Typing ĉ ĝ ĥ ĵ ŝ ŭ

Typing the Six Letters

Foundations

Two stand-in systems for the six letters, and one correct spelling.

How It Works

Many keyboards lack the six letters. When you cannot type them, there are two ways to write them in quick notes.

Real letterx-systemh-system
ĉcxch
ĝgxgh
ĥhxhh
ĵjxjh
ŝsxsh
ŭuxu

The h-system comes from the Fundamento, which allowed it for printers without the letters. The x-system is common in e-mail and chat. A computer can easily turn x-system text back into the real letters, because x is not an Esperanto letter.

Use a stand-in only when you must. Finished text, such as a lesson, a letter or a message to a club, uses the real letters. Leaving off a hat can change the word: si is a different pronoun from ŝi.

Examples (4)

  1. Saluton, Kenji! Ĉu vi ŝatas la ĉapelon?

    Hello, Kenji! Do you like the hat?

    In the x-system this line is written with cx and sx.

  2. Priya legas la ĵurnalon.

    Priya reads the newspaper.

    Ĵ is jx in the x-system and jh in the h-system.

  3. Hans ŝatas la ĝardenon kaj la ĥoron.

    Hans likes the garden and the choir.

    Ŝ ĝ ĥ are sx, gx, hx in the x-system.

  4. Pedro havas aŭton.

    Pedro has a car.

    Ŭ is ux in the x-system and plain u in the h-system.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the hat off ŝi.

    Si estas mia amikino.
    Ŝi estas mia amikino.

    Si is a different pronoun, the one that points back to the subject, and it can never be the subject. Without its hat, ŝi (she) turns into si.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Typing ĉ ĝ ĥ ĵ ŝ ŭFoundationsTyping the Six Letters

Learn This First

You can only type the six marked letters once you can tell them apart.