You don't have to just cut and paste, Jackie-- there are two important areas on the character map-- 1) the name of the font you are looking at.. you can change font if you can't find the right character in the font set -- font sets like wingdings (remember wing dings from the wicked which thread?) can also be imported.
2) in the lower right hand corner, there is a code (Alt +0171)« or some such number. Press the alt key and use the number pad keys for the numbers (be sure num lock is on!) do not use the keys above the letters! and Voila! you can learn and type in any code you want. at work, i have created a chart with the most commonly needed codes, and the alt number for them. but my list include things need by lawyers and scientist.. for language, you might want a different chart.. The code only shows when you have selected a character from the map, by the way!
you can use Run from the start menu to get the charmap (the file name) or you can make an icon on your desktop to it, to keep it handy.
