Ajax IME – How to write Japanese on the computer easily!
Some of you may already know about ajax ime, but I decided to write an article anyway, since resources like this should be promoted as much as possible. Many sites that talk about Japanese culture and language have already written about the subject and I decided to help spread the word about the topic. AJAX IME.
Ajax IME – How to write Japanese on the computer
In previous articles, I wrote about how to install windows japanese support, which is also known as Windows IME. After that, many users commented and sent me emails saying that they couldn't install because it was difficult and Windows IME still had a piracy block.
AJAX IME – What is it?
For those who don't know, AJAX IME is a site that allows us to write in Japanese on the computer without having installed the Japanese support of windows (windows IME). So you can practice reading and writing hiragana, katakana, and kanji without relying on Microsoft support.
Ajax IME – What do I need to use?
Because it's free, we don't need to pay anything to use AJAX IME, but we do need to have Japanese letters installed. To be more specific, you need to install the Japanese letters MS Mincho and MS Gothic, which are available here in Japanese Language.
AJAX IME – How do I use it?
You can use AJAX IME in two ways: typing with the keyboard or with the mouse.
Typing with keyboard in Ajax IME
The system uses the romaji pattern. So, you just need to write the words the same way you speak in Japanese, using the keyboard letters. As you write the AJAX IME converts the letters to hiragana.
For example, if you write matane, the system converts the letters to Japanese letters またね. Did you understand? Also, there are many other features existing in ajax ime. See just a few of them:
I. Pressing Alt+o, Ctrl+9 or the 'IME On/Off' button - toggles Japanese input mode on and off (Activates ajax ime to convert romaji words to Japanese.). If the textbox is blue, it means that ajax ime is on, otherwise it is off and will not convert the letters to Japanese letters.
II. As long as the words you type are underlined, they are in edit mode, which can be changed without changing the entire text. Underlined words are also the words used to select kanji. For example, if you type the word mizu and press the space-bar, Ajax IME will replace the underlined letters with the most suitable kanji and suggest other kanji. Then just press the key enter to accept the kanji or any of the suggestions.
III. For write something in katakana, just write the word and, still in editing mode, press the F9 key.
IV. If you wrote something, still in edit mode, and you want to change the word to romaji, just press the F8 key.
This is the basic knowledge for writing Japanese using Ajax IME. There are still many shortcuts that we only learn from experience.
Writing with the mouse in ajax ime
Another important feature of ajax ime is the Ajax 手書き文字認識 (Draw a kanji on the box with the mouse), which recognizes strokes written with the mouse. In this way, we can write kanji in the same way we write using pencil and paper.
As we write the kanji strokes on the blue board, handwriting Ajax will show you the kanji you are probably trying to write. If the desired kanji appears in the list next to the blue frame, just double click on the kanji to use it.
This resource is very good for training the real kanji writing, since the correct order of the strokes is essential to find the desired symbol faster. From there, it is also possible to copy the kanji found to verify its meaning using Babylon or your favorite dictionary/translator.
My opinion about Ajax IME
The AJAX IME is a great tool for students of Japanese who have had problems installing Windows Japanese support. With it, you can write sentences in Japanese to chat via email or msn without relying on Microsoft support.
I hope I helped a little more to spread the AJAX IME it's the Ajax 手書き文字認識 with its main features.