Skip to content
Search

Input method

lastmod 2025-05-07created 2015-12-249 edits

An input method, or input method editor (IME), is system software that computes or composes characters so that you can enter characters that outnumber the keys on a computer keyboard, such as Hangul and Hanja.

It originated from an interface used in Windows and was supported only in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Windows, but it has since become generalized and can also refer to software that helps you enter arbitrary characters in arbitrary environments. For example, a program that lets you add diacritics to ordinary Latin letters also counts as an input method.

List of input methods

ibus
IBus is the default input method framework for GNOME and Ubuntu. It has the widest support, and you can type Hangul without problems in most applications. As of July 2018, it conflicts with most software provided by JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.). For example, if you type "한글 입력에 문제가 있습니다." ("There is a problem with Hangul input."), it is displayed as "한 글입력 에문제 가있습니다." (the same text with the spaces misplaced).
uim
uim is a cross-platform input method that supports multiple languages. The uim package in the official Arch Linux repositories includes uim-byeoru, a Korean input method. With uim-byeoru, you can type Hangul without problems in most applications, including Google Chrome and Chromium. However, if you are an opera user, opera may crash when you try to use uim-byeoru in opera.
scim
scim, or Smart Common Input Method platform, is an input method framework for posix-compatible operating systems. As of November 2014, scim-hangul causes problems in Google Chrome and Chromium. With the default environment variables, scim-hangul cannot input Hangul in Google Chrome or Chromium. As of 2014, scim-hangul also causes problems with gedit. With the default environment variables, backspace does not work properly in gedit while the Hangul input method is selected. Solutions to these two problems are covered below. However, even after applying the solutions below, characters in the input method buffer disappear in Google Chrome or Chromium. That is, if you press the spacebar while typing Hangul, the last character you were typing disappears. There is currently no solution to this problem.
fcitx (pronounced "faitix")
Fcitx is also an input method framework for POSIX-compatible operating systems. It works without problems, but if you use GNOME, some menus in the tab menu do not open. Also, if you use Slack, Electron ignores the input, so you can only type in English.
nabi
nabi is a standalone Hangul input method developed by Choe Hwanjin. It provides many features specialized for Hangul input, such as Old Hangul input. If you use only Korean and English, try installing the Nabi input method. As of November 2014, Nabi causes problems in Google Chrome and Chromium. When you press the spacebar, the character you were typing ends up after the space. That is, if you type 한글 입력에 문제가 있습니다 ("There is a problem with Hangul input") in Google Chrome, it is entered as 한 글입력 에문제 가있습니다. Nabi is currently not provided in Arch Linux.
nimf
Nimf is a modified version of dasom, which was developed earlier.

Libraries

See also

Favorite site

Programming

author Zer0 sitemap