The keys in Ukrainian
The keys are ЙЦУКЕН on Flikzi’s honeycomb, with the letters where a computer keyboard has them: hexagons with no gaps between them, in rows of 12, 11 and 9. Twelve keys across are narrower than the ten of the Latin keys.
The three rows
| Row | Keys, and what a flick down types |
|---|---|
| Top | й1ц2у3к4е5н6г7ш8щ9з0х=ї% |
| Middle | ф@і#в$а_п&р-о+л(д)ж;є~ |
| Bottom | я*ч"с'м:и/т!ь?б№ю… |
A tap types the letter. A flick up types its capital, so there is no shift key. A flick down types the digit or mark shown under it. ?123 and ☺ are half keys at the two ends of the middle row. The comma is left of the bottom row; right of it are the full stop and enter. The space bar is below: swipe left on it to delete. Every gesture.
Ukrainian letters
Touch and hold a letter and its other forms open above it. In Ukrainian a held key offers its Ukrainian letters: slide to one and lift. Most of the time you won’t need it, because the letters come with the words. є is the last key of the middle row, and ї is the last key of the top row: tap them like any letter.
| Hold | It offers |
|---|---|
| г | ґ |
Typing Ukrainian on Flikzi
- Autocorrect that allows for a neighbouring key, a missed letter, an extra tap and swapped letters
- The word you are typing, and words that finish it, in the strip above the keys
- Next-word predictions after each space
- A flick up for a capital, a flick down for the digit or mark under the letter
- Ukrainian’s own letters with the words, or from holding a key
- Your own words and phrases, learned on your phone
ї ends the top row and є ends the middle row; і is the second key of the middle row. Twelve keys share the width that ten Latin keys take, so they are narrower, and you don’t have to hit each one exactly: Flikzi reads where every tap landed and allows for a neighbouring key. The word it will put in leads the strip above the keys, and space or a full stop puts it in.
ґ has no key. Type г and the word brings it (гудзик becomes ґудзик), or hold г and slide to ґ. The apostrophe of сім’я is a flick down on с.
Ukrainian’s word list is counted from the Tatoeba sentence collection, since the Android Open Source Project has none for it. It is much smaller than the Russian one, so more of your words will be new to Flikzi at first. It learns them on your phone.
With Flikzi Pro, the mic at the right end of the strip types by voice in Ukrainian, when the speech recogniser on your phone has that language. Voice typing.
Ukrainian with your other languages
A phone already set to Ukrainian starts with it on. Otherwise pick Ukrainian in Flikzi’s settings, under Language: the free version types one language, and Ukrainian can be it. With Flikzi Pro, open Several languages to switch on as many as you use, then flick up on the left of the space bar to move to the next one, or flick up and hold for a picker. The space bar shows Українська while you type Ukrainian, and the picker lists it as УК.
Often typed with Ukrainian: Russian, Polish, English. All 23 languages.
Where the words come from
The word list and next-word data are counted from the Tatoeba sentence collection (CC BY 2.0 FR), a smaller source than the Android Open Source Project’s dictionaries, which have no list for this language. It all ships inside the app and runs on your phone, so nothing you type is sent anywhere. Open-source licences.
Questions
Is Flikzi’s Ukrainian keyboard free?
Yes, if Ukrainian is the language you type: the free version of Flikzi types one language of your choice, with every flick on the letters and the space bar. Typing Ukrainian alongside other languages, and switching between them with a flick, needs Flikzi Pro, a one-time purchase of US$4.99 before tax. Every new install gets 14 days of Pro free.
How do I type ї, є and ґ?
ї and є have keys: ї ends the top row and є the middle row. ґ is on г: hold г and slide to ґ, or type г and let the word bring it.
Is the Ukrainian word list as large as the Russian one?
No. It comes from a smaller source, so Flikzi knows fewer Ukrainian words at first, and autocorrect can change a word it doesn’t know. Tap your own letters in the strip to keep the word, and Flikzi learns it on your phone.
Does Flikzi send what I type in Ukrainian anywhere?
No. The dictionary and the engine are inside the app, and nothing you type leaves your phone. Flikzi has no internet permission, so it cannot send anything. It asks for your contacts or the microphone only if you turn on contacts’ email addresses or voice typing, and it works without them.