You can type using the Pinyin input method: enter the sound in Latin letters and pick the matching characters.
The layout at a glance
This Chinese virtual keyboard mirrors the QWERTY layout of a physical Chinese keyboard. Its 47 character keys reach the 26 letters of the Latin script (U+0041–U+005A, U+0061–U+007A) straight from the browser, with no software to install and no system setting to change.
Every character on it belongs to basic ASCII: what sets this layout apart is the order of the keys, not the character set.
Pinyin input is built in: type the pronunciation in Latin letters, then pick the character you meant from the suggestion bar.
Script
Latin
Layout
QWERTY
Reading direction
Left to right
Character keys
47
Letters available
26
Non-ASCII characters
—
Unicode range
U+0041–U+005A, U+0061–U+007A
Third layer (AltGr)
No
Transliteration
Yes
How to type in Chinese
Click the on-screen keys or type on your physical keyboard — both write into the same text area.
Shift shows the second layer of every key: capitals and the characters printed at the top right.
The Copy button puts the whole text on the clipboard, ready to paste into an email, a document or a form.
The Google, YouTube and ChatGPT buttons run a search with the text you typed, without retyping it.
Key reference table
Each row is one physical key: the base character, the one produced with Shift, then the one produced with AltGr.
Key
With Shift
With AltGr
`
~
—
1
!
—
2
@
—
3
#
—
4
$
—
5
%
—
6
^
—
7
&
—
8
*
—
9
(
—
0
)
—
-
_
—
=
+
—
q
Q
—
w
W
—
e
E
—
r
R
—
t
T
—
y
Y
—
u
U
—
i
I
—
o
O
—
p
P
—
[
{
—
]
}
—
\
|
—
a
A
—
s
S
—
d
D
—
f
F
—
g
G
—
h
H
—
j
J
—
k
K
—
l
L
—
;
:
—
'
"
—
z
Z
—
x
X
—
c
C
—
v
V
—
b
B
—
n
N
—
m
M
—
,
<
—
.
>
—
/
?
—
Other keyboards in the Latin script
These keyboards are written in the same script and share much of their character set.
Chinese input typically uses Pinyin (romanization) or other input methods. This keyboard may provide common characters or radicals for selection.
What is Pinyin input?
Pinyin is the most common Chinese input method. You type the pronunciation in Roman letters, and the system suggests matching Chinese characters.
What's the difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese?
Simplified Chinese (used in mainland China) has fewer strokes per character. Traditional Chinese (used in Taiwan, Hong Kong) preserves classical character forms.
How do I choose the correct character from suggestions?
When typing Pinyin, multiple characters with the same pronunciation appear. Use number keys or click to select the intended character.
Can I type Chinese punctuation?
Yes, Chinese uses special punctuation: 。(period), 、(enumeration comma), 「」(quotation marks), ！？ (full-width punctuation).
What are radicals in Chinese?
Radicals are character components used for dictionary lookup and some input methods. There are 214 traditional radicals used to classify characters.
How do I type rare or complex characters?
Use handwriting input, radical-based input, or look up the character's Pinyin. Some IMEs allow drawing the character or selecting by components.
What is Zhuyin (Bopomofo)?
Zhuyin is an alternative phonetic system used mainly in Taiwan. It uses special symbols (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) instead of Roman letters for input.
How do I type numbers in Chinese?
You can type Arabic numerals (1,2,3) or Chinese numerals (一,二,三). Chinese has both simple forms and complex forms (壹,贰,叁) used in formal contexts.
Can I type in Cantonese?
Standard Chinese IMEs use Mandarin Pinyin. For Cantonese, you need a Cantonese-specific IME that uses Jyutping or Yale romanization.
