How do you voice type in Chinese?

To voice type in Chinese on a Mac, add a Mandarin Chinese language in Dictation settings, switch to it before you speak, and check the output. On Windows 11, choose a Chinese voice typing language and start voice typing with Windows key and H, but expect the feature to need an internet connection. Whichever system you use, the variant you choose matters, because Mandarin has several entries and the characters differ by region. Test one paragraph before you rely on the result.

On a Mac, add Mandarin in Dictation settings and switch before you speak

Dictation has its own language list, so add Chinese there even if you already type in Chinese. Go to Dictation, click Edit next to Languages, then select a language and region ¹.

The Mandarin entries on Apple's main Dictation list are Mandarin Chinese (China mainland) and Mandarin (Taiwan) ². Choose the one that matches where you write. Once you have added a language, you switch to it while you dictate. Click the language label next to the cursor, or press the Globe key and choose the language ³. Check the label before each session, because a session that starts in another language will produce text in that language.

If you want speech processed on the Mac, look at Apple's on-device list. It names Mandarin Chinese (China mainland) ⁴. The Taiwan entry is not on that list, so Taiwanese Mandarin may need a different check. Read the list for your macOS release before you assume a row is on-device.

On Windows 11, voice typing supports three Chinese variants but needs the internet

Microsoft's list of languages for voice typing in Windows 11 includes three Chinese entries: Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR) and Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) ⁵. Choose the Chinese language you need as your input language, since Microsoft says you switch voice typing languages by changing the input language you use ⁶.

Then start voice typing:

1. Click in a text box, where the cursor must be before voice typing will type what you say ⁷.
2. Press Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard ⁸.
3. Speak in short sentences, and check each one as it appears.

The internet requirement matters. Voice typing on Windows needs a connection, so it will not work in a place without coverage. For offline Chinese, check an offline app before you rely on it.

Pick the variant that matches what you write

Simplified and Traditional are two sets of written characters for the same spoken Mandarin. We could not find, in the Apple pages we opened, a statement of which character set the Mac output uses, so do not assume it. Dictate a sentence in the characters you write and check them before you rely on the setting.

Region matters too. Apple's on-device and main lists treat mainland and Taiwan Mandarin as separate rows, and Windows lists Hong Kong and Taiwan separately from mainland China. If your audience is in one of those places, use the matching entry.

Check the output before you send it

Mandarin has many syllables that map to several characters, and the recognizer chooses one from context. A sentence can sound right and still contain the wrong character, which is what a homophone error looks like in writing. Read each sentence before you send it, and pay particular attention to names, places and technical terms.

Punctuation is also worth a test. Chinese text uses full-width marks, so check that automatic punctuation inserts the marks you expect. For the setting itself, see automatic punctuation.

When voice typing is the wrong tool

Voice typing is quick for drafts and messages. For a short line that needs precise characters, a keyboard with a pinyin or other input method editor may be more reliable, because you choose each character yourself. Whether speech is faster for you depends on your speech and your keyboard, so the question on whether speaking Chinese is faster than typing pinyin covers that trade-off.

Related answers

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• Is speaking Chinese faster than typing pinyin?
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• What is the best speech to text for Japanese?

This answer is part of the guide Japanese, Chinese and Korean speech to text in the Languages section.