Japanese dictation on a Mac: how to set it up, and where your voice is processed
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
To dictate in Japanese on a Mac, add Japanese to Apple Dictation in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, by clicking Edit next to Languages. Or choose Japanese in the Language picker on YapToText's AI Models page. Either way you speak Japanese and Japanese text lands at your cursor, in any app. The two differ in where the speech is processed, and for Japanese Apple's own lists make that easy to check.
I built YapToText, a free dictation app that runs Whisper on your Mac, because my hands make typing difficult. I have not tested Japanese dictation myself, so this page sticks to what each setting does and what Apple's own pages list, and makes no accuracy claims.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
What Apple lists for Japanese
Apple's columns are from its macOS Feature Availability page, read October 11, 2026. Apple says Dictation is not available in all languages or regions and that features vary. YapToText from its own settings.
| Apple Dictation | YapToText | |
|---|---|---|
| Supported | Yes: Japanese (Japan) | Yes, as Japanese |
| Processed on the Mac | Yes, for Japanese (Japan), after a speech model download | Yes, always |
| Automatic punctuation | Yes, for Japanese (Japan) | Whisper punctuates ordinary speech by itself |
| Price | Built into macOS | Free |
| Needs | Any Mac, with a connection when not on the device | An Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later |
Set Apple Dictation to Japanese
- Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then Keyboard.
- Go to Dictation and turn it on if it is off.
- Click Edit next to Languages and select Japanese, with your region where Apple offers more than one.
- Start dictating. With more than one language set up, macOS shows the current language next to the cursor.
- If another language is showing, click it, or press the Globe key, to switch to Japanese.
Apple lists these for Dictation: Japanese (Japan).
Where Apple processes it
Apple's On-Device and Modeless Dictation list includes Japanese (Japan), with a note that it requires a download of speech models. So on a Mac with Apple silicon, Japanese dictation can be processed on the Mac once that download is done. Keyboard settings says, under Dictation, whether your Mac is doing it on the device.
Punctuation
Apple's Auto-Punctuation list includes Japanese (Japan), so commas, periods and question marks can be added for you.
The auto punctuation page explains the setting.
Set YapToText to Japanese
- Open YapToText's AI Models page.
- In Your defaults, open the Language picker and choose Japanese.
- Click into any text field, tap Right Command, speak Japanese, and tap again.
Out of the box YapToText uses your Mac's system language, not Auto-detect, so if your Mac runs in English this is the step that makes it listen for Japanese. The default model, Whisper Large v3 Turbo, is multilingual and is inside the App Store build. A model with (English) in its name hears English only. Everything runs on the Mac, so nothing you say in Japanese is sent anywhere.
Two things that stay in English
YapToText's own screens are in English only, and its default spoken commands are English phrases such as question mark. You can add your own Japanese phrases to any command on the Commands page, and keep the English ones beside them. The spoken punctuation help page shows how.
If Japanese comes out wrong
- Check the picker. It starts on your Mac's system language, not Japanese.
- Check the mode. A mode with its own language overrides the picker.
- Check the model. A model with (English) in its name hears English only.
- Read the raw transcript. History shows what Whisper heard before any cleanup.
- Two languages in one day. The bilingual dictation guide covers switching.
The language guide lists all 29 languages YapToText offers. Guides for other languages include Chinese, Korean and Spanish.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
The short version
- Apple Dictation. System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, Edit, add Japanese.
- On the Mac with Apple. Yes, after a model download.
- Automatic punctuation with Apple. Listed.
- YapToText. AI Models, Language, Japanese. On the Mac, free.
- Not tested by me. Settings only, no accuracy claims.
If Apple changes what it lists for Japanese, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://www.apple.com/macos/feature-availability/ (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/mac (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-11)
Questions
How do I dictate in Japanese on a Mac?
Add Japanese under System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, Edit next to Languages. Or pick Japanese in YapToText's Language picker.
Does Mac dictation support Japanese?
Yes. Apple's feature availability page lists Japanese (Japan) for Dictation.
Is Japanese dictation processed on the Mac?
With Apple Dictation, yes for Japanese (Japan), after a speech model download. YapToText always processes on the Mac.
Does Apple Dictation add punctuation in Japanese?
Apple's Auto-Punctuation list includes Japanese (Japan).
Is there a free Japanese dictation app for Mac?
Apple Dictation is built in. YapToText is free, offers Japanese, and runs on Apple silicon Macs.