Switch to a Japanese input source on Mac
After you set up the input sources you want to use on your Mac, you can easily switch between them.
Switch to a Japanese input source
On your Mac, do any of the following:
Use the Input menu: Click the Input menu in the menu bar, then choose an input source. If the input source is dimmed, the current app doesn’t support it.
You can also press Option-Control-Space bar to select the next input source in the Input menu, or Control-Space bar to select the previous input source.
Use the Caps Lock key: If you set an option in Input Sources preferences to use the Caps Lock key to change input sources, press the key to switch between a non-Latin input source (such as Japanese) and a Latin input source (such as English).
To check your settings in Input Sources preferences, choose Apple menu
Use the Fn key or
: If you set an option in Keyboard preferences to change input sources by using the Fn key or (if available on the keyboard), press the key to display a list of your input sources, then continue pressing the key until the input source you want to use is selected. The list disappears automatically.To check your settings in Keyboard preferences, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Keyboard.
Use the Touch Bar: If your Mac has a Touch Bar, and you customized the Control Strip by adding the Input Sources button
, tap the button, then tap a Japanese input source. To learn how to change the Control Strip, see Customize the Touch Bar.
Switch between Japanese input sources
On your Mac, do one of the following:
Switch to Hiragana: Do any of the following:
On a keyboard: Press Control-Shift-J or Option-Shift-Z.
On a JIS keyboard: Press the Kana key (かな).
Switch to Romaji: Do any of the following:
On a keyboard: Press Option-Shift-S.
Note: You can also just press Shift if the “Shift key action” option is set to “Enter Romaji mode.”
To select the option, click the Input menu in the menu bar, then choose Open Japanese - Kana Preferences or Open Japanese - Romaji Preferences.
On a JIS keyboard: Press Control-Shift-Semicolon (;) or press the Eisu key (英数).
Switch to Full-width Romaji: Press Option-Shift-C or Control-Shift-L. The Full-width Romaji option must be selected in preferences for the Japanese input source.
Switch to Katakana: Do any of the following:
On a keyboard: Press Control-Shift-K or Option-Shift-X.
On a JIS keyboard: Press Shift-Kana key (かな).
Switch to Half-width Katakana: Press Option-Shift-A or Control-Shift-Semicolon (;). The Half-width Katakana option must be selected in preferences for the Japanese input source.