--- a/extensions/VisualEditor/lib/ve/src/ce/ve.ce.Surface.js
+++ b/extensions/VisualEditor/lib/ve/src/ce/ve.ce.Surface.js
@@ -148,7 +148,18 @@ ve.ce.Surface = function VeCeSurface( model, ui, options ) {
        keydown: this.onDocumentKeyDown.bind( this ),
        keyup: this.onDocumentKeyUp.bind( this ),
        keypress: this.onDocumentKeyPress.bind( this ),
-       input: this.onDocumentInput.bind( this )
+       input: this.onDocumentInput.bind( this ),
+       compositionstart: function() {
+           var selection = this.model.getSelection();
+           if ( selection instanceof ve.dm.TableSelection ) {
+               var cellSelection = selection.collapseToFrom();
+               var annotations = this.model.getDocument().data.getAnnotationsFromRange( cellSelection.getRanges()[0] );
+               this.model.setSelection( cellSelection );
+               this.handleTableDelete();
+               this.documentView.getBranchNodeFromOffset( selection.tableRange.start + 1 ).setEditing( true );
+               this.model.setInsertionAnnotations( annotations );
+           }
+       }.bind( this )
    } ).after( {
        keydown: this.afterDocumentKeyDown.bind( this )
    } );