OT: Typing in Japanese and English

Question

I'm thinking of buying a laptop or netbook for a friend who
speaks
English and Spanish and is studying Japanese. So, pardon the
dumb
question, but how do you type Japanese on a computer?
Obviously, the computers I buy are set up for English, while
computers
sold in Japan are set up for Japanese. But can one install
Japanese
fonts on an "English" computer? And could one then buy a
Japanese
keyboard? And where does one obtain Japanese fonts and
keyboards?
Realistically, I'd probably be purchasing a Linux netbook,
though I'd
spring for another Mac if I inherit some money. :)
Thanks.

Answer 1

David Powers wrote:
> David Blomstrom wrote:
>> I'm thinking of buying a laptop or netbook for a
friend who speaks
>> English and Spanish and is studying Japanese. So,
pardon the dumb
>> question, but how do you type Japanese on a
computer?
>
> Using an Input Method Editor (IME), which is normally
built into the
> operating system.
>
>> Obviously, the computers I buy are set up for
English, while computers
>> sold in Japan are set up for Japanese. But can one
install Japanese
>> fonts on an "English" computer? And could one then
buy a Japanese
>> keyboard? And where does one obtain Japanese fonts
and keyboards?
>
> Both Windows and Macs are already capable of working in
Japanese. In
> Windows, you enable Asian fonts in the Regional
Settings. In Mac OS X,
> you simply enable Japanese in the International
Settings.
>
> Although Japanese keyboards exist, most Japanese use a
QWERTY keyboard
> to input Japanese. Whichever keyboard you use, the input
method is
> phonetic. The IME handles the conversion to kanji and
kana.
>
Wow, that's interesting. QWERTY simply refers to a "normal"
keyboard,
right? In other words, the Japanese learn to associate
particular
Japanese characters with the keys A, B and so on?
And Kanji and Kana are Japanese dialects? I went into System
Preferences
> International > Input Menu and found "Japanese Kana
palette" near the
very top. I checked Kana and unchecked U.S. English, but I'm
still
typing English characters. But I'll figure that one out.
In your estimation, would a Japanese keyboard still be a nice
gift for a
student who's just learning Japanese? Would it have some
educational
value, or would it only hinder them in learning the normal
way of typing
Japanese on a QWERTY keyboard?
Thanks.