Xubuntu iBus: Unable to type in local language / No input method listed

Problem:

I am using Xubuntu (lightweight version of Ubuntu) and I am unable to type in local language using iBus (an input method (IM) framework for multilingual input in Unix-like operating systems).

iBus is already installed. When I go to its ‘Preferences‘ and then click the ‘Input Method‘ tab, I could only see ‘Chinese‘ language option in the dropdown list of ‘Select an input method‘. I am from Nepal, so I would like to see Nepali/Devnagari language option there.

iBus m17n IME

Solution:

M17N engine for IBus input platform need to be installed.

A m17n Input Method Engine (IME) which allows input of many languages using the input methods from m17n-db. IBus-m17n enables IBus to input many non-latin characters from the keyboard using libm17n library. See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Input_Bus#ibus-m17n

You can install m17n engine by typing the following command on terminal:

sudo apt-get install ibus-m17n

After you have installed m17n engine, you should now be able to see a list of many languages in IBus -> Preferences -> Input Method -> Select an input method.

Hope it helps. Thanks.