Feature request: Add simple 12 key Japanese Kana input

[WallK]

Hello
I'd like to have an ability to input Japanese Kana input, like on old phones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_input_method#Keitai_input
I'm not talking about full IME and dictionary conversion to Kanji, just simple "press 2 three times to get く (ku)"
Thanks!

[sspanak]

This may be a bit tricky. 1-key is currently reserved for punctuation and emoji, but the first set of characters is customizable in the language definition, so it is possible to replace it with the vowels. And I suppose dakuten, handakuten and small letters can be made to work using the Capitalize, Uppercase and Lowercase modes. And finally, Hiragana and Katakana would have to be separate "languages". I am not 100% sure, without looking at the code, but it may just be that easy... or not.

It should be possible to add a word dictionary and do automatic kanji conversion, but it will require much more effort. There is a discussion about enabling Chinese in #260. It may be possible to enable both languages by allowing phonetic typing, based on the English layout, but I don't have a clear idea how do it (yet).

So, for now, the only real doable options I can think of are adding Hiragana and Katakana.

[WallK]

Romaji input could be the simplest way of doing it, sure
But it will require some rules, like small tsu on repeat letters and such
But pressing sometimes 8 times to get one symbol could be very-very slow, comparing to up to 5 with kana input

The learning app I mentioned in another issue treats lowercase romaji as hiragana and uppercase as katakana, btw

Thanks!

[sspanak]

I also use Japanese occasionally, so I should be able to test properly whatever I try.

Again, I give no guarantees. Japanese is quite complicated and there are much better alternatives, such as the 15-key GODAN. Initially, I had no plans supporting it, but the discussion about Chinese gave me some ideas and now I am thinking it just might be possible.