How to install Chinese input for Peppermint OS?

[siumi]

~$ cat /etc/os-release 
PRETTY_NAME="PeppermintOS"
NAME="Peppermint"
ID=peppermint
VERSION_CODENAME="bookworm"
HOME_URL="https://peppermintos.com"
SUPPORT_URL="https://sourceforge.net/p/peppermintos/pepos/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://sourceforge.net/p/peppermintos/pepos/

I am running the Peppermint OS, and would like to install Cangjie input method for the machine.
However I find it very hard to do so. I tried to use Fcitx5, IBUS, Hime, they can all be installed but when I tried to switch to Cangjie and input the Chinese characters, only English (Latin) characters are typed. I tried to install other languages but it was the same for Japanese, Arabic etc.

In the IBus config tool, it seems the cangjie input methods all display with warning icons.

I want to input Chinese, what else do i need to install?

Edit terminal printout and format for legibility.

[Anonymous]

Hi Siumi,

If you wanted the Chinese language during the initial install, at the boot splash, you would need to click on the second entry, below the Live session and choose "Set your Localisation" for your native language. See enclosed photo of localisation screen, to choose your preferred language.

Pepdebian will probably be better placed than myself to help you, as he needs to swap between English and Japanese, due to the fact he lives and works in Japan.

Here is an old guide from Debian 8 on how to change between English and Chinese: https://www.linuxbabe.com/desktop-linux/change-the-language-of-your-debian-system-from-english-to-chinese hope this helps you.

[siumi]

thanks. but I don't need the localization.
instead I just want to type some other languages.

[Peppermint OS]

@simui cavy is correct I do use, fcitx5 on my bookworm build

I use it with Japanese..... to make this work, for me this is what I did.... you can try these steps.......
1. Install fcitx5
2. Install the fcitx5 configuration here it uses QT so you may need to install those dependencies, first.
3. install your input of choice.....for me I use Mozc you can read about it here -- that is only for Japanese but the point is that's my input tool I use.

Next, after everything is installed, My system input is English.... so in order to use Japanese I need to start fcitx5 first, so on your Menu look for and click Fcitx5 Start input Method

Then on your Menu look for and click Fcitx 5 Configuration
That should look like this:

When I first opened this I saw on the left I was missing my keyboard and Mozc input.... I needed to search for and add the Japanese Keyboard, then also I needed to search for and add Mozc for the input.

Once both of those are there and I restarted Fcitx5 in my tasks by my clock I see the ja which tells me Fcitx is started, and now to use Mozc I click ja when I do that my icon changes and I can type Japanese now こんにちは!

Hope that helps

[siumi]

here is the locale supported.

cat /usr/share/i18n/SUPPORTED 
...
zh_CN.UTF-8 UTF-8
zh_CN.GB18030 GB18030
zh_CN.GBK GBK
zh_CN GB2312
zh_HK.UTF-8 UTF-8
zh_HK BIG5-HKSCS
zh_SG.UTF-8 UTF-8
zh_SG.GBK GBK
zh_SG GB2312
zh_TW.UTF-8 UTF-8
zh_TW.EUC-TW EUC-TW
zh_TW BIG5
zu_ZA.UTF-8 UTF-8
zu_ZA ISO-8859-1

locale config, which is ok for me, because i mainly use english in this machine.

$ cat /etc/locale.conf 
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
LC_ADDRESS=en_US.UTF-8
LC_IDENTIFICATION=en_US.UTF-8
LC_MEASUREMENT=en_US.UTF-8
LC_MONETARY=en_US.UTF-8
LC_NAME=en_US.UTF-8
LC_NUMERIC=en_US.UTF-8
LC_PAPER=en_US.UTF-8
LC_TELEPHONE=en_US.UTF-8
LC_TIME=en_US.UTF-8

I have enabled the language i use and rerun the locale gen.

$ cat /etc/locale.gen 
# This file lists locales that you wish to have built. You can find a list
# of valid supported locales at /usr/share/i18n/SUPPORTED, and you can add
# user defined locales to /usr/local/share/i18n/SUPPORTED. If you change
# this file, you need to rerun locale-gen.

...
# yuw_PG UTF-8
# zh_CN GB2312
# zh_CN.GB18030 GB18030
# zh_CN.GBK GBK
# zh_CN.UTF-8 UTF-8
# zh_HK BIG5-HKSCS
zh_HK.UTF-8 UTF-8
# zh_SG GB2312
# zh_SG.GBK GBK
# zh_SG.UTF-8 UTF-8
# zh_TW BIG5
# zh_TW.EUC-TW EUC-TW
zh_TW.UTF-8 UTF-8
# zu_ZA ISO-8859-1
# zu_ZA.UTF-8 UTF-8

###
#
# Locales enabled by Calamares
# en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

is there anything i missed?

[siumi]

I have installed fcitx5 and fcitx5-table-cangjie* and fcitx5-chinese-addons. But I cannot input any chinese yet.

[Peppermint OS]

From your screen-shot seems you need to move the cangie to the left.
You see how mine is

[siumi]

yes. I did move cangjie inputs to the left and saved but it didn't work.
I could install cangjie using ibus or fcitx without problem on mint or Ubuntu before. therefore I think something else is missing.