and language used.

Additionally, memory of the layout used for a long time has a major influence.

Since this is also a matter of preference and memory from habit, it seems that those who have used the Japanese layout for many years will find the Japanese layout easier to type, and those who have used the English layout will find the English layout easier.

Keycap Compatibility Differences

In mechanical keyboards, the “keycap compatibility” of English layout keyboards is extremely high, and the culture of enjoying keycap replacement seems to be enjoyed in many countries.

This is presumably because the ANSI layout has become established as a standard, and the spacebar length “6.25u” has become established and widespread as a de facto standard.

On the other hand, regarding the Japanese layout, it seems that the keycap replacement culture itself didn’t develop as a result of each company proceeding with proprietary standards without spacebar size compatibility.

However, the “JLA (Japan Layout Alliance)” launched in November 2025 is working to increase mutual compatibility of Japanese layout spacebar sizes by having participating brands clearly indicate spacebar sizes.

Not only overseas brands and keyboard brands involved in keycap manufacturing but also Japanese brands have expressed participation, and changes in mutual compatibility of Japanese layout keycaps are expected in the future.

JLA is a project hosted by GreenEchoes Studio, which operates Greenkeys.

Verification Results

Organizing the differences between both layouts by comparison item gives us the following:

Comparison Item	JIS array	ANSI Layout
Enter	Vertically long with wide keystroke range	Shorter to key center
Backspace	1u・farther to center	2u・closer to center
IME Operation	Can use dedicated keys	Use simultaneous pressing/remapping
Mixed Japanese-English Input	Easier to specify mode directly	Depends on configuration method
Symbol Input	JIS-specific placement	ANSI-specific placement
Migration Cost	Familiar in domestic environment	Migration from JIS may require relearning
Keycap Replacement	Low compatibility with few variations	High compatibility with many variations

Thus, when examining English and Japanese layouts from multiple angles, from the perspective of physical finger travel distance of keys, the center distance for Enter and Backspace was shorter for the ANSI layout.

On the other hand, regarding the previously mentioned issue of IME on/off key presence, thanks to the emergence of keyboards with keymap customization features, the advantages of the Japanese layout from a Japanese input perspective seem to have diminished.

However, for those who have long used the Japanese layout, “differences in some key layouts such as symbols” can be a clear switching cost to the English layout, so this aspect seems to be a reason to use the Japanese layout.

Summary | Technological Progress Is Changing Layout Differences

Above, we’ve examined the differences between English and Japanese layouts from multiple angles.

The “advantages of the Japanese layout” from a Japanese input perspective that have been discussed so far seem to be diminishing as of 2026.

The previously mentioned problem of “no IME on/off key” is being resolved thanks to enriched keymap customization features, and regarding the physical distance of major keys, the English layout appears closer and potentially “easier to press.”

On the other hand, from the perspective of someone using a Japanese layout, the English layout still has a clear switching cost in that “symbol placement differs.”

Therefore, we conclude that the current hurdle when switching from Japanese to English layout is “different symbol placement,” which is simultaneously the defining difference between Japanese and English layouts.

Throughout a long history, “keyboard physical layouts” were determined, and decades have passed since then.

With current advances in keyboard technology, things may look different again ten years from now.

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