physical key to type unusual characters

Projects Programming
1

It seems that the arduino keyboard lib can only generate characters that can actually be typed on a standard keyboard :frowning: Sadly, some googling seems to imply this is more a fundamental limit of how keyboards work than the arduino lib.

I want to create a novelty gadget that consists of a single key (cherry switch, of course) that can 'type' amusing emoticons like ¯_(ツ)_/¯ which contains a Japanese character that as far as I can tell, is un-typable on a western computer without installing / enabling special software / features at the OS level.
Anyone know if this is at all possible through default keyboard drivers and an arduino or similar micro controller?

It would be a real shame to have to install an app to make the tiny keyboard work!
Thanks in advance

2

Your device will, of course, be specific to the OS and its language settings.

Your best bet might be the Alt-x method:

Alt – x
In Microsoft Word you can insert Unicode characters by typing the hex value of the character then typing Alt-x. You can also see the Unicode value of a character by placing the cursor immediately after the character and pressing Alt-x. This also works in applications that use the Windows rich edit control such as WordPad and Outlook.
Pros: Nothing to install or configure. You can see the numeric value before you turn it into a symbol. It’s handy to be able to go the opposite direction, looking up Unicode values for characters.
Cons: Does not work with many applications.