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QWERTY-TR (Turkish-Q) — How to Type ç, ğ, ş, ı, İ, ö, ü

QWERTY-TR (Turkish-Q) — How to Type ç, ğ, ş, ı, İ, ö, ü

· 3 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

QWERTY-TR (commonly called "Türkçe Q" or Turkish-Q) is the most common Turkish keyboard layout. It's a QWERTY-style layout adapted for Turkish, with dedicated direct keys for ç, ğ, ş, ı, İ, ö, ü. This guide covers the layout in detail and the Q-layout vs F-layout debate.

What makes Turkish typing special

Turkish has 8 letters that don't exist in English:

  • Ç ç (c with cedilla)
  • Ğ ğ (g with breve)
  • Ş ş (s with cedilla)
  • I ı (dotless i — uppercase looks like regular I but lowercase has no dot!)
  • İ i (dotted I — uppercase has a dot)
  • Ö ö (o with diaeresis)
  • Ü ü (u with diaeresis)

The dotted/dotless i distinction (İ vs I, i vs ı) is unique to Turkish and azərbaycani. It causes specific keyboard challenges.

Where each Turkish character lives on QWERTY-TR

  • ç: dedicated key (right of L on Q-layout)
  • ğ: dedicated key (top right area)
  • ş: dedicated key (right of L area)
  • ı: dedicated key (where i is in some Q-layouts) — replaces standard i
  • İ: Shift + i (the dotted capital)
  • ö: dedicated key
  • ü: dedicated key

Practice the Turkish layout at /tr/qwerty_tr/.

Turkish-Q vs Turkish-F: the debate

Turkey has two official keyboard standards:

Turkish-Q (QWERTY-style) — most common

  • Similar to standard QWERTY
  • Easy to learn for QWERTY users
  • Used by ~95% of Turkish typists
  • Recommended for most users

Turkish-F — ergonomically optimized

  • Designed in 1955 by İhsan Sıtkı Yener
  • Optimized for Turkish letter frequencies
  • Like Dvorak for Turkish — better hand alternation
  • Faster top speeds but smaller community
  • Used by ~5% of Turkish typists

For most users: Turkish-Q (QWERTY-TR) is the standard. Turkish-F is a niche enthusiast choice.

Common Turkish typing patterns

Frequent Turkish words:

  • bir, bu, ne, ben, sen — common short words
  • çocuk, küçük, büyük — common ç/ü/ş words
  • öğrenci, üniversite, müdür — common ü/ö words
  • şehir, şimdi, şarkı — ş words
  • İstanbul, Türkiye, sağlık — common proper nouns with multiple diacritics
  • ışık, kız, sızı — ı (dotless) words

Building muscle memory for the dotted/dotless i distinction is essential — it's unique to Turkish typing.

The İ/I/i/ı problem

Turkish is the only major language where Shift+i ≠ I:

  • Shift+i = İ (capital dotted i)
  • Shift+ı = I (capital dotless I)
  • Regular i = i (lowercase dotted)
  • Regular ı = ı (lowercase dotless)

This causes problems with:

  • Auto-correct (often "fixes" ı to i incorrectly)
  • Filename systems (case-insensitive comparisons fail)
  • Programming (string operations on Turkish text need locale-aware handling)

Turkish typists develop a sixth sense for which i to use when.

Touch typing tips for Turkish

  1. Strong right pinky discipline — ç, ş, ö, ü, ğ all on right side
  2. Memorize ı vs İ rules — when to use dotless vs dotted
  3. Drill ğ specifically — it's unique and easy to forget
  4. Practice multi-diacritic words like "öğrenci" (student)

After 30 days of QWERTY-TR practice: 45-55 WPM in real Turkish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Turkish have two keyboard standards?

Q-layout came from imported European QWERTY in early 20th century. F-layout was designed ergonomically for Turkish in 1955. Both are official; Q dominates in practice.

Should I learn Q or F?

For 99% of users: Q (QWERTY-TR). F is for enthusiasts. Q's compatibility with international keyboards outweighs F's marginal speed gain.

How is ı different from i?

ı (dotless) and i (dotted) are different letters in Turkish — pronounced differently, used in different words. Mixing them is a spelling error.

Can I type Turkish on a US QWERTY?

Yes — install Turkish-Q layout (or US-International). Without it, you'd use Alt codes for ç (Alt+135) etc. Switching to QWERTY-TR is more efficient.

What about Azerbaijani?

Azerbaijani (Latin script) shares many characters with Turkish (ç, ş, ö, ü, ı) and uses a similar layout — see QWERTY-AZ — but with additional ə (schwa) and ğ-specific differences.

How is the @ symbol typed on QWERTY-TR?

AltGr+Q on most Turkish-Q keyboards (instead of Shift+2 on QWERTY-US).

Is Turkish typing slower than English?

Slightly — right-pinky workload from multiple diacritics + ı/İ confusion adds overhead. Fluent Turkish typists reach 70+ WPM.

Try it

Practice QWERTY-TR on Typing Hero App — 19 progressive lessons designed for Turkish-Q.

For more: How to type in Turkish, How to choose a keyboard layout, How to type special characters.