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How to Add a Language Keyboard on Android (Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer and More)

Add a Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer, Lao, Malay or Cantonese keyboard on Android with Gboard, choose a layout, switch with the space bar and fix common issues.

By Published 4 min read

Reign Creative LLC makes Learn Vietnamese Language Fast and the 4 other Reign Creative LLC apps this article links to, so we have a commercial interest in them. How we write and check articles.

AI-assisted article. Drafted with AI tools from the sources cited below and checked by automated tests and an AI editorial review. No person has reviewed it yet. How we write and check articles.

Key takeaways

  • In Gboard, open Settings, then Languages, then Add keyboard, pick the language and layout, and tap Done.
  • Google notes that changing languages in Gboard does not affect your device's language settings.
  • Touch and hold the space bar to switch languages, or turn on the language switch key in Preferences.
  • Gboard's supported-language list includes Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, several Malay variants and Cantonese in traditional characters.
  • Google's troubleshooting page suggests sticking to one or two active languages for smoother typing.

Reading a new script is one skill; typing it is another. Vietnamese is written with tone marks, Thai, Khmer and Lao use their own scripts, and Cantonese has to be entered as characters. On Android, Google's Gboard keyboard handles all of these once the right language is added. This guide follows Google's Gboard help pages; menu names can differ slightly between devices and Android versions, and Google notes that some steps work only on Android 7.0 and up.

Before you start: Gboard and your Android version

Google's setup page says that on some Android devices Gboard is already the default keyboard, and on others you install it from Google Play. It recommends checking for updates so you have the most recent version, and warns that some steps might not work on Android 8 (Go edition). If your phone uses a different keyboard made by its manufacturer, the menus will look different; the steps below are for Gboard.

One reassurance first. Google's help states that you can change your keyboard language without changing your device's language, and that adding languages in Gboard does not affect your Android language settings. Your phone's menus stay in whatever language they already use.

Adding a language from the keyboard itself

This is the quickest route, as Google describes it:

  1. Open any app you can type in, such as Gmail or Keep.
  2. Tap where you can enter text, so the keyboard appears.
  3. At the top of the keyboard, tap Settings. (Google's setup page describes the same place as Open features menu, then More, then Settings.)
  4. Tap Languages, then Add keyboard.
  5. Pick the language you want.
  6. Pick the layout you want to use.
  7. Tap Done.

Adding it through the Android Settings app

If you prefer the system menus, Google gives a second route: open the Settings app, tap System, then Keyboard and On-screen keyboard, then Gboard and Languages. Pick a language, turn on the layout you want, and tap Done.

Which Southeast and East Asian languages are listed

Gboard's supported-language list on Google's setup page includes each of these languages, some in several forms:

Language How Gboard lists it
Vietnamese Vietnamese
Thai Thai
Khmer Khmer (and separately Khmer Surin)
Lao Lao; Lao, Transliteration
Malay Malay (Malaysia), Latin; Malay (Malaysia), Arabic; plus Brunei and Singapore entries
Cantonese Chinese, Cantonese, Traditional
Burmese Burmese

The Cantonese entry uses traditional characters, and Wikipedia's article on Jyutping lists Gboard among the tools that support Jyutping input on Android and iOS; Jyutping explained covers how that romanisation works. For Malay, choose a Latin entry unless you specifically want to type Malay in Arabic script.

A worked example: a two-language setup for a Vietnamese learner

Say you study Vietnamese and still write messages in English. Add Vietnamese as above, keep English, and stop there: two active languages. That matches the advice on Google's troubleshooting page, which suggests sticking to one or two active languages for smoother typing.

Now count the Malay options in the table: Malaysia Latin, Malaysia Arabic, Brunei Latin, Brunei Arabic and Singapore Latin make five entries for one language. If you later add Malay as well, picking exactly one of those five rather than several "just in case" keeps you at three active languages instead of seven, and Google's one-or-two advice is a reason to add that third only when you need it.

Switching languages while you type

Google gives two methods:

  • Touch and hold the space bar to switch languages.
  • Use the language switch key: in the bottom left of the keyboard, touch and hold the comma, drag your finger to Settings, tap Preferences, and turn on Show language switch key. If that option is greyed out, Google's tip is to turn off Show emoji switch key first.

When typing feels slow or keys go wrong

Google's "Fix problems with Gboard" page suggests, in order: restart the device; update Gboard from Google Play; clear Gboard's cache in Settings > Apps > Gboard > Storage and cache, and if that fails clear its data, which resets Gboard to its default state; or force-stop and reopen it. For lag and incorrect key presses it also suggests turning off Personalization and adjusting text correction, and repeats the advice to keep to one or two active languages.

If the problem is that text in a script displays as boxes or broken shapes, that is a font issue rather than a keyboard one; Khmer fonts on Android explains why Khmer is especially prone to it.

Using the keyboard with our language courses

A keyboard lets you write what the courses teach: tone marks in Vietnamese, covered in the Vietnamese alphabet explained, or the scripts of Thai, Khmer and Lao. Learn Vietnamese Language Fast includes dictation and sentence-building practice alongside its tone lessons, and our other language-learning apps cover Khmer, Lao, Malay and Cantonese. If Thai is next, learning the Thai script is the place to begin.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

How do I add another language keyboard on Android?
With Gboard: open any app you can type in, tap a text field, tap Settings at the top of the keyboard, then Languages and Add keyboard. Pick the language, pick a layout and tap Done. Google also describes a route through the Settings app: System, Keyboard, On-screen keyboard, Gboard, Languages.
How do I switch between keyboard languages on Gboard?
Touch and hold the space bar, according to Google's Gboard help. You can also show a dedicated language switch key: touch and hold the comma, drag to Settings, tap Preferences and turn on Show language switch key. If that option is greyed out, Google says to turn off Show emoji switch key.
Does Gboard support Khmer, Lao and Cantonese?
Gboard's list of supported languages includes Khmer, Lao (with a Lao, Transliteration option), Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese, Cantonese, Traditional. Wikipedia's Jyutping article also lists Gboard among input tools that support Jyutping on Android and iOS.
Will adding a keyboard language change my phone's language?
No. Google's Gboard help says you can change your keyboard language without changing your device's language, and that adding languages in Gboard does not affect your Android language settings.

Sources

  1. Type in a different language - Android phone & tablet (opens in a new tab)Google Gboard Help — accessed
  2. Set up Gboard - Android phone & tablet (opens in a new tab)Google Gboard Help — accessed
  3. Fix problems with Gboard - Android phone & tablet (opens in a new tab)Google Gboard Help — accessed
  4. Jyutping (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed

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