ARCHIVED: In Mac OS, how can I type foreign language characters?
Note: For information on how to type foreign language characters in Mac OS X, see In Mac OS X, how can I type foreign language characters?
In Mac OS, for some diacritics and accent marks, you may
need to install additional fonts, but you can produce some of the most
common foreign language characters using the Option key:
| Keystroke | Character |
|---|---|
Option-e [letter] |
acute (e.g., á) |
Option-` [letter] |
grave (e.g., è) |
Option-i [letter] |
circumflex (e.g., î ) |
Option-u [letter] |
umlaut (e.g., ï ) |
Option-q |
oe ligature ( œ ) |
Option-c |
cedilla ( ç ) |
Option-n n |
the Spanish "enyay" ( ñ ) |
Option-Shift-/ (forward slash) |
upside-down question mark ( ¿ ) |
You also can use Key Caps, a desk accessory that comes with all
versions of Mac OS and is accessible from the Apple menu. The
Key Caps window contains a virtual keyboard that shows
the characters associated with different keys. Key Caps also can show
you what characters are created when you hold down modifier keys like
Option, Shift, and Cmd.
You also can use PopChar Pro, a shareware control panel that allows you to access a pop-up list of all the current font's characters via an icon in the menu bar. For more information about PopChar Pro, visit the Ergonis Software web page.
Last modified on March 31, 2010.
