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JIS (Japanese) Keyboard Shortcuts

S

Salaryman Parad

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 8, 2008
6
0
I've recently purchased a new iMac, and am making my first real foray into the world of JIS keyboard layouts. My wife has a Japanese laptop, and whenever I borrow it I find myself frustrated by the inability to cycle through windows in the same program (accomplished with command-tilde on my current PowerBook).

Even if I do command-tilde on her notebook, it doesn't cycle through the windows. Clearly there's some other command that has to be entered to do it, but I can't find documentation anywhere on the internet, nor do I want to brave the wild world of the Japanese internet to try to look for a solution which I wouldn't even know how to find in Japanese.

Does anyone know this very necessary shortcut on a Japanese keyboard?

(I apologize for this thread if it's a repeat, but I tried to search for command tilde and the like, and was unable to find anything topical)
 
Well, what works for me with Swedish, Korean and Japanese input methods are :apple: plus the first key to the right of your left shift-key. Hope it works for you too, otherwise, It should work to just switch to the input method you're used to and use the keyboard shortcut you use on your own computer.
 
Ludde said:
Well, what works for me with Swedish, Korean and Japanese input methods are :apple: plus the first key to the right of your left shift-key. Hope it works for you too, otherwise, It should work to just switch to the input method you're used to and use the keyboard shortcut you use on your own computer.
Click to expand...
Definitely doesn't work.

:apple:-z does not work, and that's the first key to the right of the left shift.
 
Hi,

Iv'e always had a japanese keyboard and didn't realize you could do what you were asking on a mac. :)

anyway, I tried pushing a few keys and found that

shift + command + (either of the two curly brackets keys to the immediate left of the enter/return key) will cycle through the open tabs in safari.

I'm not sure how to cycle through windows in the same program though, I always use expose in a corner.

I've also found a list of all the keyboard commands in japanese.. might be some help to you, I had a quick look but I can't see the command that you are looking for.. sorry.

http://docs.info.apple.com/jarticle.html?artnum=75459-ja
 
Salaryman Parad said:
Definitely doesn't work.

:apple:-z does not work, and that's the first key to the right of the left shift.
Click to expand...

Ah, well Z isn't the first one to the right of the left shift for me...it's <(and according to the keyboard viewer, that's where tilde is on an American keyboard). That's the reason I got my Macbook here in Sweden and not when I was in Korea...we've got the best keyboard layout there is...works with everything(and the enter-key is VERTICAL!, not horizontal *shrug*).

Anyway, if the key is there on your iMac-keyboard, then why not just try it plugged into the laptop?
 
Ludde said:
Well, what works for me with Swedish, Korean and Japanese input methods are :apple: plus the first key to the right of your left shift-key. Hope it works for you too, otherwise, It should work to just switch to the input method you're used to and use the keyboard shortcut you use on your own computer.
Click to expand...

windowpain said:
Hi,

Iv'e always had a japanese keyboard and didn't realize you could do what you were asking on a mac. :)

anyway, I tried pushing a few keys and found that

shift + command + (either of the two curly brackets keys to the immediate left of the enter/return key) will cycle through the open tabs in safari.

I'm not sure how to cycle through windows in the same program though, I always use expose in a corner.

I've also found a list of all the keyboard commands in japanese.. might be some help to you, I had a quick look but I can't see the command that you are looking for.. sorry.

http://docs.info.apple.com/jarticle.html?artnum=75459-ja
Click to expand...

Ludde said:
Ah, well Z isn't the first one to the right of the left shift for me...it's <(and according to the keyboard viewer, that's where tilde is on an American keyboard). That's the reason I got my Macbook here in Sweden and not when I was in Korea...we've got the best keyboard layout there is...works with everything(and the enter-key is VERTICAL!, not horizontal *shrug*).

Anyway, if the key is there on your iMac-keyboard, then why not just try it plugged into the laptop?
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for that list windowpain!

I read through it, and it does show a command to do that:
コマンド + (`) Finder やアプリケーションのウインドウを切り替える（複数のウインドウが開いている場合

However, it doesn't work on the macbook (there's a good chance it will work on the iMac, I don't have it set up yet, but it certainly doesn't work on the macbook).

The { and } as well as [ and ] with command-shift don't work either. Neither does command - shift - `

So I'm really baffled.

It's pretty silly, but I use that command so often that I would be lost without it, and is making me consider getting a non-Japanese keyboard just for that one feature.

There must be a way to do it, but it's absolutely evading me.

Ludde:
000916ibook_keyboard.jpg

As you can see, the Z is to the right of the left shift on the keyboard. Same with the G4:
japanese_ibook.jpg

Same with the new intel MacBooks (key sizes changed slightly, but otherwise same layout).

I cannot for the life of me figure this out. It's been driving me nuts for a year since my wife got her notebook, and now I'm more or less at wit's end...
 
Salaryman Parad said:
I read through it, and it does show a command to do that:
コマンド + (`) Finder やアプリケーションのウインドウを切り替える（複数のウインドウが開いている場合

However, it doesn't work on the macbook (there's a good chance it will work on the iMac, I don't have it set up yet, but it certainly doesn't work on the macbook).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was trying to do it on my macbook, but couldn't get it working. Never knew it was possible.

The keyboards are all slightly different though, so you might have luck on an imac. It took me a few months to realize that I had two command keys on my macbook! (the japanese ibook g4's only have one)

Like you say, if you plug in an external keyboard into the macbook it should do what you need. The new wireless ones are pretty small, and I'm pretty sure you can order a US one at the apple stores online. (assuming you are in Japan)

hope you find an answer!
 
Dug through the macbook help, and actually found a solution!

Yes indeed fans, you can do this on a Japanese MacBook by pressing :apple: + F1

So useful. My life is now complete.

Thank you for all the help.
 
Questionable Solution?

Dug through the macbook help, and actually found a solution!

Yes indeed fans, you can do this on a Japanese MacBook by pressing + F1
Click to expand...

Great Thread!

I also have the same problem and have been looking for the solution for a long time. I have a MacBook (3,1) with a Japanese keyboard, but unfortunately this solution doesn't work for me.:confused:

When I try using command⌘ + F1, my system puts the monitor in mirror mode because I have a second monitor attached. When I try it without the second monitor connected nothing happens.

Update: I tried this on a iBook G4 but no results. I wonder if I am reading this correctly, or is it just a wrong answer?

Also, I expect to have to use the fn Function key to access the function key functions on a MacBook, so I tried that with and without the second monitor attached but there was no change in the results.

Does anybody have any ideas?
 
found solution

Hey guys,

I had the same problem and command⌘ +fn + F1 is working for me. a bit tedious to press 3 buttons　though, especially as I dont want to use the settings of my girlfriends computer.

I am using a Macbook4,1 which is the white one (about 2 years old).

best regards,

kuck
 
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