How to Type in Brazilian Portuguese — ABNT2 Keyboard Tutorial
Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil) is spoken by ~210 million people in Brazil. It uses the QWERTY-BR (ABNT2) keyboard — Brazil's unique 105-key national standard. Differs from Portugal's QWERTY-PT in subtle but meaningful ways.
Brazilian Portuguese character set
- Standard A-Z
- ç — dedicated direct key (specific BR position)
- ã, õ — dead key
~+ a/o (tilde marks Brazilian Portuguese) - á, é, í, ó, ú — dead key
´+ vowel - â, ê, ô — dead key
^+ vowel - à — dead key
\` + a
QWERTY-BR (ABNT2) layout
105-key Brazilian standard with:
- Dedicated ç position (different from QWERTY-PT)
- Extra
/direct key (bottom row) - AltGr-rich symbol access
- Multiple dead-key accents
See QWERTY-BR (ABNT2) layout deep-dive.
Practice the Brazilian layout at /pt-BR/qwerty_br/.
Spelling differences: Brazil vs Portugal
The 1990 Orthographic Agreement standardized many spellings, but differences remain:
- Brazil: ação, ótimo, fato, Antônio (no silent letters; circumflex)
- Portugal: ação, ótimo, fato, António (similar; different accent)
Differences are minor today but exist.
Common Brazilian Portuguese typing patterns
- não, são, mão, pão — -ão words (very common)
- coração, atenção, organização — -ção endings
- você, está, mãe, pai — daily-use words
- Brasil, futebol, samba — proper nouns
- R$ (Brazilian Real) — currency
Touch typing tips
- Master ç direct key — different position from QWERTY-PT
- Drill ~ dead key — Brazilian Portuguese has many -ão words
- Use dedicated / for URLs and dates
- Practice -ção endings — appears in 5+ common words per paragraph
Target: 50-60 WPM in 4-6 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Brazil have its own keyboard standard?
National standardization (ABNT) provides more direct character access for Brazilian Portuguese specifics.
Can I use QWERTY-PT in Brazil?
Functionally yes, but Brazilian keyboards have ABNT2 labels — physical keys won't match.
Is the language different from European Portuguese?
Same language, slight dialect and vocabulary differences. Highly mutually intelligible. Different keyboards reflect national standards.
What about Portuguese-speaking Africa?
Lusophone Africa (Angola, Mozambique, etc.) generally uses QWERTY-PT (Portugal) layout — not ABNT2.
How do I type R$ (Brazilian Real)?
Type R then Shift+4 ($) — no dedicated R$ key.
Should I learn Brazilian or European Portuguese first?
Either — same language, mutually intelligible. Pick by where you'll use it.
Practice Brazilian Portuguese typing
Practice Brazilian Portuguese on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons designed for ABNT2 layout.
For more: QWERTY-BR (ABNT2) layout, How to type in Portuguese, QWERTY-PT vs QWERTY-BR.