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Windows 10 Chinese Setup:
Help files - in English!

Further help with phonetic input: Pinyin, Zhuyin, and Jyutping

Other pages:
Overview ◊ Input methods setupTraditional character Pinyin input
Simplified character input alternative: MSZY
Handwriting, speech, & language packs
Advanced features ◊ Help files - in English! (this page)
Missing, broken, and just plain lame Chinese features

 

This is an overview of the English-language help available for the phonetic input methods in Windows 10: MS Bopomofo, MS Pinyin, and Cantonese Phonetic IME.

 

 

Microsoft Bopomofo keyboardMicrosoft Bopomofo (微軟主音, but actually for both Zhuyin and Pinyin), formerly known as "New Phonetic", includes a complete set of English-language instructions.

To access that help, you'll need to activate the desktop language bar instead of the new language menu. Then on the right you should find a "?" icon. If you don't see that "?" icon, right-click on the "CH" icon and select "Additional icons in the taskbar". If you still don't see it, go back to that menu and select "Restore the language bar" which will send the whole thing to the top of your screen where it should be easy to see all options. (When you minimize this, it returns to the taskbar.)

Note that the second option in the "?" menu, "Language bar help", takes you to a useless Windows 10 support web page (at the time of this writing).

See also these FAQ pages:
How to use the candidate list in Microsoft Bopomofo
How to change the candidate list font size in Microsoft Bopomofo
How to enter the letter "ü" ("u" with an umlaut, the two dots above the letter)

 

 

 

Microsoft PinyinMicrosoft Pinyin, or MSPY (微軟拼音), has not had a complete desktop language bar since the launch Windows 8. One of the many missing features in Windows 10 is the Help system for this IME.

After you activate the desktop language bar you'll find missing features slowly reappearing, especially after the "Anniversary Update" (#1607). But the "?" menu, which will appear if you right-click and select "Additional icons in taskbar", only offers general "Language bar help", and that only takes you to a useless Windows 10 support web page. The help files specifically for this IME are simply gone as far as I can tell.

See these FAQ pages instead to get started using MSPY:
How to use the candidate list and language bar in Microsoft Pinyin
How to enter the letter "ü" ("u" with an umlaut, the two dots above the letter)


 

 

 

The Cantonese Phonetic IME (CPIME) offers no Help within Windows yet. Maybe soon: when you have a document open a second "C" icon appears, and if you click on it you will see a Help menu, but it opens a blank index!

Luckily you can find instructions and training on the web instead.

First, see this FAQ page for help setting up CPIME:
How to select the Cantonese Phonetic IME (CPIME) in Windows 10

Then also visit these websites:
cpime.hk Open new window (select menu items for "Usage", "Pingjam Table", "Training", etc.)
Chinese Cantonese Forums > Tech Talk Open new window

Other CPIME features seem to be missing as well, like the 粵/英 switch on the desktop language bar or when you press <Shift>, but hopefully all of these items will return in future updates.

 

 

Previous pages:
Overview of Chinese features in Windows 8 and 10: fonts, IMEs, and more
Language and IME/keyboard setup
Traditional character Pinyin input: two alternatives
Simplified character Pinyin input: the MSZY alternative
Chinese handwriting input, speech input, and language packs
Advanced features: desktop language bar, IME Pad, hotkeys, and more
Missing, broken, and just plain lame Chinese features

See also:
Zhuyin input, symbols, & Zhuyin/Pinyin "ruby text" (Win7, but universal. Includes discussion of the MS Word Phonetic Guide and ruby fonts.)


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