Korean Job Discussion Forums

[skeeterses]

A few days ago, I figured out how to solve the problem of typing Korean letters on a keyboard that doesn't have the hangeul letters.

Basically, I wrote out a Perl script to convert the transliterations into the hangeul characters. In the input, each Korean syllable is typed out on a separate line using english letters, and then running the Perl script takes those characters and prints them in their hangeul form.

You can get the script at http://www.geocities.com/scottestinson1 . And I didn't type out all 11,000 combinations by hand. I wrote 2 small programs to generate the letter combinations along with the unicode values for the hangeul syllables, which I didn't post online. Feel free to distribute the program.

[tselem]

Modern operating systems already include different input methods for Korean. These include romanization and keyboard remapping methods.

[warren pease]

Sounds like you did a ton of work for nothin. I just downloaded a little program from windows that allows me to switch between roman and hangul. A little keyboard pops up in the corner that i use to reference where the symbols are.

[skeeterses]

Well, I'm actually using my mother's computer which happens to be a Mac. I did figure yesterday how to change the keyboard mapping to Korean. Mac users can simply go to the top menu bar and click on the American flag and below that click on the Korean flag. I don't know what the trick is for Windows and Linux. For Windows, there's probably a Firefox plugin to enable hangeul typing for nonKorean keyboards. I do know that Firefox will let American internet users type in Cyrillic.

But don't feel to bad for me. It only took me a few days to get the Unicode combinations printed out. I didn't type them all out by hand.

As far as the little keyboard that pops up, clicking on the hangeul symbols with a mouse is pretty slow. If you don't know how to change the Korean mapping for your computer, you should give the perl script a try just because typing would be faster.

[Ut videam]

You did this for a Mac? Dude, you REALLY wasted your time.

Mac OS X includes two different romanized input methods for Korean text input, "GongjinCheong Romaja" and "HNC Romaja." The mappings are slightly different than the government romanization scheme, but it's easy enough to pick up.

[Bigfeet]

I found out how to do it in Vista with an American keyboard if anyone is interested.

[bobbyhanlon]

a lot of effort! can't you just remember where the hangeul characters are?

[skeeterses]

You guys are talking as if I really did type out all those combinations by hand. I'm telling you that typing up a program to generate the hangeul syllables from the romanizations is really easier than it looks. Perl is made for doing that kind of stuff.

I know now that the Mac has the international input enabled. After clicking on the American flag at the top of the screen, the menu gives several options of putting in the hangeuls and romanizations. After 3 years of living in Korea, I still remember the hangeul locations on the keyboard without having to look.