Case ce-0030-backspace-composition-chrome · Scenario scenario-ime-interaction-patterns

Backspace removes a whole composed syllable instead of a single character

OS: macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Device: Desktop or Laptop Any Browser: Chrome 120.0 Keyboard: Japanese IME Status: draft
ime backspace composition chrome

Phenomenon

When using a Japanese IME in Chrome on macOS, pressing Backspace during composition removes the entire composed syllable (hiragana/katakana) instead of removing individual characters one at a time.

Reproduction example

  1. Create a contenteditable div.
  2. Switch to Japanese IME.
  3. Start typing Japanese characters (e.g., “こんにちは”).
  4. While the composition is active, press Backspace.

Observed behavior

  • In Chrome on macOS with Japanese IME, Backspace removes the entire composed syllable.
  • Individual characters within the syllable cannot be deleted one at a time.
  • The granularity of deletion is coarser than expected.

Expected behavior

  • Backspace should remove characters one at a time, even during composition.
  • Or, the deletion granularity should be consistent and predictable.
  • Users should have fine control over text deletion.
Before
Hello こんに
Japanese composition in progress (こんに), hiragana syllable composition
After Backspace (Bug)
Hello
Backspace deletes entire syllable 'こんに' (single Backspace)
vs
✅ Expected
Hello こん
Expected: Delete one character at a time (first Backspace deletes only 'に')

Browser compatibility matrix

This matrix shows which browser and OS combinations have documented cases for this scenario. The current case is highlighted. Click on a cell to view other cases.

Current case
Confirmed
Draft
No case documented

All variants (detailed table)

Complete list of all cases for this scenario with full environment details.

Case OS Device Browser Keyboard Status
ce-0002-ime-enter-breaks Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Korean (IME) draft
ce-0004-ime-backspace-removes-whole-syllable Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Korean (IME) draft
ce-0022-ime-enter-breaks-firefox Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Firefox 120.0 Korean IME draft
ce-0030-backspace-composition-chrome macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Japanese IME draft
ce-0035-backspace-deletes-whole-word macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 120.0 US draft
ce-0042-input-events-duplicate Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Edge 120.0 US draft
ce-0058-contenteditable-with-autocomplete macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 US draft
ce-0070-contenteditable-with-autocapitalize iOS 17.0 iPhone Any Safari 17.0 US draft
ce-0071-contenteditable-with-autocorrect iOS 17.0 iPhone Any Safari 17.0 US draft
ce-0181-japanese-ime-enter-breaks-chrome Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Japanese (IME) draft
ce-0182-chinese-ime-enter-breaks-safari macOS 14.0 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 17.0 Chinese (IME - Pinyin) draft
ce-0185-japanese-ime-backspace-granularity-chrome Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Japanese (IME) draft
ce-0186-chinese-ime-backspace-granularity-safari macOS 14.0 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 17.0 Chinese (IME - Pinyin) draft
ce-0195-thai-ime-enter-breaks-chrome Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Thai (IME) draft
ce-0196-vietnamese-ime-enter-breaks-edge Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Edge 120.0 Vietnamese (IME) draft
ce-0199-thai-ime-backspace-granularity-chrome Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 Thai (IME) draft
ce-0200-vietnamese-ime-backspace-granularity-edge Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Edge 120.0 Vietnamese (IME) draft
ce-0217-keyboard-handlers-iscomposing-false-ios-safari-korean iOS 17.0+ iPhone or iPad Any Safari 17.0+ Korean (IME) draft
ce-0565-chrome-121-oninput-offset-0 Windows 11 Desktop Any Chrome 121.0.6167.86 US QWERTY confirmed
ce-0579 macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) Desktop Any All Browsers (ProseMirror context) Latest (Nov 2025) Apple Magic Keyboard (US) confirmed
ce-0581 Android 14.0 / 15.0 Smartphone Any Chrome 131.0+ Gboard (Emoji) confirmed

Playground for this case

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Reported environment
OS: macOS Ubuntu 22.04
Device: Desktop or Laptop Any
Browser: Chrome 120.0
Keyboard: Japanese IME
Your environment
Sample HTML:
Event log
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0 events
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