How to Remove Chinese from Xiaomi Keyboard

Changing the regional version of firmware or buying a device brought from China often brings the owner of a Xiaomi smartphone with an unpleasant surprise in the form of Chinese input. Even if the system interface is translated into Russian or English, the virtual keyboard can stubbornly offer characters, preventing comfortable correspondence. This is not just a visual defect, but an accessibility problem that requires immediate solution.

The situation is led by the fact that standard methods of disabling languages in the settings menu sometimes do not work or hide behind additional sub-clause, characteristic of the shells MIUI and HyperOS. The user may find that after rebooting the device unwanted language returns, taking up a place in the list and getting confused under the fingers when typing. However, there are several proven ways to (finally) get rid of unnecessary input.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the current techniques, from simple switching in settings to more radical measures like cleaning application data, learning how to manage language packets at the system level, preventing them from automatically reactivating, which will give you full control of the device and make the printing process familiar and convenient.

Situation analysis: Why Chinese is emerging

Before you start deleting, you need to understand the source of the problem. Most often, the Chinese layout is activated automatically when you change the region in the system settings to "China" or "Hong Kong." The operating system algorithms assume that the user needs to enter characters, and add the corresponding module to the priority list, this is the standard behavior of global versions of Android with custom shells.

Another common reason is the use of third-party keyboard applications, such as Gboard or SwiftKey, which were installed before the system settings of the language were changed, and these applications can synchronize the list of languages with a Google account or their own servers, ignoring local device preferences, in which case the system switches may not be effective without completely clearing the cache.

⚠️ Note: If you are using the Chinese version of the firmware (CN ROM), The complete removal of the Chinese language may not be possible without flashing the device to the global version, since it is the default system language.

It also has to consider how AI functions in Xiaomi work, and it can analyze the frequency of use of certain characters or applications and suggest smart switching. If you accidentally activate pinyin or handwriting, the system will remember this action, and understanding the activation mechanism will help you choose the most effective deactivation method.

Basic removal through keyboard settings

The easiest and safest way is to use a regular settings menu, which works 90 percent of the time for global firmware, so you have to go to the language management section and manually deselect from the unnecessary item, and the interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI.

Open the device settings and find the "Advanced" or "System and Device" section. We're interested in "Language and input." Here you need to select an active keyboard (usually Gboard or Mi Keyboard), go to the "Languages" menu and find the "Chinese (simplified)" or "Chinese" list. Click on it and select the "Delete Language" option or just turn off the switch.

If after doing this, the language disappeared and reappeared after a while, try reordering the languages. Drag Russian or English to the top of the list, making it the default language, which will give the system a priority signal and can prevent the Chinese layout from automatically returning when you update your dictionaries.

Some versions of the shell require confirmation of action. The system can warn that deleting the language will affect the autocorrection and predictive set. Agree to the changes, as for a user who does not speak Chinese, these functions are useless. After the procedure is completed, it is recommended to restart the device to apply the changes.

Radical method: cleaning the application data

If standard deletion doesn't work and Chinese is resurrected after each restart, a cleanup method is needed, which resets all keyboard settings to factory keyboard settings by removing stored dictionaries, input history and cached language packets, an effective way to combat software glitches.

To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Find your keyboard (like Gboard) on the list, click on Clear All Data and choose Clear All Data. Don't confuse it with Clear Cache, as the latter option is less effective.

⚠️ Warning: Cleaning up the data will remove all your saved user words and keyboard personalization settings. Be ready to re-set the vibration, theme and height of the toolbar.

Once reset, the keyboard will start as a first, and when you first set up, it will suggest you select languages, keep a close eye on the checkmarks, and don't choose Chinese, leave only Russian and English, and this "clean start" often breaks the cyclical error that causes the system to return unwanted layout.

There is a nuance for users using multiple profiles or modes: If the device is activated with "Second Space" or guest mode, the keyboard settings there can be independent. Check for Chinese in these profiles and delete it there as well to avoid synchronizing the error.

Language management in Gboard and third-party keyboards

Most Xiaomi users use Google's Gboard, which has its own language management system that can conflict with Android's system settings. To remove Chinese, you need to go directly to the settings of the Gboard app itself, rather than through the phone's shared menu.

Open any type of typing app to call the keyboard. Click on the gear icon at the top of the Gboard. Go to Languages. Here you'll see a list of all active languages. Find Chinese and click Delete next to it. If there's no delete button, try adding a new language first and then uninstalling the old one -- that sometimes updates the interface.

For third-party keyboards like SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, the logic is similar. You have to find the Languages section inside the app's settings. SwiftKey is that it can sync your language profile to your Microsoft account, and if you delete the language on your phone but it stays in the cloud profile, it can come back the next time you sync it.

It's important to check if Auto-Switching is enabled. In Gboard, it's in the "Text Enter" section. If this option is active, the keyboard may try to guess the input language by analyzing the taps, and mistakenly switch to Chinese layout if the algorithm finds your finger movements to be like pinyin.

System settings of the region and language of Android

The root cause of the problem is often a mismatch between the device region and the language chosen. In Xiaomi smartphones, the region defines not only the content in the applications (such as themes or music), but also the set of (default) languages. If China is in the region, the system will persistently offer the appropriate language packages.

Go to Settings → Additional → Region. Make sure your country (e.g. Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan) or at least Singapore/India if you are in the CIS is selected. After a region change, the system may require a reboot, a critical step that is often ignored by focusing only on the keyboard.

Also check the main language of the system. Go to Language & Input → Language & Region. The first language in the system should be Russian or English. If there is Chinese on the list, remove it from there. Android should not offer languages that are not included in the main list of system languages.

⚠️ Note: When you change region, you may reset settings for some system applications, such as Explorer or Themes, which is a normal behavior that allows you to adapt content to a new locale.

There is also a hidden language and input feature for the blind, which sometimes activates additional input methods. Check under "Special features" if it includes services that can force the appearance of certain language bars. Disabling unnecessary accessibility services improves the stability of the keyboard.

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If you travel frequently, create a separate Travel user profile, where only the necessary languages are configured in advance so as not to change the settings of the main account.

What to do if the language returns after restarting

When Chinese disappears but returns after the phone is turned off and turned on, it indicates a synchronization conflict or malicious module, often because the Dictionary or Language Services system app is forced to load packets.

Try turning off automatic language file updates. In the keyboard settings ("Advanced" or "About" section), find "Automatic Update" and turn it off. Then manually delete the Chinese language, which will prevent the packet from reloading the next time you connect to Wi-Fi.

If the problem persists, it is possible that the device has an optimizer or “cleaner” from a third-party developer who restores the “factory” keyboard settings at each run. Check the list of installed applications and remove suspicious utilities, especially those that require administrator rights.

As a last resort, if nothing works, you can use a third-party keyboard that completely ignores system preferences, like Simple Keyboard, which is a lightweight open source application that has no built-in language packages and uses only those that the system allows, which is guaranteed to eliminate the Chinese layout, since the app engine simply does not have it.

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The most reliable way to defeat a “resurrection” language is a combination of changing the region, cleaning keyboard data and turning off auto-update language packs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)