JP2002328765A - Key input device and portable telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability without increasing the number of keys for inputting the Japanese syllabary on a key inputting device. SOLUTION: This portable telephone set is provided with a key operating part 5 on which consonants ranging from 'KA (cursive form of the Japanese syllabary)' line to 'WA' line of the Japanese syllabary are assigned to respective keys and vowels ranging from 'A' to 'O' are assigned to every two keys and an identifying means 26 for identifying the Japanese syllabary based on a Roman character input system by successively selecting the constants and the vowels by the key operating part 5. Thus, it is possible to input the Japanese syllabary based on the Roman character input system without adding any key to 10 keys set from 0 to 9 for inputting digits. Therefore, it is possible to averagely reduce the number of times of key operations, to simplify the key operations and to improve operability for inputting the Japanese syllabary.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key input device having a large number of keys arranged in a matrix and for inputting Japanese and English, and a portable telephone provided with the key input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones have become widespread.
In addition to the voice communication function, a function of transmitting and receiving character data by e-mail or the like is indispensable. Therefore, it is originally configured to input English characters (alphabetic characters) and kana characters (hiragana, katakana) by using numeric keys 0 to 9 for inputting telephone numbers. FIG. 4A is a front view of a conventional mobile phone, and FIG. 4B is a detailed view of a key related to a conventional kana input in a key operation unit.

[0003] Specifically, the case of inputting a kana character will be described. For example, a numeral "1" key is used to input each character ("a", "i", "u", "e") of a kana character "a" line. , “O”), the number “2” key is used as a key for inputting each character in the Kana character “K” line, and the number “3” key is used as a Kana character Each key of the numbers "0" to "9" is used as a key for inputting each character of the "" line.
It is configured to be used as a key for inputting each character of a line and "n".

According to this method, for example, by operating the numeral "2" key once, the kana character "ka" can be input, and by operating the numeral "2" key twice consecutively. According to the number of operations, the user can input the kana character "K", and can operate the number "2" key three times in succession to input the kana character "K". You can enter each character on the line. In addition, there is a key to which a function of attaching a voiced note or a semi-voiced note to the clear tone is provided, and the kana input is constituted by a total of 11 keys.

However, in this case, for example, when inputting the kana character "O", it is necessary to operate the numeral "1" key five times in succession. In addition, for example, when inputting a lowercase letter used for a prompting sound or a repetition prompting in accordance with the same toggle input method, for example, when inputting a lowercase “小 文字”, the number “1” key is operated ten times in succession. There is a need. In this way, depending on the kana character, the same key can be
There is a problem that it is necessary to perform the operation continuously 0 times, and the key operation becomes complicated.

[0006] In order to solve such a problem, there is a key input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-5589. In this device, 15 keys are arranged in a matrix of 5 rows and 3 columns in the vertical direction when the key input device is viewed from the front.
Keys are set as vowel keys for inputting vowels, and the remaining two columns of 10 keys are combined with the keys set as the vowel keys to form the kana character " It is set as a consonant key for inputting each character of each line up to the "w" line.

According to this, for example, the kana character "ko"
When inputting the characters, the key set as the consonant key for inputting each character of the Japanese "ka" line was operated, and then the vowel key for inputting the kana character "O" was set By operating the key, that is, by operating the key twice, it becomes possible to input the kana character "ko".

That is, according to this method, a combination of keys set as a vowel key or a consonant key makes it possible to input a kana character according to the Roman alphabet input method. The number of key operations can be reduced on average, and the key operations can be simplified.

[0009]

By the way, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
No. 001-5589 discloses five keys set as vowel keys for inputting vowels,
A combination of the key set as the vowel key and ten keys set as consonant keys for inputting each character on each line from the Kana character “K” line to the Kana character “W” line, 15 keys are required.

[0010] This is because, in addition to the ten numeric keys set from 0 to 9 for inputting the telephone number which the telephone basically has, the number of keys is further increased by five. It becomes necessary. However, mobile phones have a certain limit on the number of keys that can be arranged on the housing, and in view of the demand for miniaturization and weight reduction, key input devices that require many keys are This is a problem in reducing the size and weight.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a key capable of improving operability without increasing the number of keys when inputting kana characters. An input device and a mobile phone are provided.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

According to the key input device of the present invention, the consonants from the "K" line to the "W" line of the kana character are assigned to each key, and the vowels from "A" to "O". Key operation means (5) in which is assigned to every two keys,
An identification means (26) for identifying a Japanese syllabary character according to a Roman alphabet input method by sequentially selecting a consonant and a vowel by the key operation means (5).

[0014] That is, "wa"
Only the consonants up to the line can be assigned to each key,
Specifically, if there are nine keys, vowels from "A" to "O" can be assigned to each of them in a combination of two keys.

[0015] In this way, 0-9 for inputting a number are provided.
Kana characters can be input according to the Roman alphabet input method without increasing the number of keys for the ten numeric keys set in
The number of key operations can be reduced on average, key operations can be simplified, and operability can be improved.

According to the key input device of the present invention, the selection of the vowel by the key operation means (5) is performed by continuously or simultaneously pressing two assigned keys.

Thus, the vowel is selected even if the two keys to which the vowel is assigned are continuously pressed, and the two keys assigned by using both hands or one finger with two fingers are simultaneously pressed. , Can be input with a small number of operations.

According to the key input device of the present invention, any one of the ten keys (11 to 20) is used as an auxiliary key for inputting a character other than a voiced sound, a half voiced sound, and a small capital letter such as a small letter. It is characterized by having been assigned.

That is, nine consonant keys are assigned to ten numeric keys, and the remaining one is assigned to an auxiliary key for inputting a character other than a capital letter. By operating a key set as an auxiliary key, not only a clear sound but also a voiced sound, a semi-voiced sound and a small letter can be input.

According to the key input device of the fourth aspect, after the consonant and the vowel are sequentially input by the key operation means (5) to identify the capital letter, the identifying means (26) operates the auxiliary key. Each time the operation is performed, if there is a corresponding character in the capital letter Qing sound, the capital letter Qing sound semi-voiced sound, or the capital letter Qing sound, the corresponding character is sequentially converted and identified.

Thus, first, the original capital letter is input and identified in the order of a consonant and a vowel, and then the key set as an auxiliary key is operated, so that the corresponding capital letter is identified. The voiced sound, semi-voiced sound, and small letter are converted according to the number of times of operation of the key set as the auxiliary key, and the small letter used for the voiced sound, the half-voiced sound, the prompting sound, and the continuous prompting sound can be input.

According to the key input device of the present invention, the ten keys (11 to 20) are arranged in a matrix of two rows on the right and left and five rows on the top and bottom.

Thus, five sets of two keys each set as a vowel key for inputting a vowel
Each key arrangement can be directly assigned to the upper and lower five key arrangements. This is the Japanese syllabary diagram showing the arrangement of the Japanese syllabary, the vowels "A", "I", "U", "E",
Since "O" s are arranged in the vertical direction, for a user who is accustomed to such a Japanese syllabary diagram, operability can be improved by assigning vowel keys to one vertical line as described above. it can.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the key input device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and storage means (29) for storing the kana character identified by the key input device as storage information. And characterized in that:

[0025] With this, it is possible to quickly input a kana character using a key input device having excellent operability.
The input kana character can be stored as storage information such as a memory dial.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the portable telephone, further comprising a transmitting means (27) for transmitting the kana character identified by the key input device as transmission information.

[0027] As a result, a kana character can be quickly input using a key input device having excellent operability.
The input kana character can be transmitted as transmission information such as e-mail.

By the way, the reference numerals in parentheses of the above means are examples showing the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a key operation section of a portable telephone will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 1A showing the entire mobile phone, a microphone 1 for inputting a transmission voice, a speaker 3 for outputting a reception voice, and a telephone number and a memory dial are registered in a housing 1a of the mobile phone 1. LCD 4 for displaying various kinds of information such as registered information, and a key operation unit 5 provided with a number of keys (key operation means in the present invention)
Is provided.

Now, the key operation unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
The details of the numeric keypad related to the kana input of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The key operation unit 5 also includes keys other than the numeric keys 11 to 20 to which numbers 0 to 9 are assigned, and is constituted by a total of 18 keys.

For example, the key 6 is set as a "call start" key for starting a call or data communication, and the key 7 is set as a "call end" key for ending a call or data communication. I have. The key 8 is set as a key for redialing, searching for a telephone number by a telephone directory function, scrolling a display screen, converting kanji, and the like. Among them, the key 7 is also set as a "power" key for turning on and off the power.

The ten keys 11 to 20 are arranged in a matrix of five upper and lower stages and two left and right columns when the portable telephone 1 is viewed from the front. Keys 11 to 20 are numbers, English characters (English characters), symbols and kana characters (Hiragana, Katakana)
For the purpose of inputting characters, there are three types of arrays: a numeric array for mainly inputting numbers, an English character array for mainly inputting English characters, and a Roman character array for inputting kana characters according to the Roman input method. Is set. Hereinafter, these three types of arrangements, that is, the numeric arrangement, the English character arrangement, and the Roman arrangement will be sequentially described.

First, the numeric arrangement will be described. The numeric array is an array set to input numbers “0” to “9”. Specifically, the key 11 is set as a number “1” key, the key 12 is set as a number “2” key, the key 13 is set as a number “3” key, The key 14 is set as a numeral “4” key, and the key 15 is set as a numeral “5” key.

The key 16 is set as a number "6" key, the key 17 is set as a number "7" key, the key 18 is set as a number "8" key, The key 19 is set as a numeral “9” key. Further, the key 20 is set as a numeral “0” key.

Thus, when any one of the keys 11 to 20 is operated when the mobile phone 1 is set to the number input mode, the set number is input to the operated key. Will be. In particular,
For example, when the key 15 is operated, the numeral “5” set in the key 15 is input.

Next, the English character arrangement will be described. The English character array is an array set for inputting English characters “A” to “Z”, symbols “@ (at mark)”, “. (Period)”, and “, (comma)”. Specifically, the key 11 is set as a symbol “＠” key, the key 12 is set as an English character “A”, “B”, “C” key, and the key 13 is set as an English character "D",
The keys are set as “E” and “F” keys.
Are set as English character “G”, “H”, and “I” keys, and key 15 is used for English characters “J”, “K”,
It is set as the "L" key.

The key 16 is composed of English characters "M",
The keys are set as “N” and “O” keys.
Are set as English letters "P", "Q", "R", "S" keys, and key 18 is used for English letters "T",
The keys are set as “U” and “V” keys, and key 19
Are set as English character “W”, “X”, “Y”, and “Z” keys, and the key 20 is set as a symbol “.” And a symbol “,” key.

Thus, when the portable telephone 1 is set to the English character input mode, when any one of the keys 11 to 20 is operated, the English character set to the operated key is displayed. The symbol will be entered. Specifically, for example, when the key 15 is operated once,
The English character "J" set as the first English character is input to the key 15, and when the key 15 is operated twice in succession, the key 15 is set as the second English character. When "K" is input and the key 15 is operated three times in succession, "L" set as the third English character is input to the key 15.

Next, a description will be given of a Roman character arrangement which is a feature of the present invention. In the Roman alphabet array, the kana character "A" ~
This is an array set to input part of "n" according to the Roman alphabet input method. Specifically, keys 11 to 20
The two keys on the left and right from the upper row are paired and set as vowel keys for inputting the vowels "A" to "O".

That is, the keys 11 and 16 are set as English characters "a" corresponding to the kana character "A", and the keys 12 and 17 are used to set the English character "i" corresponding to the kana character "i". , And the keys 13 and 18 are set as English characters “u” corresponding to the kana character “U”, and the keys 14 and 19 are set as the English characters “e” corresponding to the kana character “e”. The key 15 and the key 20 are set as the English character "o" corresponding to the kana character "o".

The two keys set as vowel keys may be, for example, a continuous press of the keys 11 and 16, a simultaneous press of the keys 11 and 16, or a key next to the key 16. Alternatively, the continuous pressing may be performed in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, 11, 12, 13, 1 forming the left column among the ten keys 11-20.
5 keys of 4, 15 and 16, 1 forming the right column
Of the five keys 7, 18, and 19, the four keys from the top are set as consonant keys for inputting consonants in combination with the five pairs set as the vowel keys.

That is, the key 11 is set as an English character "k" constituting each character of the kana character "ka" line in combination with a key set as a vowel key.
The key 12 is set as an English character "s" constituting each character of the kana character "sa" line in combination with a key set as a vowel key, and the key 13 is a key set as a vowel key. Kana character "ta" in combination with
It is set as the English character "t" that constitutes each character of the line.

The key 14 is set as an English character "n" constituting each character of the kana character "na" line in combination with a key set as a vowel key, and the key 15 is set as a vowel key. Are set as English characters "h" constituting each character of the kana character "ha" line in combination with the key set as.

The key 16 is set as an English character "m" constituting each character of the kana character "ma" line in combination with a key set as a vowel key. Is set as an English character "y" constituting each character of the kana character "Ya" line in combination with the key set as.

The key 18 is set as an English character "r" constituting each character of the kana character "Ra" line in combination with a key set as a vowel key, and the key 19 is set as a vowel key. It is set as an English character "w" constituting each character of the kana character "wa" line by a combination with a key set as "."

Further, the key 20 is set as an auxiliary key. That is, first, the key 20 is used to input and identify the original capital letter, in the order of consonants and vowels, and then operate the auxiliary key 20 to obtain the voiced sound corresponding to the previously identified capital letter, The semi-sounds and small letters are converted in accordance with the number of times the auxiliary key 20 is operated, and are set as keys for inputting small letters used for the small-sounds, semi-sounds, prompting sounds and repetitive sounds.

Thus, when any one of the keys 11 to 20 is operated when the cellular phone 1 is set to the Roman character input mode, the English character set for the operated key is changed to Japanese. It will be converted into words and identified.

Specifically, for example, the key 15 is operated,
Subsequently, when the keys 11 and 16 are operated, “ha” is identified by the combination of “h” and “a”. Also, for example, when the auxiliary key 20 is operated following the operation, “ha” is converted into a voiced “ba”, and when the auxiliary key 20 is operated again, “ba” becomes a semi-voiced sound. Is converted to “２０”, and when the auxiliary key 20 is operated again, there is no corresponding lowercase letter in “ha”, so that the conversion returns to the first “wa” is repeated.

In another example, when the key 13 is operated and subsequently the keys 13 and 18 are operated,
"T" will be identified by the combination of "t" and "u". Further, for example, when the auxiliary key 20 is operated subsequent to the operation, “tsu” is converted into a dull “zu”, and when the auxiliary key 20 is operated again, “tsu” is
Since there is no corresponding half-dull sound, the conversion to lowercase "tsu" is performed, and when the auxiliary key 20 is operated again, the conversion to return to the first "tsu" is repeated.

A table of FIG. 2 summarizes voiced / semi-voiced / lowercase letters, which are distinguished from uppercase / clear voices by combinations of consonants and vowels, and are converted by operating the auxiliary key 20. The conversion by the auxiliary key 20 shifts to the operation of another key to select the displayed character.

Actually, other codes to be used include a long note "-", a period ",", a reading ".", And the like. If there is another key to be assigned, it may be assigned to the key. If there is no other key to be assigned, the key may be assigned to the auxiliary key 20 so that the corresponding voiced sound, semi-voiced sound, lowercase letter, long note, punctuation mark, and reading point appear in order. still,
These conversion orders are not limited to this example.

As described above, in the above-described configuration, two of the keys 11 to 20 (11
, 16, 12 and 17, 13 and 18, 14 and 19, 15 and 20) correspond to the vowel keys in the present invention,
The keys 11 to 19 correspond to consonant keys according to the present invention, and the keys 20 correspond to auxiliary keys according to the present invention.

As for each key, when the mobile phone 1 is viewed from the front, a numeral indicating a numeric arrangement is displayed at the upper left of each key, and an English character or symbol indicating an English character arrangement is displayed at a lower part. In the upper right part, English characters indicating a Roman alphabet arrangement are displayed. Although not specifically shown,
For example, in the key 15, a numeral "5" indicating a numeric arrangement is displayed at the upper left of the key 15, an English character "JKL" indicating an English character arrangement is displayed at a lower part, and a Roman alphabet arrangement is displayed at an upper right part. The displayed English character "h" is displayed.

Next, the mobile phone 1 configured as described above
Will be described with reference to FIG.

The CPU 26 (identification means in the present invention)
The CPU 26 includes a wireless communication unit 27 (transmission means in the present invention), a voice input / output unit 28, the key operation unit 5, and the L
The CD 4 and the memory 29 (storage means in the present invention) are connected. An antenna 30 is connected to the wireless communication unit 27, and the microphone 2 and the speaker 3 are connected to the audio input / output unit 28.

The CPU 26 switches between three types of input modes, a number input mode, an English character input mode, and a Roman character input mode, according to the three types of arrangements of the above-described numeral arrangement, English character arrangement, and Roman character arrangement. Can be set. Then, the CPU 26 decodes a key operation signal given from the key operation unit 5 according to the set input mode.

As for the Roman character input mode among these three types of input modes, a katakana display mode in which the input kana character is displayed in "Katakana" and a hiragana in which the input kana character is displayed in "Hiragana". One of the display modes is selected, and when the hiragana display mode is selected, the above-mentioned key 8 is used in combination to provide “hiragana”.
Is converted to "Kanji". At this time, the CPU 26 sets the set input mode to the LCD mode.
4 is displayed in a pictogram (pictogram) display area 4a (see FIG. 1).

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. Here, a case where the CPU 26 has set the Roman character input mode as the input mode will be described.

When one of the keys is operated and a key operation signal is supplied from the key operation unit 5 in response to the operation, the CPU 26 decodes the supplied key operation signal to determine the type of the operated key. Identify. And
When the CPU 26 identifies that the operated key is, for example, the key 11, here, since the Roman character input mode is set as the input mode, the CPU 26 identifies the English character "k" set as the Roman character array of the key 11. I do.

Subsequently, the CPU 26 subsequently operates one of the keys, and the key operation unit 5 responds accordingly.
When a key operation signal is supplied from, the operated key is identified in the same manner by decoding the supplied key operation signal. When the CPU 26 identifies that the operated key is, for example, the key 15 and then the key 20, the CPU 26 identifies the English character “o” set as a Roman alphabet array by the set of the keys 15 and 20.

As a result, the CPU 26 identifies the English character "k", and subsequently identifies the English character "o", so that the combination of "k" and "o" enables the kana character "ko". Is input, and the kana character "ko" is stored in the memory 29.

As described above, when the Roman character input mode is set as the input mode, the CPU 26 identifies the type of the operated key according to the Roman character input method, thereby identifying the kana character and storing it in the memory 29. It will be memorized. Therefore, by setting the Roman character input mode as the input mode, the user can quickly input registration information (for example, a person's name) to be registered as a memory dial and text to be transmitted as an e-mail according to the Roman character input method. become.

When the hiragana display mode is selected, by appropriately operating the key 8 for performing kanji conversion, it becomes possible to input in combination with katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the keys 11 and 16, 12 and 17, 13 and 1
Five sets of keys, 8, 14, and 19, and 15 and 20, are set as vowel keys for inputting vowels.
Nine keys 1 to 19 are set as consonant keys for inputting each character in each line from the kana character “K” line to the Kana character “W” line in combination with the key set as the vowel key. The Kana character is identified by identifying the type of the operated key according to the Roman alphabet input method.

As a result, 0-9 for inputting a number can be obtained.
Kana characters can be input according to the Roman alphabet input method without increasing the number of keys for the ten numeric keys set in
The number of key operations can be reduced on average, key operations can be simplified, and operability can be improved.

The selection of a vowel by the key operation unit 5 is as follows.
Two assigned keys were pressed continuously or simultaneously. By this, the vowel is selected even if the two keys to which the vowel is assigned are continuously pressed, and the two keys assigned by using both hands or even one hand with two fingers are simultaneously pressed. It can be input with a small number of operations.

Any one of the keys 11 to 20
Keys are assigned to auxiliary keys for inputting characters other than voiced sounds such as voiced voices, semi-voiced voices and small letters. This allows
By operating the keys set as auxiliary keys,
Not only clear sounds, but also voiced sounds, semi-voiced sounds and small letters can be input.

Further, after the consonant and the vowel are sequentially input by the key operation unit 5 to identify the capital letter Qing, the CPU 26
Each time the auxiliary key 20 is operated,
Alternatively, if there is a corresponding character in the half-tone of the capital letter, or the lowercase letter of the capital letter, the character is sequentially converted and identified. As a result, first, the original capital letter, the consonant and the vowel, are input and identified in the order of consonants and vowels.
By operating 0, the corresponding voiced sound, semi-voiced sound, and lowercase letter are converted according to the number of times the auxiliary key 20 is operated, and the lowercase letter used for the voiced sound, semi-voiced sound, prompting sound, and repetitive sound is used for the previously identified capital letter. Can be entered.

The keys 11 to 20 are arranged in a matrix of two rows on the right and left and five rows on the top and bottom. As a result, five sets of two keys each set as a vowel key for inputting a vowel can be directly assigned to a key arrangement of up and down five steps by two right and left keys. This is the Japanese syllabary diagram showing the arrangement of the Japanese syllabary, the vowels "a", "i",
Since "U", "E", and "O" are arranged in the vertical direction, for a user who is familiar with such a Japanese syllabary,
As described above, operability can be improved by allocating the vowel keys to one vertical column.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows.

By adding one key for assigning the "a" line, a kana character array for inputting the kana characters "a" to "n" in accordance with the toggle input method is also used. Either the input method or the toggle input method may be selected and used depending on the use form.

The present invention is not limited to the key operation unit of a portable telephone (PHS), but may be an electronic notebook, a wristwatch, a small word processor (word processor) or a personal computer (personal computer) as long as the key operation unit has ten numeric keys. Etc. may be applied.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a detailed view of a numeric keypad related to kana input of the present invention in a key operation unit.

FIG. 2 is a table summarizing kana character conversion by key operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

FIG. 4A is a front view of a conventional mobile phone,
FIG. 2B is a detailed view of a key related to a conventional kana input in the key operation unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Key Operation Unit (Key Operation Means) 11 to 20 Keys (Numeric Keypad) 26 CPU (Identification Means) 27 Wireless Communication Unit (Transmission Means) 29 Memory (Storage Means)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A key input device having ten numeric keys (11 to 20) to which numbers from 0 to 9 are assigned, wherein a consonant from a “K” line to a “W” line of a kana character is one by one. Key operation means (5) for assigning to keys and vowels from "A" to "O" to each two keys
And a discriminating means (26) for sequentially selecting a consonant and a vowel by the key operating means (5) to identify a letter of the Japanese syllabary in accordance with a Roman alphabet input method. Input device. 2. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the selection of a vowel by the key operation means is performed by continuously pressing or simultaneously pressing two assigned keys. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein one of said ten keys is assigned to an auxiliary key for inputting a character other than a voiced sound, a semi-voiced sound and a capital letter such as a small letter. The key input device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The identification means (26), after a consonant and a vowel are sequentially input by the key operation means (5) to identify a capital letter, each time the auxiliary key is operated, the identification means (26) outputs the capital letter. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if there is a corresponding character in a voiced sound, a semi-voiced sound of the capital letter, or a lowercase letter of the capital letter, the character is sequentially converted and identified. 5. Key input device. 5. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the numeric keys (11 to 20) are arranged in a matrix of two rows on the right and left and five rows on the bottom. 6. A key input device according to claim 1, further comprising: storage means (29) for storing, as storage information, kana characters identified by the key input device. Mobile phone. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 5, further comprising a transmission unit (27) for transmitting the kana character identified by the key input device as transmission information.