mozc

Mozc is an open-source Japanese input method editor (IME) for Unix-like operating systems. It provides kana-to-kanji conversion and other input enhancements to enable Japanese text entry. Mozc originated as an open-source fork of Google Japanese Input and is now maintained by Google together with the community. The IME operates as a server that processes input and can be used with various frontends through common input method frameworks.

Mozc consists of a core conversion engine and client frontends. The engine performs morphological analysis of kana input and selects appropriate kanji or kana forms, aided by dictionaries and a language model. Users can add words to a personal dictionary, and the system can learn from user input to improve suggestions. Mozc supports romaji input, direct kana input, and multiple dictionaries including proper nouns and common terms. It is designed to work with input method frameworks such as IBus, fcitx, and uim, providing integration across desktop environments.

The project is open-source with sources and releases published publicly, and is used widely in Linux distributions. Mozc packages are available for many distributions, and builds exist for macOS; Windows users typically rely on other IMEs. The Mozc ecosystem includes server and client components that enable seamless Japanese input across different desktop environments, making it a common choice for users who prefer open-source IME solutions. See also Google Japanese Input, input method editors (IME), IBus, and fcitx for related concepts and implementations.