Typing in Amharic Fidel on a Keyboard
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Typing in Amharic Fidel on a Keyboard

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to EasyAmharic.com. In today’s post, I’m excited to show you a super easy way to type in Amharic on your computer using your regular keyboard. And the best part? You don’t need to download any extra software! The Amharic keyboard is already built into your computer’s system; you just need to enable it.

If you read this post or watch this video until the end, you’ll not only learn how to write in Amharic, but you’ll also see just how simple and beautiful the Amharic script is.

Step-by-Step: Enabling the Amharic Keyboard

Let’s start by getting that Amharic keyboard installed on your computer. It’s a quick process:

  • Go to your Start Menu (usually the Windows icon in the bottom left corner).
  • Type “language” in the search bar.
  • Click on “Edit language and keyboard options” (or similar wording depending on your Windows version).
  • Within the language settings, click on “Add a language.”
  • Scroll through the list or type “Amharic” to find it.
  • Click on “Amharic” and then “Next.”
  • Make sure the “Install language pack” option is checked, and then click “Install.”

That’s it! Your computer will now enable the Amharic keyboard. You don’t need to download any additional software. Once it’s installed, you can start using it right away!

how to type in Amharic on a keyboard

How to Type in Amharic: The Simple Rule

You’ve installed the Amharic keyboard, after you install the keyboard, go to the bottom right side of your computer or press the Windows key + Spacebar to switch the language to Amharic.

Great. Now let’s look at how to actually type in Amharic Fidel on a keyboard. It’s surprisingly intuitive!

Here’s the basic formula:

Press the Latin Consonant Key + Vowel Key = Amharic Character

You’ll type the English letter that represents the Amharic consonant sound, followed by the English vowel that represents the Amharic vowel sound. Let’s take ሀ as an example and see.

  • ሀ (Ha): Type H then A = ሀ
  • ሁ (Hu): Type H then U = ሁ
  • ሂ (Hi): Type H then I = ሂ
  • ሃ (Ha): Type H then A = ሃ
  • ሄ (He): Type H then IE = ሄ
  • ህ (H): Type H only = ህ
  • ሆ (Ho): Type H then  O = ሆ
  • ኋ (Hua): Type H then UA = ኋ

Mastering Amharic Characters: Beyond the Basics

Sometimes, you’ll encounter Amharic characters that share similar sounds but have different spellings. The Amharic keyboard handles this by allowing you to press the consonant key multiple times or use the Shift key. This is particularly useful for differentiating between characters that might sound the same but have distinct forms and historical origins.

Here’s how it works for various character families:

The ‘ሀ’, ‘ሐ’, ‘ኀ’ Families (H sounds)

There are three different types of ‘Ha’ sounds in Amharic, each represented by a unique character family. The keyboard differentiates them by how many times you press the ‘H’ key.

  • For ‘ሀ’ (Ha) and its family: This is the most common ‘H’ sound. Simply press H once for the consonant.

    • ሀ (Ha): Type H then A (H + A = ሀ)
    • ሁ (Hu): Type H then U (H + U = ሁ)
    • ሂ (Hi): Type H then I (H + I = ሂ)
    • ሃ (Ha): Type H then A (H + A = ሃ)
    • ሄ (He): Type H then IE (H + IE = ሄ)
    • ህ (H): Type H only (H = ህ)
    • ሆ (Ho): Type H then O (H + O = ሆ)
    • ኋ (Hua): Type H then UA (H + UA = ኋ)

  • For ‘ሐ’ (Ha) and its family: This ‘H’ sound often comes from Arabic loanwords. To type it, press H twice for the consonant.

    • ሐ (Ha): Type HH then A (HH + A = ሐ)
    • ሑ (Hu): Type HH then U (HH + U = ሑ)
    • ሒ (Hi): Type HH then I (HH + I = ሒ)
    • ሓ (Ha): Type HH then A (HH + A = ሓ)
    • ሔ (He): Type HH then IE (HH + IE = ሔ)
    • ሕ (H): Type HH only (HH = ሕ)
    • ሖ (Ho): Type HH then O (HH + O = ሖ)
    • ኋ (Hua): Type HH then UA (HH + UA = ኋ)

  • For ‘ኀ’ (Ha) and its family: This ‘H’ sound is less common in modern Amharic but is present in older texts and some proper nouns. To type it, press H three times for the consonant.

    • ኀ (He): Type HHH then A (HHH + e = ኀ)
    • ኁ (Hu): Type HHH then U (HHH + U = ኁ)
    • ኂ (Hi): Type HHH then I (HHH + I = ኂ)
    • ኃ (Ha): Type HHH then A (HHH + A = ኃ)
    • ኄ (He): Type HHH then IE (HHH + IE = ኄ)
    • ኅ (H): Type HHH only (HHH = ኅ)
    • ኆ (Ho): Type HHH then O (HHH + O = ኆ)
    • ኋ (Hua): Type HHH then UA (HHH + UA = ኋ)

Other Consonant Families and Their Typing Rules

Let’s explore the typing rules for the rest of the Amharic character set, paying attention to variations:

  • For ‘መ’ (Me) and its family: Type M followed by the vowel.

    • መ (Me): M + E = መ
    • ሙ (Mu): M + U = ሙ
    • ሚ (Mi): M + I = ሚ
    • ማ (Ma): M + A = ማ
    • ሜ (Mie): M + IE = ሜ
    • ም (M): M = ም
    • ሞ (Mo): M + O = ሞ
    • ሟ (Mua): M + UA = ሟ

  • For ‘ሰ’ (Se) and its family: This is the common ‘S’ sound. Type S followed by the vowel.

    • ሰ (Se): S + E = ሰ
    • ሱ (Su): S + U = ሱ
    • ሲ (Si): S + I = ሲ
    • ሳ (Sa): S + A = ሳ
    • ሴ (Sie): S + IE = ሴ
    • ስ (S): S = ስ
    • ሶ (So): S + O = ሶ
    • ሷ (Sua): S + UA = ሷ

  • For ‘ሠ’ (Se) and its family: This is a less common ‘S’ sound, often found in proper nouns and older words. To type it, press S twice for the consonant.

    • ሠ (Se): SS + E = ሠ
    • ሡ (Su): SS + U = ሡ
    • ሢ (Si): SS + I = ሢ
    • ሣ (Sa): SS + A = ሣ
    • ሤ (Sie): SS + IE = ሤ
    • ሥ (S): SS = ሥ
    • ሦ (So): SS + O = ሦ
    • ሷ (Sua): SS + UA = ሷ

  • For ‘ረ’ (Re) and its family: Type R followed by the vowel.

    • ረ (Re): R + E = ረ
    • ሩ (Ru): R + U = ሩ
    • ሪ (Ri): R + I = ሪ
    • ራ (Ra): R + A = ራ
    • ሬ (Rie): R + IE = ሬ
    • ር (R): R = ር
    • ሮ (Ro): R + O = ሮ
    • ሯ (Rua): R + UA = ሯ

  • For ‘ሸ’ (She) and its family: This represents the ‘Sh’ sound. Type X followed by the vowel (X is commonly mapped to ‘Sh’ in Amharic keyboard layouts).

    • ሸ (She): X + E = ሸ
    • ሹ (Shu): X + U = ሹ
    • ሺ (Shi): X + I = ሺ
    • ሻ (Sha): X + A = ሻ
    • ሼ (Shie): X + IE = ሼ
    • ሽ (Sh): X = ሽ
    • ሾ (Sho): X + O = ሾ
    • ሿ (Shua): X + UA = ሿ

  • For ‘ቀ’ (Qe) and its family: This is a glottal ‘Q’ sound. Type Q followed by the vowel.

    • ቀ (Qe): Q + E = ቀ
    • ቁ (Qu): Q + U = ቁ
    • ቂ (Qi): Q + I = ቂ
    • ቃ (Qa): Q + A = ቃ
    • ቄ (Qie): Q + IE = ቄ
    • ቅ (Q): Q = ቅ
    • ቆ (Qo): Q + O = ቆ
    • ቋ (Qua): Q + UA = ቋ

  • For ‘በ’ (Be) and its family: Type B followed by the vowel.

    • በ (Be): B + E = በ
    • ቡ (Bu): B + U = ቡ
    • ቢ (Bi): B + I = ቢ
    • ባ (Ba): B + A = ባ
    • ቤ (Bie): B + IE = ቤ
    • ብ (B): B = ብ
    • ቦ (Bo): B + O = ቦ
    • ቧ (Bua): B + UA = ቧ

  • For ‘ቨ’ (Ve) and its family: Type V followed by the vowel.

    • ቨ (Ve): V + E = ቨ
    • ቩ (Vu): V + U = ቩ
    • ቪ (Vi): V + I = ቪ
    • ቫ (Va): V + A = ቫ
    • ቬ (Vie): V + IE = ቬ
    • ቭ (V): V = ቭ
    • ቮ (Vo): V + O = ቮ

  • For ‘ቸ’ (Che) and its family: This represents the ‘Ch’ sound as in ‘church’. Type C followed by the vowel.

    • ቸ (Che): C + E = ቸ
    • ቹ (Chu): C + U = ቹ
    • ቺ (Chi): C + I = ቺ
    • ቻ (Cha): C + A = ቻ
    • ቼ (Chie): C + IE = ቼ
    • ች (Ch): C = ች
    • ቾ (Cho): C + O = ቾ
    • ቿ (Chua): C + UA = ቿ

  • For ‘ጨ’ (Che) and its family: This is an ejective ‘Ch’ sound. To type it, hold Shift and press C for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ጨ (Che): Shift + C + E = ጨ
    • ጩ (Chu): Shift + C + U = ጩ
    • ጪ (Chi): Shift + C + I = ጪ
    • ጫ (Cha): Shift + C + A = ጫ
    • ጬ (Chie): Shift + C + IE = ጬ
    • ጭ (Ch): Shift + C = ጭ
    • ጮ (Cho): Shift + C + O = ጮ
    • ጯ (Chua): Shift + C + UA = ጯ

  • For ‘ነ’ (Ne) and its family: Type N followed by the vowel.

    • ነ (Ne): N + E = ነ
    • ኑ (Nu): N + U = ኑ
    • ኒ (Ni): N + I = ኒ
    • ና (Na): N + A = ና
    • ኔ (Nie): N + IE = ኔ
    • ን (N): N = ን
    • ኖ (No): N + O = ኖ
    • ኗ (Nua): N + UA = ኗ

  • For ‘ኘ’ (Nye) and its family: This represents the ‘Ny’ sound as in ‘canyon’. Type N followed by Y for the consonant, then the vowel.

    • ኘ (Nye): NY + E = ኘ
    • ኙ (Nyu): NY + U = ኙ
    • ኚ (Nyi): NY + I = ኚ
    • ኛ (Nya): NY + A = ኛ
    • ኜ (Nyie): NY + IE = ኜ
    • ኝ (Ny): NY = ኝ
    • ኞ (Nyo): NY + O = ኞ

  • For ‘አ’ (A) and its family: This is the most common ‘A’ vowel. You’ll simply type the vowel key.

    • አ (A): A = አ
    • ኡ (U): U = ኡ
    • ኢ (I): I = ኢ
    • ኣ (Aa): AA = ኣ
    • ኤ (Ie): IE = ኤ
    • እ (e): E = እ
    • ኦ (O): O = ኦ

  • For ‘ዐ’ (A) and its family: This ‘A’ sound is a glottal stop, more prominent in some words. To type it, press A three times for the consonant.

    • ዐ (A): AAA = ዐ
    • ዑ (U): AAA + U = ዑ
    • ዒ (I): AAA + I = ዒ
    • ዓ (Aa): AAA + A = ዓ
    • ዔ (Ie): AAA + IE = ዔ
    • ዕ (e): EEE = ዕ
    • ዖ (O): AAA + O = ዖ

  • For ‘ከ’ (Ke) and its family: Type K followed by the vowel.

    • ከ (Ke): K + E = ከ
    • ኩ (Ku): K + U = ኩ
    • ኪ (Ki): K + I = ኪ
    • ካ (Ka): K + A = ካ
    • ኬ (Kie): K + IE = ኬ
    • ክ (K): K = ክ
    • ኮ (Ko): K + O = ኮ
    • ኳ (Kua): K + UA = ኳ

  • For ‘ኸ’ (KHe) and its family: This represents a guttural ‘Kh’ sound. To type it, hold Shift and press K for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ኸ (KHe): Shift + K + E = ኸ
    • ኹ (Khu): Shift + K + U = ኹ
    • ኺ (KHi): Shift + K + I = ኺ
    • ኻ (KHa): Shift + K + A = ኻ
    • ኼ (KHie): Shift + K + IE = ኼ
    • ኽ (KH): Shift + K = ኽ
    • ኾ (KHo): Shift + K + O = ኾ

  • For ‘ወ’ (We) and its family: Type W followed by the vowel.

    • ወ (We): W + E = ወ
    • ዉ (Wu): W + U = ዉ
    • ዊ (Wi): W + I = ዊ
    • ዋ (Wa): W + A = ዋ
    • ዌ (Wie): W + IE = ዌ
    • ው (W): W = ው
    • ዎ (Wo): W + O = ዎ

  • For ‘ዘ’ (Ze) and its family: This is the common ‘Z’ sound. Type Z followed by the vowel.

    • ዘ (Ze): Z + E = ዘ
    • ዙ (Zu): Z + U = ዙ
    • ዚ (Zi): Z + I = ዚ
    • ዛ (Za): Z + A = ዛ
    • ዜ (Zie): Z + IE = ዜ
    • ዝ (Z): Z = ዝ
    • ዞ (Zo): Z + O = ዞ
    • ዟ (Zua): Z + UA = ዟ

  • For ‘ዠ’ (Zhe) and its family: This represents the ‘Zh’ sound as in ‘measure’. To type it, hold Shift and press Z for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ዠ (Zhe): Shift + Z + E = ዠ
    • ዡ (Zhu): Shift + Z + U = ዡ
    • ዢ (Zhi): Shift + Z + I = ዢ
    • ዣ (Zha): Shift + Z + A = ዣ
    • ዤ (Zhie): Shift + Z + IE = ዤ
    • ዥ (Zh): Shift + Z = ዥ
    • ዦ (Zho): Shift + Z + O = ዦ

  • For ‘የ’ (Ye) and its family: Type Y followed by the vowel.

    • የ (Ye): Y + E = የ
    • ዩ (Yu): Y + U = ዩ
    • ዪ (Yi): Y + I = ዪ
    • ያ (Ya): Y + A = ያ
    • ዬ (Yie): Y + IE = ዬ
    • ይ (Y): Y = ይ
    • ዮ (Yo): Y + O = ዮ

  • For ‘ደ’ (De) and its family: Type D followed by the vowel.

    • ደ (De): D + E = ደ
    • ዱ (Du): D + U = ዱ
    • ዲ (Di): D + I = ዲ
    • ዳ (Da): D + A = ዳ
    • ዴ (Die): D + IE = ዴ
    • ድ (D): D = ድ
    • ዶ (Do): D + O = ዶ
    • ዷ (Dua): D + UA = ዷ

  • For ‘ጀ’ (Je) and its family: Type J followed by the vowel.

    • ጀ (Je): J + E = ጀ
    • ጁ (Ju): J + U = ጁ
    • ጂ (Ji): J + I = ጂ
    • ጃ (Ja): J + A = ጃ
    • ጄ (Jie): J + IE = ጄ
    • ጅ (J): J = ጅ
    • ጆ (Jo): J + O = ጆ

  • For ‘ገ’ (Ge) and its family: Type G followed by the vowel.

    • ገ (Ge): G + E = ገ
    • ጉ (Gu): G + U = ጉ
    • ጊ (Gi): G + I = ጊ
    • ጋ (Ga): G + A = ጋ
    • ጌ (Gie): G + IE = ጌ
    • ግ (G): G = ግ
    • ጎ (Go): G + O = ጎ
    • ጓ (Gua): G + UA = ጓ

  • For ‘ተ’ (Te) and its family: This is the common ‘T’ sound. Type T followed by the vowel.

    • ተ (Te): T + E = ተ
    • ቱ (Tu): T + U = ቱ
    • ቲ (Ti): T + I = ቲ
    • ታ (Ta): T + A = ታ
    • ቴ (Tie): T + IE = ቴ
    • ት (T): T = ት
    • ቶ (To): T + O = ቶ
    • ቷ (Tua): T + UA = ቷ

  • For ‘ጠ’ (Te) and its family: This is an ejective ‘T’ sound. To type it, hold Shift and press T for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ጠ (Te): Shift + T + E = ጠ
    • ጡ (Tu): Shift + T + U = ጡ
    • ጢ (Ti): Shift + T + I = ጢ
    • ጣ (Ta): Shift + T + A = ጣ
    • ጤ (Tie): Shift + T + IE = ጤ
    • ጥ (T): Shift + T = ጥ
    • ጦ (To): Shift + T + O = ጦ
    • ጧ (Tua): Shift + T + UA = ጧ

  • For ‘ጰ’ (Pe) and its family: This is an ejective ‘P’ sound. To type it, hold Shift and press P for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ጰ (Pe): Shift + P + E = ጰ
    • ጱ (Pu): Shift + P + U = ጱ
    • ጲ (Pi): Shift + P + I = ጲ
    • ጳ (Pa): Shift + P + A = ጳ
    • ጴ (Pie): Shift + P + IE = ጴ
    • ጵ (P): Shift + P = ጵ
    • ጶ (Po): Shift + P + O = ጶ

  • For ‘ጸ’ (Tse) and its family: This is the common ‘Ts’ sound. Type Ts followed by the vowel.

    • ጸ (Tse): TS + E = ጸ
    • ጹ (Tsu): TS + U = ጹ
    • ጺ (Tsi): TS + I = ጺ
    • ጻ (Tsa): TS + A = ጻ
    • ጼ (Tsie): TS + IE = ጼ
    • ጽ (Ts): TS = ጽ
    • ጾ (Tso): TS + O = ጾ
    • ጿ (Tsua): TS + UA = ጿ

  • For ‘ፀ’ (Tse) and its family: This is a less common ‘Ts’ sound, sometimes used interchangeably or in specific contexts. To type it, press T twice, then S for the consonant, followed by the vowel.

    • ፀ (Tse): TS + E = ፀ (Note: Some layouts might use TT + S or similar. This often maps to the same ‘ts’ input as the previous. It is useful to note its existence as a separate character in the script).
    • ፁ (Tsu): TS + U = ፁ
    • ፂ (Tsi): TS + I = ፂ
    • ፃ (Tsa): TS + A = ፃ
    • ፄ (Tsie): TS + IE = ፄ
    • ፅ (Ts): TS = ፅ
    • ፆ (Tso): TS + O = ፆ

  • For ‘ፈ’ (Fe) and its family: Type F followed by the vowel.

    • ፈ (Fe): F + E = ፈ
    • ፉ (Fu): F + U = ፉ
    • ፊ (Fi): F + I = ፊ
    • ፋ (Fa): F + A = ፋ
    • ፌ (Fie): F + IE = ፌ
    • ፍ (F): F = ፍ
    • ፎ (Fo): F + O = ፎ
    • ፏ (Fua): F + UA = ፏ

  • For ‘ፐ’ (Pe) and its family: Type P followed by the vowel.

    • ፐ (Pe): P + E = ፐ
    • ፑ (Pu): P + U = ፑ
    • ፒ (Pi): P + I = ፒ
    • ፓ (Pa): P + A = ፓ
    • ፔ (Pie): P + IE = ፔ
    • ፕ (P): P = ፕ
    • ፖ (Po): P + O = ፖ

Conclusion

And there you have it! Typing in Amharic on your computer is much simpler than you might have thought. With the built-in Amharic keyboard and these straightforward rules – including the clever use of repeated consonant keys and the Shift key for similar-sounding characters – you can start expressing yourself in this beautiful script right away. Practice makes perfect, so give it a try and get comfortable with the character families.