⌨ Pinyin typing
Type pinyin from memory and pick the right character among true homophones — the two skills a Chinese keyboard demands. Ten questions a round.
How Chinese typing works
A Chinese keyboard works in two steps: type the pinyin for what you want to say, then pick the character you mean from a numbered candidate list that pops up — tap it, or press its number.
Tone marks are never typed. “nihao” is enough for 你好 — the candidate list sorts out the tone, not your keystrokes.
Dozens of characters can share the same pinyin, so picking the right candidate — not the typing itself — is the real skill. Type “ma” and 妈 (mom), 马 (horse), and 吗 (a question word) all show up together; type “zai” and both 在 (at) and 再 (again) appear. You have to recognize the one you meant.
Adding a Simplified Chinese pinyin keyboard
- iOS: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Chinese, Simplified → Pinyin.
- Android: Settings → System → Languages & input → add a keyboard/language → Chinese (Simplified) → Pinyin — steps vary a little by phone maker.
- Windows: Settings → Time & Language → Language & region → Add a language → Chinese (Simplified) — Microsoft Pinyin installs automatically.
- macOS: System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → + → Chinese, Simplified → Pinyin – Simplified.