If youre in search of some Japanese keycaps then youve come to the right place.
Manufactured primarily for decorative purposes, keycaps featuring hiragana sub legends have become increasingly popular among keyboard enthusiasts.
Fortunately, theres a large selection to choose from, including both traditional and modern designs.
What are the best Japanese Keycaps?
For even more customization, the set includes some additional Japanese icons and symbols.
As for the overall quality, these keycaps are somewhere in the middle of the pack.
The molding is grippy, wobble-free, and with only a hint of rough trim on the bottom edges.
Apart from that, you will need to check that your keyboard has a 6.25u spacebar.
If you do and you like the color scheme, then why not give these budget keycaps a try.
The dark black keys contrast against the bright white keys to make the layout pop.
Then, to really dress things up, it comes with a handful of gold keys sprinkled throughout.
Made out of durable PBT, every one of these keycaps is of top quality.
The material is strong and resistant to wear and tear.
That helps to prolong the keyboards appearance even years down the line.
As for the keys themselves, they are soft, quiet, and have great tactile feedback, too.
Unlike many of the other sets on this list, the legends and sub legends share the same color.
Nevertheless, they are still legible and look lovely and clean.
A handful of the important keys (e.g.
the esc, enter, etc.)
are bright white with deep indigo legends a reverse of the majority of the keys.
129 individual keycaps are included in this set.
They work with ANSI layouts and are compatible with most MX switches for mechanical keyboards, too.
The material is high-quality PBT.
Covering this is an anti-grease coating that guarantees your fingers wont slide across the surface during fast use.
In terms of ergonomics, we found that these caps were lovely and pleasant to pop in on.
Crafted with soft and pronounced finger grooves, theyre not too deep to navigate.
Furthermore, the legends are bright and brilliant.
Printed with dye-sublimated technology, theyre sure to stand the test of time.
As you could see, all of the keys are jet black in color with contrasting white legends.
Smaller teal-colored Japanese sub legends (that represent the flowers) then add a splash of color.
Unlike many other keysets on this list, these keycaps have a DSA profile.
DSA keycaps are low-profile and feature a non-sculpted, uniform profile.
Constructed from high-quality PBT plastic, each of these keycaps measure 1.45mm thick.
That gives them the strength and resilience youre not going to find with thinner keycaps.
The printing technique is also dye-sublimation so they should stick around for a while.
This gives the keyboard layout a unique look thats different from anything else out there.
Made of high-grade PBT with extra-thick walls, the quality is surprising for the price.
In particular, the matte texture feels extremely smooth and they produce a lovely, deep sound.
In contrast to the majority of keycap sets on this list, the Japanese characters get priority placement.
As a result, the English characters locate discretely in the lower right-hand corner.
While this does make them a bit difficult to read, it shouldnt worry experienced typists.
They have a short XDA uniform profile and work with cross-shaped MX-style stems and clones.
As a result, compatibility issues wont be a problem here.
Made out of 1.5mm PBT, every one of these Japanese keycaps is nice and stocky.
The quality control is impressive too, theres no warping and the dye-sublimated legends look clean.
Unfortunately, due to being dye-sub, they do prevent any LED backlighting from shining through.
The feel and responsiveness of these keycaps is also fantastic.
In particular, the texture is nice and rough, which is great for speed and accuracy.
The color scheme is classic white and black minimalism but with a real authentic Japanese look.
Those searching for pure white keycaps in particular will especially have their eyes on this set.
Made out of high-quality polybutylene, these XDA profile caps are 1.4mm thick.
The keycaps themselves feel soft, slick, and free from any divots or scratchiness.
Despite having an bold font, the whole QWERTY layout is still very easy to read.
This is thanks to the pronounced, deep black sublimated legends.
Printed by a dye-sublimation process, the blossom design and legends embed right into the keycaps themselves.
This provides plenty of resilience and longevity for a guaranteed service life of ten years.
As for the texture, these 1.3mm keycaps have quite a grainy feel.
The almost pebbled matt surface prevents the buildup of oils and helps fingerprinting problems disappear, too.
Due to this, your fingers wont ever slide off the caps again as they might with smoother options.
With this set, you get 110 keys.
That makes it suitable for keyboards of virtually all sizes.
Out of the total amount, six of the keycaps have graphic designs instead of traditional hiragana characters.
This is a welcome touch as means youll have some extras to replace any of the conventional caps.
The green, purple, and crimson colorway is totally unique.
Your keyboard is going to stand out.
This keycap set includes 127 individual keys.
All of the keycaps have printed sublimated legends, which is pretty standard for the mechanical keyboard keycap world.
As for the actual graphics, they are kind of spooky, too.
That really goes with the theme.
Theres even a custom DIE keycap included for your escape key!
The keys themselves are PBT and suitable for ANSI mechanical keyboards.
Youll be glad to know that the profile is Cherry, which is slightly lower than OEM.
Equipped with 141-keycaps, the set includes a generous amount of additional keys.
We also love the spare novelty function keys that have custom Emilia emotes.
We can say the same about the printed novelty keys that feature a fun assortment of plant designs.
Made from PBT materials with an anti-grease coating, each of the keys offer first-class durability.
The matte texture guarantees a sweat-free surface, improving accuracy and typing speed across the board.
Moreover, thanks to the 1.4mm thickness, they produce a lovely, deep-sounding thud.
Youll get 137 keycaps in the pack including 33 supplement keys for replacements.
That should cover most full-size keyboards from a variety of manufactures.
It includes 129 keys, which is more than enough to cover full-size keyboards with no trouble at all.
Although the legends have two very different languages, this keyset totally pulls it off.
The spacing between the characters is perfect, and the teal and maroon colors go together beautifully.
Crafted out of 1.4mm PBT, these caps have additional weight and durability.
Furthermore, due to the dye-sub infusion process, the legends will experience a lot less wear and tear.
One of the best things about this set is that it includes 162 keys!
As a result, the World Tour Tokyo trumps most other sets in terms of user customization.
Straight away, you will be impressed with the quality, along with the plastic folding tray packaging.
The keycaps themselves are white and black and have a large, super clean font.
Unlike the majority of OEM keycaps on this list, these Bow caps have an ASA profile.
Sculpted and contoured with a high profile, they cradle your fingertips ergonomically while feeling velvety to touch.
This results in a comfortable typing experience with far less fatigue after hours of use.
In terms of quality, these keycaps are sure to surpass your expectations.
The edges are straight, there are no signs of warping, and the font is consistent/ defined.
Moreover, the grainy texture is soft yet grippy, which is just about perfect in every regard.
Supporting them are golden accent keys for even greater style.
Despite being crafted from ABS plastic, these keys are tough, real tough.
As a result, they deliver a premium typing experience with a lovely, deep-sounding thocc.
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Are Japanese Keycaps Worth It?
Japanese keycaps featuring Hiragana legends or sub legends are worth it for primarily their decorative appeal.
If youre looking for a practical way to bang out Japanese, its easier to use Romaji input.
Japanese keycaps are not worth the investment for this purpose on their own.
Instead, the bulk of the worth of Japanese keycaps rests in their visual appeal.
Enthusiasts commonly use them as a bridge between customizing their desk space and Japanese culture.
Consider build quality along with a visual appeal to choose the best Japanese keycaps.
Some examples of this include the Lesix Blossom Japanese Keycap Set or the Tokey Shiba Inu Keycaps.
Simply pick a design scheme and color set that works for you.
Keycap Materials
The most common materials you see for keycaps are PBT and ABS.
PBT offers better resistance to heat and wear so you experience less fading and shine.
Additionally, PBT keycaps provide more tactile feedback, which makes them sound deeper.
ABS keys are the most common material, but they are more sensitive to heat and friction.
These keys get shiny with use, and this leads to an inconsistent appearance.
They sound softer when typing and offer more vibrant color options.
Profile punch in
Keycap profile refers to the overall shape of the keys.
The most common profiles are OEM, Cherry, and XDA.
OEM keys are the mass-produced version.
They have an angled top, and most people are already used to these types of keys.
Keycaps with a Cherry profile are shorter and specially sculpted for efficient and comfortable use.
This profile is popular with gamers.
XDA keys come at a medium height and have a spherical top.
Thickness
Most users prefer the sound of thicker keycaps to thinner ones.
Thicker keys are still more durable if you dont care about the sound.
Dye Sub or Double Shot
Consider how you want your legends printed onto your keys.
Dye sublimation prints directly onto the keycaps and may not look as sharp.
If you have a backlit keyboard, the light will not show through the legend.
Double shot keycaps use injection molding to insert the legend.
The two layers of plastic increase durability and you dont need to worry about fading.
The latter is especially important for compact layouts.
We hope you found a Japanese keycap set on this list.
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