Chinese Input Methods: Zhuyin vs Pinyin vs Cangjie
Chinese input methods compared: Zhuyin, pinyin, Cangjie and handwriting. What people in Taiwan use, learning cost, and whether to learn Zhuyin just to type.
For most learners the best way to type Chinese is the phonetic system they already know. If you know pinyin, type with pinyin. If you are going to live in Taiwan, read Taiwanese books, or work on Taiwanese computers, Zhuyin is worth learning, and typing in it helps you learn it. Cangjie is for people who will type a great deal and are willing to spend weeks on it. Handwriting is the fallback for characters you cannot say.
The question “should I learn Zhuyin just to type?” gets a plain answer here: no, not on its own. It is a good reason to practise Zhuyin once you have it, and a weak reason to learn it.
How Chinese input works
Chinese has thousands of characters, so no keyboard can hold them all. Every method works the same way: you enter a code, the software shows matching candidates, and you pick one. The methods differ in what the code is.
| Method | The code is | You need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuyin (注音) | The sound, in Zhuyin symbols, with a tone | The sound and the symbols |
| Pinyin (拼音) | The sound, in Latin letters | The sound and pinyin |
| Cangjie (倉頡) | The shape, from the parts of the character | The Cangjie key for each part |
| Sucheng (速成) | A shortened Cangjie code | The same, with fewer keys per character |
| Handwriting | The drawn character | Roughly how to write it |
The tone is part of the code in Zhuyin input. Apple’s documentation for its Mac Zhuyin input says that conversion happens when you enter a syllable and then a tone, and that the space bar acts as the first tone. Pinyin input usually does not ask for the tone, which is one reason it is quick to start with.
Zhuyin
What it is. You type the Zhuyin symbols for a syllable, then the tone, and pick the character. Keyboards sold in Taiwan usually have the symbols printed on the keys.
Who uses it. Most people in Taiwan type with Zhuyin, and Taiwanese children learn it before they read characters.
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Cost to learn. The 37 symbols can be recognised in about a week of short sessions. Typing speed takes longer. See how to learn Zhuyin fast.
Strengths. Each symbol is one sound, so there are no spelling conventions like pinyin’s ü-as-u or iu/ui. It trains the same symbols that Taiwanese dictionaries use.
Weak points. If you do not know the symbols, it is useless. If you are not sure of a character’s sound, you cannot type it.
Pinyin
What it is. You type the pinyin for a syllable, and the software offers candidates. On a Traditional Chinese setup the candidates are Traditional characters, so you are not typing simplified.
Who uses it. It is the standard for most foreign learners, and for typing on the mainland. In Taiwan it is available as an option.
Cost to learn. Nothing, if you already know pinyin.
Strengths. No new symbols. It works on every phone, tablet and computer, and your classroom pinyin does double duty.
Weak points. It depends on knowing the sound. Shared computers in Taiwan are often set to Zhuyin input, so you may need to switch input method.
Cangjie and Sucheng
What they are. Cangjie (倉頡, ㄘㄤ ㄐㄧㄝˊ) codes characters by shape. Each key stands for a part of a character, and you type the parts in order. Apple’s Mac guide says that after typing the codes you press the space bar to insert the character, and that the Z key is a wildcard when you do not know the full code. Sucheng (速成, ㄙㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ) is a shorter version that uses fewer codes per character.
Strengths. You do not need to know how a character sounds. That makes it useful for rare characters and for names, and for people who type a lot.
Weak points. It has the steepest learning curve of the common methods. It is also the least useful for a learner whose goal is to connect sound, character and meaning, because it removes sound from the process.
Verdict for learners. Skip it unless you have a specific reason, such as heavy professional typing in Chinese. If you try it, plan for weeks rather than days, and keep a phonetic keyboard installed for everything else.
Handwriting input
What it is. You draw the character with a finger or stylus on the phone, and the software guesses which character you meant.
Strengths. It handles characters you cannot pronounce or do not know. It is also the nearest thing to practising writing on a screen. See how to type Chinese on iPhone and Android for how to turn it on.
Weak points. It is slower than the others for ordinary typing, and works only as well as your stroke accuracy. Handwriting recognition is not available in every language on every keyboard. Google’s help page says so for Gboard.
Which should you choose?
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| Know pinyin and just want to type | Pinyin |
| Live or study in Taiwan, or read Taiwanese books | Learn Zhuyin; add it to pinyin |
| Want to type like the people around you | Zhuyin |
| Meet characters you cannot say | Handwriting as a fallback |
| Will type for work, all day | Consider Cangjie or Sucheng after the others |
You can keep several methods installed and switch between them. Many learners use pinyin day to day and keep handwriting for unknown characters. If you pick up Zhuyin, adding it later costs nothing.
Should you learn Zhuyin just to type?
Think of what each path costs and returns.
- If you already type with pinyin, Zhuyin typing saves you very little. You pay a week to learn the symbols and several more weeks to type at the speed you have now.
- The case for learning Zhuyin rests on reading. Taiwanese dictionaries and children’s books use it, and you will see it in children’s books, dictionaries and on keyboards in Taiwan. Once you have it for reading, using it to type is a good way to keep it fresh.
- If your only goal is to send messages in Traditional Chinese, pinyin does the job.
So the order is: pinyin for typing now, Zhuyin when your reading calls for it, and typing in Zhuyin as practice. For the wider case for learning Zhuyin, see Bopomofo vs pinyin.
A note on setup
Desktop setup for Mac and Windows is on How to Type Traditional Chinese. Phone setup is in how to type Chinese on iPhone and Android.
Related reading
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