Keyboard shortcuts
| Letter | Windows (Alt code) | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| ă Ă | — | Option + B, then A (ABC – Extended) |
| â Â | Alt + 0226 / 0194 | Option + I, then A |
| î Î | Alt + 0238 / 0206 | Option + I, then I |
| ș Ș | — | Use the Romanian – Standard input source |
| ț Ț | — | Use the Romanian – Standard input source |
Mac: On a Mac, â and î work on the normal layout: press Option + I, let go, then type a or i. For ă, ș and ț, add the “Romanian – Standard” input source in System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources; it types the correct comma-below ș and ț. The “ABC – Extended” input source also gives ă with Option + B, then A.
Windows: On Windows, only â (Alt + 0226) and î (Alt + 0238) have Alt codes. For ă, ș and ț, add the “Romanian (Standard)” keyboard in Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Avoid “Romanian (Legacy)”, which types the old cedilla letters ş and ţ. In Microsoft Word you can also type 0219 and press Alt + X for ș, 021B for ț and 0103 for ă.
iPhone and Android: On iPhone and Android, add the Romanian keyboard, then press and hold a, i, s or t to get ă, â, î, ș and ț.
How the Romanian letters sound
Romanian has five extra letters. Three are vowels and two are consonants.
- ă is a short, relaxed “uh”, like the “a” in “about”: casă (house), mă (me), băiat (boy).
- â and î are the same sound, a vowel made in the middle of the mouth with unrounded lips. There is nothing quite like it in English: român, câine (dog), înapoi (back).
- ș sounds like “sh”: școală (school), așa (so), mulțumesc (thank you).
- ț sounds like “ts”: țară (country), ține (holds), mulțumesc.
â or î? The rule
Since the 1993 spelling reform, the choice depends on where the sound falls in the word.
- Write î at the beginning or end of a word: început, înainte, a coborî, a urî.
- Write â inside a word: român, câine, pâine (bread), mâine (tomorrow).
- Keep î after a prefix, because the root word starts with î: neîncredere, reînnoi.
- Romania and Romanian are always written with â: România, limba română.
Why ș and ț need a comma, not a cedilla
The correct Romanian letters are ș and ț, with a small comma below. The look-alikes ş and ţ, with a cedilla, come from Turkish and were never correct Romanian. They exist in Romanian texts because older character sets, including Windows-1250 and ISO 8859-2, only had the cedilla versions, and Windows XP-era keyboards typed those.
The comma-below letters were added to Unicode in 1999 and are now supported by every modern system. Use them: the Romanian Academy requires them, and mixing ș and ş in the same text can break search and spell-check. The keys on this page type the correct comma-below letters.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ș and ț?
On Windows, add the Romanian (Standard) keyboard in Settings, or in Microsoft Word type 0219 and press Alt+X for ș (021B for ț). On a Mac, add the Romanian – Standard input source. On a phone, press and hold s or t on the Romanian keyboard. You can also click ș and ț on this page and copy them.
What is the difference between ș and ş?
ș (comma below) is the correct Romanian letter. ş (cedilla) is a Turkish letter that appears in Romanian texts typed with old keyboards and fonts. They look similar but are different characters, so search engines and spell-checkers treat them as different words.
When do I use â and when î?
Use î at the start and end of a word (început, a coborî) and â in the middle (câine, pâine). After a prefix, keep î (neîncredere). România and română are always spelled with â.
How do I type ă?
ă has no Windows Alt code. Add the Romanian (Standard) keyboard, or type 0103 and press Alt+X in Microsoft Word. On a Mac, use the Romanian – Standard input source, or ABC – Extended with Option+B, then A.