How do you dictate in Japanese on a phone or computer?

You can dictate Japanese on all four common platforms with the voice input that already comes with the device. The steps differ, and so do the requirements. On a Mac, Japanese is on Apple's on-device dictation list. On Windows, the built-in voice typing supports Japanese but needs an internet connection. On Android, Gboard's advanced voice typing includes Japanese ¹, but its advanced features need a Pixel 6 or later ². On iPhone, dictation follows the keyboard language you have added ³. Our overview of Japanese, Chinese and Korean speech to text covers the accuracy side of the same topic.

Start with the built-in option on the device you already have

Each platform has its own voice input, and each supports Japanese in a different way. The table shows the main differences.

Apple's and Microsoft's lists change between releases, so check the language list on your own device before you depend on it.

On a Mac, Japanese dictation works in any text field

On a Mac, dictation works in any place where you can type ⁹. Apple's on-device list includes Japanese (Japan), which means Japanese can be dictated on the Mac itself rather than sent to Apple's servers ¹⁰. Check the list on your own macOS version. To set it up:

1. Open System Settings, go to Keyboard, and turn on Dictation.
2. Add Japanese (Japan) to the dictation languages ¹¹. Apple's list is by language and region, so pick the region you need.
3. Click into a text field, start dictation with the shortcut you set, and speak.
4. To switch languages, use the language label next to the cursor or the Globe key ¹².

Apple also adds some punctuation automatically in supported languages. Japanese is on that list too ¹³, but the marks are a detail to check in your first test.

On Windows, press the Windows key and H, with internet

On a Windows PC, the voice typing toolbar opens when you press the Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, with the cursor in a text box ¹⁴. Japanese must be added to your languages first. Microsoft's steps start under Time & language, then Language & region, and use Preferred languages ¹⁵.

Windows voice typing sends your speech to Microsoft's online service ¹⁶, so the toolbar will not type anything without a connection. If you are offline, use a dictation app that runs on the device instead. That is the main limit of the Windows option for Japanese.

On an iPhone or Android phone, the keyboard decides what you get

On an iPhone, you add a Japanese keyboard in Settings, then General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards ¹⁷. Apple says that when you use a keyboard for another language, you can use Dictation in that language as well ³. Tap the dictation key on the keyboard, then speak. Dictation may not be available in every region, so if the key is missing, check the language list first ⁷.

On Android, tap the microphone at the top of the Gboard keyboard and wait for "Speak now" ¹⁸. Advanced voice typing in Gboard, which switches languages automatically, requires a Pixel 6 or later ².

Privacy differs between the two phone systems. Google's App Store listing for Gboard on iPhone says that voice input from the Gboard microphone is sent to Google for transcription ¹⁹. If that matters to you, check whether built-in iPhone dictation runs on the device for Japanese, since Apple says it does so in many languages ⁸.

Speech may be faster than typing for long Japanese text

Typing Japanese adds a conversion step that dictation can skip. A typist enters kana or romaji, then chooses the kanji from a list. Dictation can replace that sequence with one spoken sentence. The clearest measurement is from Mandarin, not Japanese. In a controlled study of phone text entry, Mandarin entered by speech reached 123 words per minute, against 43 with a Pinyin keyboard ²⁰. No phone study we opened measures the same comparison for Japanese, so treat the Mandarin figure as a guide, not a Japanese result. For Japanese typing speeds on desktop and phone, see how fast people type in Japanese.

It depends: short messages are easy, homophones need checking

For a short message, the built-in option on your device is usually enough. For a long document, or for any text where a wrong word changes the meaning, read every sentence before you send it. Japanese has many words that sound the same and are written with different kanji, so a recognizer can produce a correct sound with the wrong character. The question on the best speech to text for Japanese explains how to compare the accuracy of the options.

Yap, which we make, runs its dictation on the device on Mac and Windows, so it does not depend on the internet connection that Windows voice typing needs. The built-in options above are often enough for many people.

What to do

1. Pick the device you will dictate on, and check its Japanese entry in the language list.
2. Test a paragraph of your own writing, about 200 characters, and read the output for wrong characters.
3. Fix the connection or language if the option is missing: add Japanese to the keyboard or language settings, and connect to the internet on Windows.
4. Use dictation for drafts and typing for final edits, since the recognizer's first output may need edits before you publish it.

For the related question on character accuracy, see character error rate and input method editor, the software that converts keystrokes into Japanese characters.