PURPOSE: To easily and efficiently perform KANA (Japanese syllabary)/KANJI (Chinese character) conversion by simultaneously giving instruction for a converting operation and a converting operand by performing a pen instruction input onto a substring composed of KANA characters.

CONSTITUTION: Handwriting recognition is executed and characters 44, 46 and 48 are displayed at one part of an editing pad. A user instructs both the converting operand and the converting operation through a prescribed pen instruction 52. A converting process is started, and a single phrase 54 is inserted into a string and displayed in strong high-light display. When the converting process unsuitably translates a KANA character 46, the user pats the place of the phrase 54 with a pen and performs a patting pen instruction 70. A list 64 of substitutive phrases is displayed. When the user pats a phrase 65 in the list 64 with the pen, that phrase 65 is replaced with the phrase 54. The replaced phrase 64 is displayed in strong high-light display.