Input methods under the X Window System specify their own coding systems that must be used to decode keyboard input. By default, Emacs determines the coding system used for each input method automatically upon establishing the connection to the input method server, and uses that specific coding system to decode keyboard input. However, that determination can sometimes fail; in that situation, the locale coding system (see Coding Systems for Interprocess Communication) is used instead.
If the input method does not correctly announce the coding system it
uses to encode text, then the coding system used by Emacs to decode
text from input methods must be manually specified. The value of the
variable x-input-coding-system, when set to a symbol, is
unconditionally used as the coding system used to decode keyboard
input from input methods.