Unicode input is a method to encode specific characters that are not directly available on a physical keyboard. Characters can be entered either by selecting them from a display, by typing a certain sequence or a 'chord' of keys on a physical keyboard, or by drawing the symbol by hand on touch-sensitive screen. In contrast to ASCII's 96 element character set, Unicode encodes hundreds of thousands of graphemes (characters) from almost all of the world's written languages as well as many other signs and symbols.