How to Type in Slovenian — Slovenian Touch Typing
Slovenian shares the QWERTZ-HR keyboard with Croatia but uses only 3 of the 5 special characters: Č, Š, Ž (no ć or đ). This guide covers Slovenian-specific typing patterns on this shared layout.
Slovenian's special characters
Only 3 (subset of Croatian set):
- Č č (c with caron)
- Š š (s with caron)
- Ž ž (z with caron)
No Ć or Đ — Slovenian doesn't have these sounds.
QWERTZ-HR layout for Slovenian
Same physical keyboard as Croatian. The ć and đ keys are there but rarely used by Slovenian writers.
Practice the Slovenian layout at /sl/qwertz_hr/.
Common Slovenian typing patterns
- je, na, in, se, za — common short words
- slovenščina, Slovenija, Slovenec — proper nouns
- dober dan, hvala, prosim — politeness
- Ljubljana, Maribor, Koper — city names
- velik, majhen, lep — common adjectives
- šola, družba, miza — common nouns
Slovenian vs Croatian typing differences
Same keyboard. Different language patterns:
- Slovenian doesn't use ć or đ
- Slovenian has dual grammatical number (very rare in European languages)
- Different vocabulary inventory
- Same typing speed expectations
Touch typing tips
- Master č š ž — same right-side positions as Croatian
- Skip ć and đ — don't use them in Slovenian
- Y/Z swap (QWERTZ family standard)
- Same as Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian-Latin keyboard
Target: 45-55 WPM in 4-6 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why share with Croatian?
Historical (Yugoslav-era standardization). Both languages need similar Slavic diacritics. Sharing simplifies regional infrastructure.
Can Slovenian speakers easily read Croatian?
Some mutual intelligibility (related South Slavic languages) but not full. Slovenian is more divergent from Croatian than Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian are from each other.
What about Macedonian?
Macedonian uses Cyrillic — different layout entirely.
Are there Slovenian-specific layouts?
A few experimental layouts exist. QWERTZ-HR is universal in Slovenia.
How is the @ symbol typed?
AltGr+V on most Slovenian keyboards.
Should I learn QWERTY-US for English work?
Trade-off. Most bilingual Slovenian/English typists use QWERTZ-HR for everything.
Practice Slovenian typing
Practice Slovenian on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons using the shared QWERTZ-HR layout.
For more: QWERTZ-HR layout, How to type in Croatian, How to type in Bosnian.