Latvian marks long vowels with the macron (ā, ē, ī, ū), softens consonants with a cedilla (ģ, ķ, ļ, ņ) and uses the caron on č, š, ž.
How to type Latvian letters on Windows
Alt codes
Hold Alt, type the code on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, then release Alt. The number row above the letters does not work.
| Letter | Alt code | Capital | Alt code |
|---|---|---|---|
Alt+0154 | Alt+0138 | ||
Alt+0158 | Alt+0142 |
ā č ē ģ ī ķ ļ ņ ū have no classic Alt code. Use the layout, the symbol panel, or Alt+X in Word for those.
Add the Latvian keyboard layout
Go to Settings → Time & Language → Language & region, add Latvian (or open Options under your language and add a keyboard), and choose Latvian (Standard). Switch layouts with Win+Space. The Latvian layout has all of its letters on dedicated keys or dead keys; the on-screen keyboard (Win + Ctrl + O) shows you where.
US-International dead keys
If you would rather keep a US layout, add United States-International. Press the accent key, release it, then press the letter:
- ' then c for the cedilla (gives ģ)
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 Latvian (Standard) layout types them with Alt Gr plus the base letter, or with the apostrophe as a dead key on the QWERTY variant.
How to type Latvian 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 č ē ī š ū ž, but not ģ ķ ļ ņ.
- Hold A for à á â ä æ ã å ā
- Hold C for ç ć č
- Hold E for è é ê ë ē ė ę
- Hold I for î ï í ī į ì
- Hold S for ß ś š
- Hold U for û ü ù ú ū
- Hold Z for ž ź ż
Option dead keys
Press the Option combination, release it, then press the letter:
The macron and caron are not on the US layout. Add ABC Extended (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), which adds dead keys: Option+A for the macron, Option+V for the caron.
Latvian input source and Character Viewer
For regular Latvian typing add Latvian 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.
On a Mac, ABC Extended gives the macron with Option+A then the vowel.
How to type Latvian letters on iPhone, iPad and Android
- Press and hold the base letter (A, C, E, I, S, U, Z).
- A pop-up shows the accented forms, including ā č ē ī š.
- 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 → Latvian and switch with the globe key. On Android open Gboard → Settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Latvian. 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, 010D → č, 0113 → ē, 0123 → ģ, 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.
Latvian punctuation and other marks
Beyond the letters, Latvian text uses € (euro). Click to copy; the codes work the same way as for letters.
| Mark | Name | Unicode | Alt code | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro | U+20AC | — | € |
Frequently asked questions
How do I type Latvian letters on an English keyboard? +
On Windows, hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad (for example Alt+0154 for š). On a Mac, iPhone or Android, press and hold the base letter and pick ā, č, ē, ī from the pop-up. Or click any letter on this page to copy it.
Which keyboard layout do I add for Latvian? +
Windows: Latvian (Standard). Mac: Latvian. iPhone and iPad: Latvian. Android (Gboard): Latvian.
Do Latvian letters have Alt codes? +
2 of the 11 do: š Alt+0154, ž Alt+0158. Alt codes need Num Lock on and a numeric keypad. The rest (ā č ē ģ ī ķ ļ ņ ū) are outside the Windows-1252 code page, so use Alt + X in Word or the symbol panel.
How do I type Latvian 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 Latvian 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.