Linux Locale and Language

Linux Locale and Language Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to configuring locales and languages on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including language settings, input methods, and keyboard layouts.

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Table of Contents

1. Understanding Locales
2. Setting Locale
3. Language Configuration
4. Input Methods
5. Keyboard Layouts
6. Troubleshooting

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Understanding Locales

What is a Locale?

Locale defines language and regional settings.

What it includes:

• Language: System language
• Region: Regional formats
• Character encoding: Text encoding
• Date/time format: Date and time display
• Number format: Number formatting
• Currency: Currency format

Why configure:

• Language: Use system in your language
• Formats: Regional date/number formats
• Comfort: Better user experience
• Compatibility: Proper text encoding

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Setting Locale

List Available Locales

List locales:

# List available locales
locale -a

Generate Locale

Edit locale.gen:

# Edit locale file
sudo vim /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment desired locale:

#en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

Change to:

en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

Generate locales:

# Generate locale
sudo locale-gen

Set Locale

Set system locale:

# Set locale
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" | sudo tee /etc/locale.conf

# Set for user
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" >> ~/.bashrc

Or use localectl:

# Set locale
sudo localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

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Language Settings

Desktop Language

GNOME:

# Set language
gsettings set org.gnome.system.locale region 'en_US.UTF-8'

# Or use GUI
# Settings > Region & Language

KDE:

1. System Settings → Regional Settings
2. Select language

XFCE:

1. Settings → Appearance → Fonts
2. Configure language

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⌨ Input Methods

Install Input Methods

Install IME:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S ibus ibus-gtk ibus-gtk3 ibus-qt

# For Chinese
sudo pacman -S ibus-libpinyin

# For Japanese
sudo pacman -S ibus-anthy ibus-mozc

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install ibus ibus-gtk ibus-gtk3

Fedora:

sudo dnf install ibus ibus-gtk ibus-gtk3

Configure Input Method

Start IBus:

# Start IBus
ibus-daemon -drx

# Configure
ibus-setup

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⌨ Keyboard Layouts

Set Keyboard Layout

Using localectl:

# List layouts
localectl list-keymaps

# Set layout
sudo localectl set-keymap us

# Set X11 layout
sudo localectl set-x11-keymap us

Switch Keyboard Layout

GNOME:

1. Settings → Keyboard
2. Add layout
3. Switch with: Super + Space

KDE:

1. System Settings → Input Devices → Keyboard
2. Add layout
3. Switch with: Alt + Shift

XFCE:

1. Settings → Keyboard → Layout
2. Add layout

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Troubleshooting

Locale Not Working

Check locale:

# Check current locale
locale

# Check locale.conf
cat /etc/locale.conf

Input Method Not Working

Restart IBus:

# Kill IBus
killall ibus-daemon

# Restart
ibus-daemon -drx

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Summary

This guide covered locale and language configuration for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including locale setup, language settings, input methods, and keyboard layouts.

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Next Steps

• Time Synchronization - Time setup
• Desktop Environments - Desktop setup
• ArchWiki Locale: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Locale

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.