The keys in Vietnamese
The keys are QWERTY on Flikzi’s honeycomb: hexagons with no gaps between them, in rows of 10, 9 and 7, each row half a key further in. They are the same keys in every Latin-script language. Vietnamese’s own letters need no keys of their own: they come with the words, or from holding a letter.
The three rows
| Row | Keys, and what a flick down types |
|---|---|
| Top | q1w2e3r4t5y6u7i8o9p0 |
| Middle | a@s#d$f_g&h-j+k(l) |
| Bottom | z*x"c'v:b/n!m? |
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.
Vietnamese letters
Touch and hold a letter and its other forms open above it. In Vietnamese a held key offers its Vietnamese letters: slide to one and lift. Most of the time you won’t need it, because the letters come with the words.
| Hold | It offers |
|---|---|
| a | ăâàáảãạằắẳẵặầấ… |
| d | đ |
| e | êèéẻẽẹềếểễệ |
| o | ôơòóỏõọồốổỗộờớ… |
| u | ưùúủũụừứửữự |
| i | ìíỉĩị |
| y | ỳýỷỹỵ |
Typing Vietnamese 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
- Vietnamese’s own letters with the words, or from holding a key
- Your own words and phrases, learned on your phone
Type each syllable plain and press space. The word it will put in leads the strip above the keys, and space or a full stop puts it in. The other words for the same letters follow it, so after ma the strip can hold mà, mã, má, mạ and mả to tap.
Vietnamese is the hardest language to type this way, because one plain syllable can stand for several words. Flikzi chooses by the two words before. When the next word shows it chose wrongly, it goes back and changes the one before: cam on becomes cảm ơn. It will still pick the wrong tone at times, and then the right word is one tap away in the strip.
For a toned vowel on its own, hold the vowel and slide: a held a opens all its forms, from ă and â to ặ and ậ. Hold d for đ. Flikzi learns the words you type on your phone.
With Flikzi Pro, the mic at the right end of the strip types by voice in Vietnamese, when the speech recogniser on your phone has that language. Voice typing.
Vietnamese with your other languages
A phone already set to Vietnamese starts with it on. Otherwise pick Vietnamese in Flikzi’s settings, under Language: the free version types one language, and Vietnamese 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 Tiếng Việt while you type Vietnamese, and the picker lists it as VI.
Often typed with Vietnamese: English, Chinese, Korean. 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) and text from the Leipzig Corpora Collection (CC BY 4.0), because the Android Open Source Project’s dictionaries 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 Vietnamese keyboard free?
Yes, if Vietnamese 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 Vietnamese 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.
Does Flikzi support Telex, VNI or VIQR?
No. Flikzi types Vietnamese from plain letters: type the syllable and the word list adds the marks and tones. There is no Telex, VNI or VIQR.
How do I type đ?
In a word, type d and the word brings it: dep becomes đẹp. For đ on its own, hold d, slide to đ and lift.
Does Flikzi send what I type in Vietnamese 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.