Declan's Guide to Installing
Japanese Fonts on a Pocket PC

A comprehensive guide to installing Japanese fonts on a Pocket PC device
allowing Japanese kanji, hiragana and katakana scripts to be displayed.

This site is sponsored by
Declan Software's Japanese Language Learning Software
NEW! Audio FlashCards for Pocket PC/Window Mobile
 

The problem... Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system (non-Japanese version) does not ship with a unicode Japanese font. In order to view Japanese scripts in Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and other applications (including Declan Software's ReadWrite Kanji and Audio FlashCards) a suitable Japanese font needs to be downloaded and installed.

This is a guide to downloading, installing and using the Microsoft MS Gothic true type font for a Pocket PC device.

Note: If, after following these instructions, you still can't see the Japanese scripts you might like to try manually moving the font from the /Windows/Fonts folder to the /Windows folder (or vice versa) and then soft resetting your device.
   
The solution... There are three simple steps to follow:
 
(i) Download
(ii) Install
(iii) Soft Reset

The full step-by-step details are set out below:
 

Step 1:

 Download the font installation setup file from here.

It is easiest to right click on the link and choose "Save target as ..." as displayed below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then save the file "msgothic.exe" somewhere easy to find like on your desktop. The download is 2.6 MB and should take about 5 minutes in a 56K internet connection.
 

Step 2:

(ii) Open the file explorer, navigate to where you saved "msgothic.exe" and then run the application by double clicking on it.

Click "Yes" when you see the "... Continue?" dialog box:

Then click "Next >" on the Welcome screen as below:

Then click "Next >" again in this Select Destination Directory dialog box as shown below:

Then click the "Install" button on the Ready to Install dialog box as shown below:

The ActiveSync Applications Manager will then start and prompt you to install MS Gothic in the default directory. Click the "Yes" button:

The font will then start to install on your Pocket PC device as shown below:

When the process is complete you will see the Application Downloading Complete dialog box as shown below. Click the "OK" button:

Finally click the "Finish" button on the final Setup dialog box:

 
 

Step 3:

 Finally you will need to Soft Reset you device. Consult you device's manual for how exactly to do this - it usually entails pressing a sunken button on the back or bottom of your device with the stylus.

Note: If, after following these instructions, you still can't see the Japanese scripts you might like to try manually moving the
font from the /Windows/Fonts folder to the /Windows folder (or vice versa) and then soft resetting your device.


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