How to Remove Chinese from Xiaomi Keyboard

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, especially those who bought the devices in the Chinese market or through global marketplaces, often face an intrusive inconvenience: this is a pre-installed input methods that include Chinese layouts that duplicate the standard ones. QWERTY-It's not just visual noise, it's a real problem for people who type at high speed and are used to a certain arrangement of keys. A random switch to Chinese can be confusing, because the characters and predictive input will be completely different.

Fortunately, MIUI and HyperOS are built on Android, giving users broad customization rights, so you don't have to be a programmer or root-rights to fix this situation, just go to the appropriate settings section and disable unnecessary options. In this article, we'll go through the algorithm for different keyboard models so you can completely clear your input from the redundant.

It's worth noting that the procedure may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic of the system remains the same: the input languages are in the general settings of the system, not inside the keyboard application itself. Removing the extra layout will take you no more than a couple of minutes, after which you can enjoy a clean and convenient work with the text.

Why Xiaomi is getting a Chinese keyboard

The main reason for the unwanted layouts is the origin of the device. Global versions of Xiaomi smartphones are often based on Chinese firmware, which has only minimal changes to support many languages. When the gadget is first activated, the system suggests choosing a region, but by default, all languages supported by the manufacturer remain in the pool of available input methods. This is done for versatility, but for the end user often turns into confusion.

In addition, many users themselves inadvertently add extra languages in an attempt to improve autocorrection or check functionality. The standard Gboard keyboard or the branded MIUI Keyboard tend to accumulate layouts. If you ever accidentally clicked on the globe icon or held a space for a long time, you could activate the switch to Chinese pinyin or other Asian languages.

It is important to understand the difference between the system interface language and the input language. Even if your phone's menu is entirely in Russian, the keyboard dictionary can still contain hundreds of extra characters, which affects the speed of predictive text and can take up space in the app's cache.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t confuse deleting the input language with resetting the entire phone.We will only change the settings inside the keyboard app, so your personal data and contacts will remain completely secure.

Removing Chinese through Android Standard Settings

The most reliable and versatile way to remove the extra layout is to use the language management system menu, which works on 99% of Android devices, regardless of which keyboard is installed by default, and you need to access a hidden menu that lists all active input methods.

To start, open the Settings menu for your smartphone. Find a section that could be called Additional Settings or System and Device. Depending on the version of MIUI, the path may vary a little, but the keyword here is "Language and Input." This section stores the configuration of all the keyboards.

Once you enter the Language and Enter menu, select Keyboard Management or Current Keyboard. Here you will see a list of all the typing apps installed. Click on the active keyboard (most commonly Gboard or Sogou). In the window that opens, look for Languages. That's where the magic of layout management takes place.

In the list of languages, you'll see a tick or switch opposite each language available. Find Chinese (usually labeled Chinese (China) or ) and just turn it off. The system may ask for confirmation of action, because deleting the last language is impossible - there should always be at least one layout. Once disabled, Chinese will disappear from the list of available when switching.

Setting up and cleaning the Gboard keyboard

Google’s Gboard keyboard is the standard for most modern Xiaomi smartphones, and it has powerful tools, but its settings can be confusing for a beginner. If the standard path through system settings seems too long, you can try to “go on the other side” — straight from the interface of the keyboard itself.

Open any application that requires input, such as notes or messenger. When the keyboard appears, look for the gear icon at the top of the toolbar. If it's not there, press and hold the comma button or the emoji icon. In the menu that opens, select Language. This shows a list of all the attached layouts.

Click Add keyboard if the language is not listed, or find Chinese in an existing list. To delete it, you often just swipe left on the language name or click on the basket/minus icon next to it. In some versions of Gboard, you click on the language name and select the Delete option in the context menu that appears.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google’s voice input feature, make sure you remove the language from text layout, not from speech recognition settings, if your goal is print only.

The thing about Gboard is that it can automatically detect the input language, and if you've turned off Chinese, but your phone still offers it, check your autocorrect settings. It may have enabled the Auto-Definition Language feature, which tries to guess which language you're typing in and suggests unnecessary options -> Autocorrection.

Control of Sogou keyboard on Xiaomi

Many Chinese versions of Xiaomi smartphones come with a Sogou keyboard pre-installed, a popular input tool in China that is often aggressively embedded and difficult to remove completely, but it is still possible to turn off Chinese, although the interface may be partially in Chinese.

To get into the Sogou settings, call the keyboard and find the "S" icon or the keyboard logo in the toolbar. Click on it to open the menu. You need to find the section marked with characters, which usually means "Settings" (often looks like a gear). Inside, look for the section with the globe or the letters "En/".

In the language menu, you'll see a list of added layouts. Chinese layout is usually the first on the list. Click on it and select the deletion option (often indicated by a cross or minus). If the interface is entirely in Chinese, focus on the icons: you need to find the list and delete the item with the characters.

If you don’t use the Sogou keyboard and prefer Gboard or SwiftKey, the best solution is not just to turn off the language, but to completely remove the application or disable it in the system. To do this, go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps, find Sogou and click Disable or Delete.

How to turn off auto-switching to Chinese

There are times when the language seems to be deleted, but when typing, the keyboard still periodically switches to Chinese characters or suggests them in the predictive line, this can be due to a multi-touch input function or erroneous gesture recognition. For example, if you drive your finger across the keyboard for quick typing, the algorithm can interpret this as an attempt to enter characters.

Check your gesture settings. In the keyboard menu, find the section that handles Continuous Entering or Swipe typing. Try turning this feature off temporarily to see if the problem disappears. It's also worth clearing the keyboard cache. Go to Settings -> Apps -> Gboard (or another keyboard) -> Memory -> Clear the cache.

Another reason is conflicting dictionaries: If you've ever installed language packages for offline translation or dictation, they can affect how your keyboard works. Go to Google's settings (if Gboard is used) and check Settings -> Voice input -> Languages. Make sure that Chinese is not chosen as a priority for voice typing, as this may affect related features.

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If the problem persists after all the settings, try installing a third-party keyboard, such as Microsoft SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, and making it active by default.

Reset keyboard settings to factory

If manual language deletion doesn't work and the Chinese layout returns like a ghost, you should resort to a radical method: completely reset the keyboard settings, which will return the input application to the state it was in immediately after installation, removing all user dictionaries, the settings of the themes and, most importantly, the list of selected languages.

You can reset through the app's menu. Open the keyboard settings, scroll down to the very end, and find Reset settings or Reset settings. The system will alert you that all personalized data will be lost. This includes the learned words you use often, and clipboard history.

The way to reset via ADB (for advanced users):


adb shell pm clear com.google.android.inputmethod.latin

After resetting, the keyboard will ask you to re-select the interface language and add layouts. At this point, be careful: add only Russian and English. Do not click "Add other languages" automatically so as not to clog the system again.

⚠️ Note: Resetting your keyboard settings will not delete your personal photos, contacts or messages. It only affects the data stored in the keyboard application memory (dictionary, copy history, topics).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The main conclusion: Deleting the Chinese language completely requires action in two places: in the system input settings and in the settings of the keyboard application itself. Only a comprehensive approach ensures that the layout does not return.