Hawaiian uses the kahakō (macron) on long vowels and the ʻokina, a letter that looks like an opening single quote and marks a glottal stop.
How to type Hawaiian letters on Windows
None of the Hawaiian letters are in the Windows-1252 code page, so there are no classic Alt codes. Use one of the methods below instead.
Add the Hawaiian keyboard layout
Go to Settings → Time & Language → Language & region, add Hawaiian (or open Options under your language and add a keyboard), and choose Hawaiian. Switch layouts with Win+Space. The Hawaiian layout has all of its letters on dedicated keys or dead keys; the on-screen keyboard (Win + Ctrl + O) shows you where.
Emoji and symbol panel
Press Win+., open the Symbols tab (Ω) and choose Latin symbols, or search the letter's name. Works in every app and needs no numpad.
The ʻokina is U+02BB, not the apostrophe or the ‘ quote, though both are common substitutes.
How to type Hawaiian letters on a Mac
Press and hold
Hold a letter key for a second and a menu of accented forms appears; press the number under the one you want. On the English keyboard this covers ā ē ī ō ū, but not ʻ.
- Hold A for à á â ä æ ã å ā
- Hold E for è é ê ë ē ė ę
- Hold I for î ï í ī į ì
- Hold O for ô ö ò ó œ ø ō õ
- Hold U for û ü ù ú ū
The macron is not on the US layout. Add ABC Extended (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), which adds dead keys: Option+A for the macron.
Hawaiian input source and Character Viewer
For regular Hawaiian typing add Hawaiian under System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources and switch with Control+Space. For a one-off letter, press Control+⌘+Space to open the Character Viewer, search the letter's name and double-click it.
macOS includes a Hawaiian layout where the macron vowels are on Option plus the vowel and the ʻokina is on the apostrophe key.
How to type Hawaiian letters on iPhone, iPad and Android
- Press and hold the base letter (A, E, I, O, U).
- A pop-up shows the accented forms, including ā ē ī ō ū.
- Slide your finger onto the one you want and release. Gboard on Android works the same way.
To add the keyboard on iPhone go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Hawaiian and switch with the globe key. On Android open Gboard → Settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Hawaiian. For a letter you type often, save a shortcut under Text Replacement (iPhone) or the Personal dictionary (Gboard).
Word, Excel and Google Docs
Microsoft Word
For any letter, type its Unicode hex code and press Alt+X: 0101 → ā, 0113 → ē, 012B → ī, 014D → ō, and so on (the table above has every code). Insert → Symbol → More Symbols lists them under Latin-1 Supplement and Latin Extended-A. With AutoCorrect (File → Options → Proofing) you can make Word replace a code of your choosing, such as a~, with ā as you type.
Excel and Google Sheets
Alt codes and paste work in cells. For a formula, use =UNICHAR(257) in Excel or =CHAR(257) in Google Sheets to get ā.
Google Docs
Use Insert → Special characters and search the letter's name, or draw it in the sketch box. Docs accepts Alt codes on Windows and Option dead keys on a Mac, and Tools → Preferences → Substitutions can auto-replace a short code with the letter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type Hawaiian letters on an English keyboard? +
On Windows, press Win + . and search the symbol panel, or add the US-International layout for dead keys. On a Mac, iPhone or Android, press and hold the base letter and pick ā, ē, ī, ō from the pop-up. Or click any letter on this page to copy it.
Which keyboard layout do I add for Hawaiian? +
Windows: Hawaiian. Mac: Hawaiian. iPhone and iPad: Hawaiian. Android (Gboard): Hawaiian.
Do Hawaiian letters have Alt codes? +
No. Hawaiian letters are outside the Windows-1252 code page, so there are no classic Alt codes. In Word type the hex code then Alt + X (0101 for ā); elsewhere use Win + . or copy from this page.
How do I type Hawaiian accents in Microsoft Word? +
For any letter, type its Unicode hex code and press Alt + X (0101 becomes ā), or use Insert → Symbol.
Will copied Hawaiian letters work in Word, Google Docs and social media? +
Yes. They are standard Unicode characters, so they paste as real text into any app that supports Unicode, which includes Word, Docs, Excel, WhatsApp, Instagram and email.