Zi CORPORATION

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release (Calgary, AB Canada)
January 12, 1999

Zi Corporation Announces Appointment of a New Director

Zi Corporation (TSE: ZIC; NASDAQ: ZICAF) ("Zi") is pleased to make the following appointment to its Board of Directors.

Arthur Lipper III, an international financier, author, lecturer and Chairman of British Far East Holdings Ltd., has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Zi Corporation. Mr. Lipper, who has been a Governor of the Canadian Club of New York, is an experienced investment banker having a long history of activity in Asia. Arthur Lipper Corporation was the first New York Stock Exchange member firm to open a research and transaction facilitation office in Tokyo. Mr. Lipper was also one of the charter members of the original Bangkok Stock Exchange. In the early 1970’s, recognizing the prospects for the area, he opened an office in Singapore. He was the Chairman, publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Venture Magazine and also served as Chairman of New York & Foreign Securities Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange member.

Mr. Lipper has stated "I am most pleased to be given the opportunity to serve on the Zi Corporation Board of Directors as I believe the company has great potential. I am excited about the benefits, not just from a business perspective but also in serving society, as a result of facilitating electronic communication in the world’s most populous country. The rate of economic growth of China and other countries using character based languages may exceed that of countries using a Roman alphabet. In many ways, these countries that use character based languages are the future. I look forward to playing an active role and assisting in the development of Zi Corporation to enable the creating of characters for cellular phones, pagers, computers, interactive TV and the internet."

Zi Corporation’s mission and vision is to make modern electronic technology more accessible to people in a way that is consistent with their language and culture. By connecting technology to language, Zi Corporation brings language processing to the mass market for devices such as mobile phones, set-top boxes, computers and other information appliances.

NEITHER THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE NOR NASDAQ HAVE APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Zi Corporation  
Michael E. Lobsinger  
Chairman and C.E.O.  
+1 403 233-8875  
Web site: http://www.zicorp.com/