How to type Cantonese on MacOS with Squirrel
Updated: 12 Feb 2019
IMPORTANT NOTE (11 Jul 2019)
Please take a look at this page (in Chinese) below if the instructions in this article does not work.
https://laubonghaudoi.github.io/dialects/install/mac.html
This is a step-by-step guide on how to type Cantonese using Jyutping on MacOS. Jyutping is the Cantonese romanisation (read: “spelling”) system endorsed by LSHK (The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong), and is a valuable tool to learners, teachers and researcher of the language. If you are using another system (e.g. Yale, Sidney Lau, some version of IPA broad transcription, etc.), you are strongly encouraged to learn Jyutping.
I am going to introduce this fantastic tool called Squirrel. This is an input method engine designed to cater the needs of all users of Chinese languages (because typing Chinese characters is such a pain. Many Hongkongers from my generation decided to switch to English when txting just because we didn’t want to learn Chinese typing.)
Bear in mind that Squirrel is not designed specifically for Cantonese, that’s why we need to configure the tool before we can use Jyutping.
Step 1: Download the install package from the official website
Go to this page. Under “macOS 鼠鬚管 Squirrel”, click “下載” to download.
(If you can’t locate the download link from the page, here is a Direct Download Link)
Caution!
Please use v0.9.26.2, and do NOT update Squirrel to the latest version.
Step 2: Installation
Unzip the file (click on the zip file), and run the extracted Squirrel.pkg (Note: On some machines, you may need to do Ctrl + right click, and then Open.)
Follow the instruction. Hit “Continue” / “Install”. You will also be asked for your MacOS login and password.
Other applications will be closed during the process. Make sure to save all your work before moving on.
Step 3: Add Squirrel to your “input sources” list
Next you will need to add Squirrel to your input sources. If you already see it on the list, go to Step 4.
First, click “Open Keyboard Preferences” on the drop-list.
Click the “+” sign at the bottom left.
Under Simplified Chinese, choose Squirrel, and then Add.
(It’s actually Traditional Chinese by default, you can switch between Traditional and Simplified when you type.)
Step 4: Configure Jyutping
Now we are doing one final crucial step. We need to tell Squirrel that we want to use Jyutping (instead of Mandarin, Changjie, … and tonnes of other keyboards that come with the package).
Please download this file now.
Then open the Squirrel menu, click Settings. A folder (~/Library/Rime/) will pop up.
Drag this newly downloaded default.custom.yaml file there. Once you are done, click Deploy on the same menu.
(credit: 奇宝日报 Curiosity Post)
#default.custom.yaml
patch:
“menu/page_size”: 9
schema_list:
- schema: jyutpingHow to Type
Now open your favourite editor, and check whether Squirrel is set up correctly. Type NEIHOU and you should see a menu like this one below.
You can enter a long string of Jyutping, the engine will try to determine the word boundaries for you. For example, to type “今日天氣好好 (gam1jat6 tin1hei3 hou2hou2)”, enter GAMJATTINHEIHOUHOU, you will see the correct phrase on the top of the list. Hit Space and it will be inserted to your document. You can also use the number keys or arrows to navigate through the list.
Note: Some characters can be pages down the list. Do not type character-by-character. You should type the entire word instead, in order to type 告示, you should enter GOUSI, and then choose the first item on the list. If you type GOU, select the correct character, then when it comes to SI, you will need to scroll to the third page to get what you need.
The ordering of items will be adjusted according to your typing habit. For high-frequency words, just type the initial sounds, e.g. HGJ for 香港人 (Hoeng Gong Jan), and hit the number 3. The phrase 香港人 should show on your document screen.
If you’re a fast typist in English, you should be able to type Cantonese with just a little practice.
