Languages
Kyoto includes its storefront text and its theme editor text in eight languages:
| Language | Storefront text | Theme editor text |
|---|---|---|
| English | Yes (default) | Yes |
| Japanese | Yes | Yes |
| Simplified Chinese | Yes | Yes |
| Traditional Chinese | Yes | Yes |
| French | Yes | Yes |
| Italian | Yes | Yes |
| German | Yes | Yes |
| Spanish | Yes | Yes |
"Storefront text" means the words Kyoto itself shows to shoppers: buttons, labels, cart messages, error messages, accessibility labels. Your own content (product descriptions, headings you type into sections, menus) is translated separately, see below.
Selling in more than one language
- Add and publish the languages in Settings > Languages.
- Translate your own content with Shopify's free Translate & Adapt app, or another translation app. Section headings and texts you typed in the theme editor appear there under Online Store > Themes.
- Show the language picker: turn on Show language selector in the Header and Footer sections. The picker appears when more than one language is published.
The theme editor shows its own text in the language of your Shopify admin, so a Japanese-speaking colleague sees Japanese setting names.
Change any word Kyoto shows
To change a word, for example "Add to cart" to "Add to bag":
- Go to Online Store > Themes.
- Open the ... menu next to Kyoto and choose Edit default theme content.
- Choose the language, search for the text and type your own.
After a theme update, check a few of your changed words in the new version before you publish it.
Japanese pages
- Fonts: choose library fonts or the device's fonts in Theme settings > Typography (see Theme settings). System fonts load nothing, which is fastest.
- Typesetting: line height, letter spacing, punctuation tightening, line breaks between phrases and spacing around English words are in Japanese and Chinese type.
- Vertical text: the Text block and the Rich text section can set Japanese text vertically (Text direction: Vertical, or Vertical (desktop only)). With Card style set to No border, name column, product names on cards are set vertically.
- Tax-included label: Show tax-included label in Theme settings > Region and language.
- Noshi and delivery dates: see Cart.
- Seller disclosure: the Legal table section has a ready-made version for the disclosure required by Japan's Act on Specified Commercial Transactions. Fill it with your own business details; Kyoto does not check the legal content.
- Search: Shopify's predictive search doesn't support Japanese. Kyoto uses a live search instead, see Search.
Chinese pages
Chinese pages always use the device's Chinese fonts, which load instantly. Chinese script priority in Theme settings > Region and language decides whether Simplified or Traditional Chinese fonts come first. Lightweight mode shows YouTube, Vimeo and map embeds as links for regions where they are blocked.
Right-to-left languages
Kyoto does not include storefront text for right-to-left languages such as Arabic or Hebrew, and it has not yet been tested with them. If you plan to sell in one, contact us before you buy.