I am trying to type bopomofo on my PC. With Windows XP, I switched the Input language to Chinese (Taiwan) and the Keyboard to Chinese (traditional) - Phonetic.
Everything works perfect with entering chinese characters, except entering the tones symbols into the bopomofo text. If I want to enter a tone, the input field stays empty and with pushing return no tone is displayed.
Anyone has a solution for that? Thanks for help
The answer is to switch to pinyin. I used zhuyin for a while but found it awkward and slow for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I’m not accustomed to to the location of the symbols on my keyboard. Read down a bit in the forum to find out how to switch XP over to pinyin.
Sorry I am not very familiar with zhu yin. However, a friend of mine told me that she can click a button and convert the characters to zhuyin (with tones)
I don’t know if that is a specific program or not.
IF I can find out more I will let you know. Unitl then …
Do you mean you’re trying to type Chinese characters by using bopomofo input, or trying to type bopomofo itself?
If you just want the Romanization/phonetics, and not the characters, at the risk of having rotten fruit thrown at me, search for “TOP” (tonally orthographic Pinyin) on this site. It’s easy to type and it represents the tones of Mandarin just fine. (Well, Taiwanese too but it’s a bit less elegant. 
)
Terry
I am typing chinese characters by using bopomofo input as well as typing bopomofo itself (to indicate the pronouncation of characters). It’s really an easy and fast system to type chinese characters on the computer.
I think the problem I have is a technical one like using the wrong font or something like this. Anyone typing bopomofo here?
You might want to use “Microsoft New Phonetic IME 2002a” instead. It comes with Windows XP, and you will get ’
Thank you for the tip, now it works!
My friend downloaded some Chinese fonts. she types in Chinese charcters (actually I type them for her) and then she selects the fonts, clicks a particular font (sorry don’t the Chinese characters) and changes the whole thing to bpmf. Can go the otherway too.
I’ve purchased CDs with fonts on them up at Guanghua in Taipei, fonts that have the zhuyin fuhao in tiny form next to each character. They weren’t cheap back then (about 3 years ago) but they may have come down in price. They’re mostly intended for teachers or people with kids, I think.
Yes, the fonts sound similar. However, there is also bo po mo fo without any characters. Also there are fonts with pinyin above it (both simplified and traditioinal). I don’t know if characters can be changed into pinyin (that would be really helpful!!) mmmm…
The Word (microsoft office) software in Chinese version have the function of typing tone symbols.
I use it a lot when doing the entry of pinyin and tones in the news scripts (audio) on my website.
Characters can be changed into Pinyin using:
NJStar (the old trial version was free, now it’s shareware after 30 days I think…) www.njstar.com I believe.
An older program for DOS called “Bamboo Helper” which might still be lurking out there somewhere.
HTH
il