Typing Afrikaans Characters

Learning to type Afrikaans on a standard English keyboard can be a challenge and a daunting task, especially for those not familiar with the language's accents and special characters. Fortunately, there are several practical methods to type these characters on common keyboards and in popular office applications, without needing a special Afrikaans keyboard.

How Afrikaans Accents Work on Normal Keyboards

Afrikaans uses a range of accent marks, including circumflex (ê), diaeresis (ë), and circumflex on o (ô). To type these characters on a normal keyboard, it helps to understand a few key concepts:

Dead Keys and Accent Marks

On many keyboards, certain keys act as "dead keys." These keys, such as the apostrophe, double quote, caret, tilde, and grave, modify the following character. For example, on the Windows US-International layout, pressing ^ (Shift+6) followed by a vowel produces a circumflexed letter like ê.

Press-and-Hold and Alt+X Entry

On mobile devices and some desktop keyboards, pressing and holding a letter key opens a menu with accented variants. In desktop word processors like Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer, typing a Unicode code (like 00EA for ê) followed by Alt+X also converts this into the desired accented character.

Windows Options: Keyboard Layout and Alt Codes

Windows users have a few reliable options for typing Afrikaans accents:

US-International Keyboard Layout

To get circumflex, diaeresis, and acute marks in Windows, switch to the United States-International keyboard layout:

1. Open Settings > Time & Language
2. Choose Language & region. Under Preferred languages, click the three dots (…) next to your language and select Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, click Add a keyboard and choose United States-International.

• ê = ^ (Shift+6) then e
• ë = " (Shift+') then e
• ô = ^ (Shift+6) then o

Alt Codes for Accents

For those who prefer numeric entry, Alt codes offer an alternative:

1. Open a document in a text editor.
2. Press and hold the Alt key.
3. While holding Alt, type the Alt code on the numeric keypad. For example, Alt+0234 produces ê, while Alt+0235 gives ë.

macOS

Mac users can use Option key combinations: press the combination, release it, then type the letter:

• ê = Option+i then e
• ë = Option+u then e
• ô = Option+i then o

Remember that the Option (Alt) key may produce different results depending on the keyboard layout.

Linux

Linux users can utilize the Compose key, which allows for complex character input:

1. Enable the Compose key in your desktop environment's keyboard settings.
2. Press the Compose key, followed by the desired accent and letter, like ^ and e for ê, or " and e for ë.

For mobile devices, long-pressing a letter key opens an accent menu. A long press on the letter "e" reveals options like ê, ë, and è.

Office Apps for Fallback Entry

Most South Africans have the option of using office suites like Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. These robust typing tools have fallback shortcuts and features for producing accents:

Microsoft Word Shortcuts

Word for Windows has these shortcuts:

• ê = Ctrl+Shift+^ then e
• ë = Ctrl+Shift+: then e
• ô = Ctrl+Shift+^ then o

Unicode Alt+X Entry

Word also accepts direct Unicode input: type 00EA and press Alt+X to get ê.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice Writer recognizes Unicode codes and Alt+X shortcuts.

1. Choose Insert > Special Character.
2. Search for special characters by Unicode code.
3. The AutoCorrect tool is another way to enter alternate characters by defining phrases.

South African Characters Beyond Afrikaans

South Africa is a multilingual country, with several languages beyond Afrikaans having unique characters. For example, Sepedi (Northern Sotho) uses the character š, which can be entered on a Windows system using Alt+0154.

To accommodate diverse languages, the full range of Unicode characters can be accessed through word processors and online keyboards.

The Simplest Solution

To start typing in Afrikaans, the first step is to use the accent-entry method that matches your device. Switch to the US-International keyboard on Windows, enable the Compose key on Linux, press-and-hold on macOS, or use long-press on mobile devices. Only if these methods prove awkward should you fall back to word processor shortcuts and Alt+X codes.

By mastering these techniques, Afrikaans learners, teachers, and writers can type the language's accents on any common keyboard.