Modern Greek on the standard layout, where most letters sit on the English key that sounds alike.
Greek words to try
Tap a word to put it in the box above, or type it yourself with the keys shown.
| Word | Meaning | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| Hi | Shift+G E I A Space S O Y | |
| Good morning | Shift+K A L H M ; E R A | |
| Thank you | Shift+E Y X A R I S T ; V | |
| Greece | Shift+E L L ; A D A | |
| Yes | Shift+N A I |
Which key types which Greek letter
Every key on an English (US) keyboard and what it types on this greek keyboard. The same table is printed on the caps above, in the corner of each key.
| Your key | Types | With Shift |
|---|---|---|
| W | ς | ΅ |
| E | ε | Ε |
| R | ρ | Ρ |
| T | τ | Τ |
| Y | υ | Υ |
| U | θ | Θ |
| I | ι | Ι |
| O | ο | Ο |
| P | π | Π |
| A | α | Α |
| S | σ | Σ |
| D | δ | Δ |
| F | φ | Φ |
| G | γ | Γ |
| H | η | Η |
| J | ξ | Ξ |
| K | κ | Κ |
| L | λ | Λ |
| Z | ζ | Ζ |
| X | χ | Χ |
| C | ψ | Ψ |
| V | ω | Ω |
| B | β | Β |
| N | ν | Ν |
| M | μ | Μ |
Why the Greek layout is easy to learn
The standard Greek keyboard is built on an English one, and most Greek letters sit on the English key with the same sound or the same Latin descendant: α on A, β on B, γ on G, δ on D, ε on E, κ on K, λ on L, μ on M, π on P. The rest follow by sound or by shape: θ (th) is on U, ξ (x) on J, ψ (ps) on C, ω on V, χ on X and η on H.
Two keys behave differently from English. W types ς, the form of sigma used only at the end of a word, while S types σ, the form used everywhere else: σεισμός. And the semicolon key is the accent key, because Greek does not need a semicolon key: the Greek question mark looks like an English semicolon (;), and Q types it.
Typing the accent (tonos) and the diaeresis
Modern Greek marks the stressed syllable of almost every word of more than one syllable with a single accent, the tonos: καλημέρα, ευχαριστώ. It is a dead key: press it first, then the vowel. On this keyboard that is ; and then the letter, or tap the red ΄ key and then the vowel. ; then A gives ά.
The diaeresis ¨ shows that two vowels are said separately rather than as one sound: Ταϊλάνδη, προϋπόθεση. It is Shift+; and then ι or υ. For the rare letters with both marks, ΐ and ΰ, press Shift+W first.
If you press the accent key and then a letter that cannot take an accent, you get both characters, which is what a real Greek keyboard does. Press Space after the accent key to type the mark on its own.
The Greek alphabet
Students of maths and science usually want single Greek letters rather than Greek text. For those, the math symbols keyboard has the common ones beside the operators. Ancient Greek, with its breathings and three accents, needs a polytonic layout, which this page does not cover.
| Letter | Name | Key | Letter | Name | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Α α | alpha | A | Ν ν | nu | N |
| Β β | beta | B | Ξ ξ | xi | J |
| Γ γ | gamma | G | Ο ο | omicron | O |
| Δ δ | delta | D | Π π | pi | P |
| Ε ε | epsilon | E | Ρ ρ | rho | R |
| Ζ ζ | zeta | Z | Σ σ ς | sigma | S, W |
| Η η | eta | H | Τ τ | tau | T |
| Θ θ | theta | U | Υ υ | upsilon | Y |
| Ι ι | iota | I | Φ φ | phi | F |
| Κ κ | kappa | K | Χ χ | chi | X |
| Λ λ | lambda | L | Ψ ψ | psi | C |
| Μ μ | mu | M | Ω ω | omega | V |