1. Installation & Setup

When you download HanhonforMac, the input method is automatically installed. After installation, you need to add it as an input source in macOS to use it.

Adding Input Source

  1. Go to System Settings โ†’ Keyboard โ†’ Input Sources.
  2. Click the Edit button.
  3. Click the + button at the bottom left and search for "Hanhon".
  4. Select it from the list and click Add.
๐Ÿ’ก Tip

You can switch to HanhonforMac by clicking the input source icon in the menu bar. You can also use the default shortcut โŒƒ + Space.

โŒจ๏ธ Keyboard Stickers

Search for "Korean keyboard stickers" on Amazon Japan or Rakuten, purchase them and apply to your keyboard for a more convenient typing experience.

2. Basic Usage

HanhonforMac is an input method that automatically converts Hangul pronunciation into Japanese (Hiragana/Katakana). If you know the Japanese pronunciation, you can type Japanese using Hangul.

How It Works

When you combine Hangul consonants and vowels, they are automatically converted to the corresponding Japanese characters.

Example: Typing "sakura"

ใ……ใ…ใ…‹ใ…œใ„นใ… โ†’ ใ•ใใ‚‰

Type the consonants and vowels of "์‚ฌ์ฟ ๋ผ" in order, and it becomes "ใ•ใใ‚‰" in hiragana.

Candidate Selection

When the candidate window appears during input, you can select your desired word:

  • Space or โ†“ - Select next candidate
  • Shift + Space or โ†‘ - Select previous candidate
  • 1 ~ 9, 0 - Select directly by number
  • Enter - Confirm selection

3. Hiragana Input

Hiragana is the basic Japanese script. In HanhonforMac's default mode, Hangul input is converted to hiragana.

Basic Vowels (ใ‚-row)

์•„โ†’ใ‚ ์ดโ†’ใ„ ์šฐโ†’ใ† ์—โ†’ใˆ ์˜คโ†’ใŠ

Consonant + Vowel Combinations

Combine Hangul consonants and vowels to input hiragana for each row.

ใ‹-row (K-sounds)

์นดโ†’ใ‹ ํ‚คโ†’ใ ์ฟ โ†’ใ ์ผ€โ†’ใ‘ ์ฝ”โ†’ใ“
๐Ÿ“ Full Conversion Table

See all Hangul-to-Hiragana conversion rules on the Conversion Table page.

ใ…œ vs ใ…ก

The Japanese ใ†-row sound is between Korean "ใ…œ" and "ใ…ก". HanhonforMac converts both to the same hiragana.

์Šคโ†’ใ™ ์ˆ˜โ†’ใ™

Use whichever feels more natural to you!

ใ… vs ใ…”

The Japanese ใˆ-row sound is between Korean "ใ…" and "ใ…”". HanhonforMac converts both to the same hiragana.

์ผ€โ†’ใ‘ ์บโ†’ใ‘
์„ธโ†’ใ› ์ƒˆโ†’ใ›

No need to worry about typos!

4. Katakana Input

Katakana is mainly used for foreign words, onomatopoeia, and emphasis.

Switching to Katakana Mode

Press Option + K to toggle between Hiragana and Katakana mode.

Input in Katakana Mode

์ฝ”ํžˆโ†’ใ‚ณใƒผใƒ’ใƒผ
๋ผ๋ฉ˜โ†’ใƒฉใƒผใƒกใƒณ
๐Ÿ’ก Tip

Even when typing in Hiragana, you can often select Katakana conversion from the candidate window. If you don't type foreign words frequently, you can stay in the default mode.

5. Special Characters

Sokuon (ใฃ/ใƒƒ) - Double Consonant

Sokuon is the "small tsu" used for double consonants. Type consecutive consonants to create sokuon.

Sokuon Examples

์‚ฌใ……ํฌ๋กœโ†’ใ•ใฃใฝใ‚
๋‹ˆใ……ํฌใ„ดโ†’ใซใฃใฝใ‚“

The consonant "ใ……" is converted to sokuon "ใฃ".

N-sound (ใ‚“)

"ใ‚“" is the Japanese syllabic nasal. Type "ใ„ด" or "ใ…‡" followed by another consonant, and it converts to "ใ‚“".

ใ„ด / ใ…‡โ†’ใ‚“
๋‹ˆํ˜ธใ„ดโ†’ใซใปใ‚“

Long Vowel (ใƒผ)

Press the - (hyphen) key to input the long vowel mark.

Punctuation

  • . (period) โ†’ ใ€‚ (Japanese period)
  • , (comma) โ†’ ใ€ (Japanese comma)

6. Kanji Conversion

When you type hiragana, kanji conversion candidates appear automatically in the candidate window.

Kanji Conversion Examples

๋‹ˆํ˜ธใ„ดโ†’ใซใปใ‚“โ†’ๆ—ฅๆœฌ
์‚ฌ์ฟ ๋ผโ†’ใ•ใใ‚‰โ†’ๆกœ

Use Space or โ†“/โ†‘ keys to browse candidates, and Enter or number keys to confirm your selection.

Kanji Grid (Single Kanji Selection)

When there are many kanji with the same reading, you can open the kanji grid to directly select the desired kanji.

How to Use the Kanji Grid

  1. Type hiragana. (e.g., ใ‚)
  2. Press Option + Space to open the kanji grid.
  3. Use arrow keys or number keys to select the desired kanji.
  4. Press Enter to confirm, or click on a kanji.

Kanji Grid Controls:

  • โ† / โ†’ - Previous/Next kanji
  • โ†‘ / โ†“ - Move up/down rows
  • 1 ~ 9, 0 - Select by number
  • Enter - Confirm selection
  • Esc or Option + Space - Close grid
๐Ÿ“ Note

The kanji grid displays all kanji corresponding to the reading. You can scroll to see more kanji.

๐Ÿ’ก Tip

Frequently used words are automatically learned and prioritized in future suggestions.

7. Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Function
Space / โ†“ Select next candidate
Shift + Space / โ†‘ Select previous candidate
1 ~ 9, 0 Select candidate by number
Enter Confirm selection
Esc Cancel input
Option + K Toggle Hiragana โ†” Katakana mode
Option + Space Open/Close Kanji Grid
โ†’ Force confirm composition
. Period โ†’ ใ€‚
, Comma โ†’ ใ€
- Long vowel mark ใƒผ

8. Settings

Click the Hanhon icon in the menu bar and select "Open Settings" to open the settings app.

Input Settings

  • Show reading (furigana) in suggestions - Displays hiragana reading next to kanji candidates.

Language Settings

You can choose the settings app interface language from Korean, Japanese, or English.

Data Management

  • Reset Learning Data - Deletes personalized recommendation data. User dictionary is preserved.

9. User Dictionary

Register frequently used words or special expressions in your user dictionary for quick input.

Adding Words

  1. Go to the "Dictionary" tab in the settings app.
  2. Enter the hiragana (reading) and the desired output.
  3. Click the "Add" button.

Registration Example

Hiragana: ใ‹ใŠใ‚‚ใ˜

Output: (โ•ฏยฐโ–กยฐ)โ•ฏ๏ธต โ”ปโ”โ”ป

Type "์นด์˜ค๋ชจ์ง€" and the emoticon will appear in the candidates.

Export / Import

You can export or import your user dictionary as a JSON file. Useful for syncing between devices or creating backups.

10. Premium & License

HanhonforMac offers a free trial with limited features, and premium features for a one-time purchase.

Free vs Premium

Feature Free Premium
Hiragana/Katakana Input โœ“ โœ“
Basic Kanji Conversion โœ“ โœ“
User Dictionary Up to 5 entries Unlimited
Word Suggestions - โœ“
Katakana Suggestions - โœ“
Emoji/Kaomoji Suggestions - โœ“
Personalized Learning - โœ“

Purchase Options

You can purchase a Mac license directly from within HanhonforMac. A single license allows use on up to 2 Macs.

Cross-Platform License

If you own the HanhonKey iOS app Lifetime purchase, you can use HanhonforMac premium features without additional purchase.

๐Ÿ“ฑ Using with iOS
  1. Open the HanhonKey app on iOS and sign in with Apple.
  2. Open HanhonforMac settings and sign in with the same Apple account.
  3. Premium features are automatically unlocked (up to 2 Macs).
๐Ÿ”ฎ Coming Soon

Android and Windows versions of HanhonKey are in development. Cross-platform license sharing between all platforms is planned for the future.

Managing Devices

You can view your linked devices in the settings app. If you've reached the device limit, you can remove an old device to add a new one.