How to Type Chinese on Android (Gboard and Samsung Keyboard)

Android phones type Chinese through the keyboard app rather than the OS. Gboard and Samsung Keyboard both ship with a Chinese (Simplified) Pinyin layout — you just need to turn it on.

Gboard

Open Settings → System → Languages & input → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages.

Choose Add keyboard, find Chinese (Simplified), and enable Pinyin. Long-press the comma key afterward to open Gboard settings directly.

Switch languages by sliding the space bar left or right, or by tapping the globe key.

Samsung Keyboard

Open Settings → General management → Samsung Keyboard settings → Languages and types → Manage input languages.

Enable Chinese (Simplified), then pick Pinyin as the input type.

Typing ü and practising

Android pinyin keyboards use v for ü as well: 女 is nv.

For per-letter pinyin practice on TypingChinese, switch the keyboard back to English so letters reach the page unmodified.

女 → nv
Use the English layout for practice

Now practise it

Your keyboard is set up. Type pinyin, get graded letter by letter, and let spaced repetition bring back the words you miss. No account.

Start typing practice Pinyin chart HSK 1 word list

Other guides

How to Type Chinese on Windows 11 (Pinyin Input Method Setup)Add the Microsoft Pinyin input method on Windows 11 or 10, switch keyboards with Win+Space, and type ü with v. Includes the one setting that breaks pinyin typing practice.How to Type Chinese on Mac and MacBook (Pinyin + Handwriting)Add Chinese input sources on macOS, switch with Control+Space or Caps Lock, use trackpad handwriting, and type ü with v. Plus the setting to change before practising pinyin.How to Type Chinese on iPhone and iPad (Pinyin + Handwriting)Add the Chinese Pinyin and Handwriting keyboards on iOS, switch with the globe key, and learn why pinyin practice needs the English keyboard.How to Type Chinese in WhatsApp, WeChat or Any AppApps do not handle Chinese input — your operating system does. Once the keyboard is installed, switching works the same in every app, on desktop and mobile.Type Chinese Online Without Installing an Input MethodOptions for typing Chinese when you cannot install software: browser-based input tools, copy-paste workflows, and why pinyin practice only needs a normal English keyboard.How to Type ü in Pinyin (It Is Just the v Key)There is no ü key on a keyboard. Every pinyin input method types it as v — plus the cases where ü is simply written as u.

TypingChinese is open source — view the code on GitHub.