How to Add Chinese Pinyin Input to XPS 9310 Laptops that Ship with Ubuntu 20.04 in English

Summary: This article provides information about how to add Chinese Pinyin input to XPS 9310 computers that shipped with English. This is applicable to Dell computers that ship with the English version of the Ubuntu 20.04 operating system. ...

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Instructions

Adding the Chinese Pinyin Language to an English installed Ubuntu 20.04 Operating system

 

Several customers running Ubuntu 20.04 have asked if they can add the Chinese Pinyin language as an input? Their Dell computer shipped with Ubuntu 20.04 in English.

Note: Even for a computer that shipped using English, there are often multiple keyboard types with different layouts possible.
 

We have confirmed that you can. However, the steps that are involved in adding Chinese Pinyin input are more complex than adding most other languages as an input.


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Language Input Update instructions

 

The following guide was verified on an XPS 9310 laptop that shipped with Ubuntu 20.04. However, these steps are applicable to any Dell computer that shipped with Ubuntu 20.04:

Note: Most step-by-step instructions in Ubuntu involve both Terminal Commands and Graphical User Interface (GUI) windows to accomplish what you need to do. You can open a Terminal window in Ubuntu 20.04 by using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ALT+T. (This shortcut works in most versions of Ubuntu.)
 
Note: sudo is a command in Ubuntu that allows you to run commands with administrator privileges. (This is done as the root.) You are asked to enter a password the first time you use the command. This is the password for your user account. It should be an account with elevated privileges.
 

  1. Open a Terminal Window:

    Use the CTRL+ALT+T keyboard Shortcut.

  2. sudo apt install ibus-pinyin

  3. ibus restart (Do not run this command as root.)

  4. ibus-setup (Do not run this command as root.)

    1. Click the Input Method tab on the window that appears.

    2. Click Add.

    3. Select Chinese and then Pinyin.

  5. Open the Settings application:

    Open the applications launcher and select the Settings app. (You can find it quicker if you type Settings into the search bar.)

  6. Select Regions and Languages from the list that runs down the left-hand side of the settings window:

    1. Click the Manage Installed Languages button.

      (If prompted, install additional language packages as directed.)

    2. Verify that the Keyboard input method system is set to ibus.

    3. Go to Install/Remove Languages, and check the check box next to Chinese, simplified.

  7. Log out of Ubuntu.

  8. Log back in.

  9. Open the Settings app and go back to Region and Language:

    1. Click the Language button and select Chinese.

    2. Go to Input Sources and click the + to add your new keyboard layout.

 
Note: These steps adjust the computer language and the input for all computer applications. Other applications, such as LibreOffice or Firefox, have their own language settings. These applications have to be adjusted separately.


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Affected Products

XPS 13 9310
Article Properties
Article Number: 000181184
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 16 Apr 2025
Version:  5
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