So, after reading a couple of threads on here, I tried out the flick keyboard on phone (or 12-key as Gboard calls it; I didn’t *just* switch to it for the record, and oddly enough I used to use an old Nokia phone with where you needed to type a 3 times to get c)
But… Even tho people say it’s way faster, I’m nowhere near my speed with English or Indonesian (neither are my native language) on phone… I work as a programmer so on PC you couldn’t get me to use any other layout besides qwerty without making me constantly type the wrong characters (I have that issue with my native keyboard, since the symbols aren’t at the same spot).
I also have massive trouble remembering on which side the different syllables are and often get them wrong, and then that completely disrupts my flow yet again… Is there some trick to learning it? How did you do it?
As a little side note: I always have a big problem with remembering things in general
Extra note: I’m also not all that fast with the JP QWERTY keyboard on phone
5 comments
I started using it a couple months ago, and at first it took a lot of time to get used to it. I had to deliberately check every character I was typing, which meant that even something like こんにちは took forever. Now though, I’m pretty good at it. I don’t really know if it’s faster, but it feels easier to select the characters since the buttons are bigger than the standard QWERTY keyboard on a smartphone.
Once it’s muscle memory for which vowel is in which direction, it’s extremely fast. It will of course be slow if you have to keep redoing keys, or hover to look.
When I was learning I did play a couple ‘learn flick’ games but I pretty quickly decided they were kind of useless and just used flick entry to do some vocabulary quizzes with flick entry (I forget if it was just an anki deck with text input or some other flashcard/quiz program) and that got me up to speed pretty fast.
Also using the phone as a dictionary is a pretty consistent reason to be practicing flick input.
If which vowel is in which direction isn’t coming naturally, then maybe put together a practice routine like doing the kana in order あいうえ、おかきくけこ or doing a bunch of vocabulary with the same vowel at a time like バナナは、まあ、なかなか、だな、etc. (Just into a random memo or whatever, it doesn’t have to be in a special app, but a memo where you can copy the line above would mean you could do it all on the phone and not have the list separate)
Structured drills like that help build muscle memory with little chance of confusion.
Of course, for me, phone qwerty is just obnoxiously slow. I touch type on the computer, but there’s obviously no way to do that on the phone, but I just can’t get any speed with one or two finger pecking.
If you are looking for Japanese input, I would like to recommend [ATOK of Japanese company JUSTSYSTEM](https://atok.com/android/) to you without hesitation.
Because you are not the only one who finds Japanese input frustrating.
Because that’s what most Japanese native speakers feel universally.
I have been choosing ATOK for a long time to escape from that frustration.
Certainly ATOK does not have enough performance to completely release from irritation.
Because it has some glaring shortcomings.
However, there is certainly a performance difference that sets it apart from other choices.
On the contrary, ATOK also has a point that makes you want to recommend it.
ATOK has a free trial period.
We encourage you to give it a try.
This should have relieved you of your stress a little, and I can recommend it with confidence.
[ATOK is.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATOK)
You just have to stick with it and get used to it. Ive had it for a few months and i can use it completely fine, i mess up sometimes and im sometimes a bit slow but it makes a lot more sense than any other layout of japanese typing imo. I have a physical keyboard that i xonnect to the laptop and i have to check where each character is everytime i use it.
Or, if possible, we recommend using a kana notation keyboard.
Something that connects via Bluetooth would be nice.
Originally, I would like to find a thumb soft keyboard that is small and has a good key touch from the market and recommend it to you.
Unfortunately, it seems that the thumb soft keyboard is no longer in production.
The thumb soft keyboard has a high position in terms of ease of input, speed and efficiency, even in academic evaluations.
It is also efficient enough for kana input.
If you learn key touch from here, this will be an essential option.
One example
https://amzn.asia/d/1R08lRv
https://amzn.asia/d/6DbCoub
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0B1PN6PS3?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_GKJEV8NEEM5WRSQ2NHMC