How to send email in Chinese?

[Eug]

I don't read/write much Chinese, but I know enough to write a few sentences.

I just got an email from my cousin's kid in Chinese so I'm going to attempt a response.

What should I get?

 

[swai]

you can just add a new keyboard layout (control panels->keyboard) that allows you to write in chinese.. is that what you're asking about?

 

[spanky]

i think (i could be wrong) there is a program that will allow u to type in chinese called "njstar".

link

 

[xchangx]

MS Word has a function where you can write in Chinese. My dad uses it for Korean. Do a search for it on Microsoft's website.

 

[rob3rt]

i second NJStar, I use it to write in Japanese. For chinese, I assume you type out the pinyin.

 

[Eug]

Thanks. I guess I should be more clear.

I don't want to use a word processor, since I will be using email programs like Outlook or just mail.excite.com to type the emails.

So I'm guessing I just need to download the right fonts and then somehow enter the characters. If I used a standard keyboard, I would have no idea how to enter the characters still. A pinyin translator program would be great to use, but I don't know anything about them.

 

[swai]

some of the keyboard layouts you can add include zhuyin and radical
zhuyin is great if you know it because the keyboard layout is simple and in order
radical is hard, unless you can memorize the layout AND know chinese well enough to use it

 

[Eug]

What is zhuyin? By radical I assume that you mean I would need to know the radical, and then would have to hit additional keys for the rest of the word.

It's beginning to look like I must have a pinyin program to help me.

 

[psteng19]

you FOB

there's NJWIN, twinbridge, and a few other programs out there.
or get a Gogo Pen/Tablet and write it.

 

[swai]

zhuyin is a taiwan thang... its basically a phonetic alphabet similar to pinyin

to type using radicals, you have to know the radicals of each character
for example to type the character "fan" (annoying), you would type the "fire" (huo) radical and the "sheet/page" (ye) radical

 

[Joe2Cool]

i used Unionway before and allowed me to do english=>chinese translations word by word...faster than pinyin for me. i don't know if the current version supports this still or not...oh yea i was using their Asian Suite thing.

 

[Eug]

<< you FOB

there's NJWIN, twinbridge, and a few other programs out there.
or get a Gogo Pen/Tablet and write it. >>

Fresh of the boat??? Nope. Born and raised in Canada. OK. I'll check out those progs.


<< zhuyin is a taiwan thang... its basically a phonetic alphabet similar to pinyin >>

Oh, I guess you mean that bo po mo fo thing that I don't understand.


<< i used Unionway before and allowed me to do english=>chinese translations word by word... >>

I'll look for that too.

 

[cleek]

just enable the fortune cookies option in your browser

ugh... sorry

 

[killmeplease]

Step #1: Find somebody who knows chinese.

 

[yata]

lol, say no to fortune cookies.

Njstar works with every text window. Install that and choose the pinyin, I think. That one's the one where you type English letters that sounds like Chinese and njstar will display the Chinese that sounds like that. Phonetic stuff. dabble around and you'll see.