ATOK

ATOK (/ˈeɪtɔːk/; エイトック Japanese pronunciation: [eitokku]) is a Japanese input method editor (IME) produced by JustSystems, a Japanese software company.

ATOK

Developer(s)	JustSystems
Initial release	1983
Stable release	ATOK for Windows (Tech Ver.34) / February 1, 2024[1]
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
Type	Input method editor
License	Trialware
Website	www.atok.com

ATOK is an IME with roots from KTIS (Kana-Kanji Transfer Input System) come with JS-WORD, the Japanese word processor software for PC-100 in 1983,^[2] but it now supports a variety of platforms including macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS.

Once ATOK meant Automatic Transfer Of Kana-kanji.^{[citation needed]} Now, it means Advanced Technology Of Kana-kanji Transfer. It is occasionally taken to stand for Awa-TOKushima, site of the headquarters of JustSystems, or Alphabet TO Kanji.^[3]

Functions

Functions vary between versions for different platforms, and the following list is not exhaustive.

• Search kanji from phonetic input – both using romaji keyboard and kana keyboard.
• Search kanji by radical.
• Drawing pad for handwriting recognition.
• Reverse retrieval of phonetic input – both to kunyomi and onyomi.
• Text templates for standard phrases, address labels and Japanese emoticons.
• Real time auto-completion of text – both Japanese and English. (Example: type "fun" and you immediately get a list of words starting with "fun": function, fun, fund, funk...).
• Character information, JIS and Unicode codes, pronunciations, related characters.
• Japanese date formats.
• Character palette for input of special symbols, accented Latin, Russian, etc.
• Customizable input keys and keyboard shortcuts for the different functions.

Versions

ATOK 8 running in MS-DOS of PC-98 computer

As of April 2019,^[update] the latest version for Windows is 31.1.6; for macOS, 31.0.3; for iOS, 1.6.2; and for Android, 1.8.15.^[4] They are available via the ATOK Passport subscription and an annual subscription which comes with Ichitaro.^[5] Linux, OS/2, Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Windows CE are no longer supported.^[6]

KTIS and ATOK was originally a component of JustSystems' word processor software. Ichitaro released in 1985 allowed the use of ATOK 4 in other MS-DOS applications of the PC-98 platform. ATOK 7 was bundled with Ichitaro 4, and was available as a standalone product in 1992.^[7] In DOS era, ATOK was spreading with Ichitaro despite competition from VJE, Matsutake, and some other software. Windows 3.1, the first retail version of Japanese Windows, bundled the Microsoft IME (MS-IME) input method. MS-IME 97 contained notable improvements, and was bundled with a new retail box of Windows 95 and Office 97. The difference between ATOK and MS-IME went smaller.^[8]

In 2008, JustSystems began a subscription service, ATOK Passport.^[9] ATOK 2017 was the last version to be physically shipped as boxed software.^[10]

Sun Microsystems chose ATOK as their input method when running under the JP locale in Solaris 10 and above, enhancing Sun's already strong Japanese language support.^[11]

For embedded systems, JustSystems has developed +ATOK. Some Japanese mobile phones, PDAs, video game consoles (PSP, PS3 and Wii), digital video recorders, automotive navigation systems come with +ATOK.

See also

• Ichitaro – a Japanese word processor produced by JustSystems. ATOK comes bundled with this.