I began to use OpenOffice about 20 years ago and now am on LibreOffice 6.1.5.2 (on Debian, if that matters). I have often used the option to insert special characters when I have needed words in Hindi (Devanagari set) (computer and LO are both set to UK English). In earlier versions of LO, the inserted characters would appear together, so that the user could build up whole words before putting them in the document. In the present version characters are inserted directly into the document, one at a time. This means repeatedly doing ALT-I followed by P…
Double-clicking any character in that dialog inserts the character in current position and allows you double-click next time.
Thank you Mike. This method does work, but it remains slower than the earlier one.
Jim K, I do not use Ubuntu. I do not know the Devanagari keyboard and have no intention of learning it. I need Devanagari only rarely, and then for just a word or two.
The best way to write in multiple languages is to switch system keyboards. Typing in Hindi is described at How do I enable writing in Indian languages? - Ask Ubuntu.
Personally, I have used KMFL for Devanagari, Tamil, and other Indic scripts.