Abstract: A method and apparatus for reproducing desired Chinese ideographs using standard typewriter keyboard bearing phonetic symbols is disclosed for typing, typesetting and composing, transmissions of telegrams in computer languages and the like including the steps of coding ideographs by their phonetic spelling and characteristic identification to uniquely identify each ideograph, storing the coded information, inputing the phonetic spelling of a desired ideograph, inputing characteristic identification of the desired ideograph, identifying the desired ideograph based on the stored information and the input information, and reproducing the desired ideograph thereby permitting the use of a conventional keyboard to print Chinese ideographs without requiring any additional means for selecting the desired ideograph.