Breve Letters
The tiny smile usually marks a short vowel: Romanian spells it ă (măr), Turkish ğ (the “soft g”) lengthens the vowel before it, and Vietnamese treats ă as a letter of its own. This site lists 26 letters carrying the mark — click any letter below to copy it.
All 26 breve letters, A to Z
Click a letter to copy it; click its name for the letter’s own page with codes and typing guides.
Browse by letter
How to type the breve
Every device hides a route into these letters. Pick your platform:
Windows
ă
0103thenAltX
ğ
011FthenAltX
ŭ
016DthenAltX
ĕ
0115thenAltX
- Windows has no Ctrl shortcut for the breve. In Microsoft Word, type the letter’s code point and press Alt+X — the code converts in place.
- Outside Word, press Win + . and look under the emoji panel’s Symbols tab.
Tip: Each letter’s own page on this site lists its exact code point.
Mac
ă
apress & hold
ĕ
epress & hold
ŭ
upress & hold
- Press and hold the letter key itself — the a pop-up offers ă, the e pop-up ĕ, the u pop-up ŭ.
- Type the number shown under the one you want.
Tip: There is no g pop-up on a Mac — ğ needs the Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space).
iPhone & Android
ă
apress & hold
ğ
gpress & hold
ŭ
upress & hold
ĕ
epress & hold
- Press and hold the letter on the on-screen keyboard.
- Slide to the breve form in the pop-up row and release.
Tip: iPhone and Android menus include ă, ĕ, ğ and ŭ.