Braille Symbols to Copy and Paste: Full Chart

Every braille symbol on this page is a real Unicode character, so you can select it and copy it like any other text. Here is the whole alphabet in one line: ⠁⠃⠉⠙⠑⠋⠛⠓⠊⠚⠅⠇⠍⠝⠕⠏⠟⠗⠎⠞⠥⠧⠺⠭⠽⠵. Below are the letters one by one, the numbers, the punctuation, all 64 six-dot cells, and how Unicode braille works.

One warning before you paste: copying characters one by one gives you letter-by-letter braille. Real English braille usually uses contractions, so if you want to turn a sentence into braille, use the braille translator instead.

Key points

• Braille has its own Unicode block, Braille Patterns, from U+2800 to U+28FF: 256 characters covering every combination of an eight-dot cell, which includes all 64 six-dot cells.
• Unicode encodes dot patterns, not letters. ⠓ is officially "BRAILLE PATTERN DOTS-125"; it is h in English braille, but something else in other braille codes.
• Each dot is one bit, so you can work out any code point: ⠓ (dots 1, 2, 5) is U+2813.
• U+2800 is the blank braille cell. It looks like a space but is a character, which matters when you paste.
• Pasted braille is for seeing braille, not for blind readers: screen readers may read each symbol out as its dot numbers.

Braille letters A to Z

These are the letters of the English braille alphabet (Unified English Braille). They are the same in most languages that use the Latin alphabet.

Braille has no separate capital letters: a capital is the letter with the capital indicator, ⠠, in front. So A is ⠠⠁. More on the pattern behind the letters on the braille alphabet chart.

Braille numbers

Numbers are the letters a to j after the numeric indicator, ⠼. One indicator covers a whole number: 2026 is ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋.

The full rules, with decimals, fractions and dates, are in braille numbers.

Punctuation and indicators

The most common marks and indicators in Unified English Braille:

The full punctuation chart, including brackets, dashes and symbols such as @ and #, is in braille punctuation.

All 64 six-dot braille cells

These are all the patterns a six-dot cell can make, in Unicode order. Each row starts at the code point shown; the first cell, U+2800, is the blank cell.

And all 63 raised patterns in one line, ready to copy: ⠁⠂⠃⠄⠅⠆⠇⠈⠉⠊⠋⠌⠍⠎⠏⠐⠑⠒⠓⠔⠕⠖⠗⠘⠙⠚⠛⠜⠝⠞⠟⠠⠡⠢⠣⠤⠥⠦⠧⠨⠩⠪⠫⠬⠭⠮⠯⠰⠱⠲⠳⠴⠵⠶⠷⠸⠹⠺⠻⠼⠽⠾⠿

The other 192 characters in the block, U+2840 to U+28FF, add dot 7, dot 8 or both below the cell. They are used for eight-dot computer braille and on refreshable braille displays.

How Unicode braille works

Unicode gives each of the eight dots one bit, and adds them up:

To find a cell's code point, add the values of its raised dots to 2800. The letter h is dots 1, 2 and 5: 1 + 2 + 10 = 13, so h is U+2813, ⠓. Its official name says the same thing: "BRAILLE PATTERN DOTS-125".

That is also why the dots in the eight-dot cell are numbered oddly. Braille started with six dots, numbered 1-2-3 down the left and 4-5-6 down the right. Dots 7 and 8 were added later, below them, so the left column reads 1-2-3-7 and the right column 4-5-6-8.

Why Unicode does not say ⠓ is "h"

Because it is not always. The same pattern is h in English braille, but in Unicode it has no letter attached. Braille codes reuse the same 64 cells for different things: the cell for h also stands for a Korean consonant and a Japanese syllable in those languages' braille codes, and in English it becomes the digit 8 after a numeric indicator. Unicode encodes the pattern; each braille code decides its meaning. See braille in other languages.

How to type braille symbols

• Copy and paste from this page. It is the easiest way.
• On a Mac, add the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type the four digits, such as 2813.
• In Microsoft Word on Windows, type the four digits, such as 2813, and press Alt + X.
• To write whole words or sentences, use the braille translator, which adds capitals, numbers and contractions correctly.
• To type braille as a braille user does, with six keys, see braille keyboards.

If a symbol shows as an empty box, your font does not include braille. Most systems ship one that does; changing font usually fixes it.

A note on using braille symbols as decoration

Braille characters are popular in usernames, bios and "fancy text". It is worth knowing what that sounds like to the people braille is for: a screen reader may read each character out as its dot numbers, so a short word becomes a long list of numbers. And none of it can be felt: braille on a screen is a picture of braille.

If you want something blind people can actually read, the answer is real braille, embossed or on a braille display, written with the right code. And if you want to learn it, start with how to learn braille.

Frequently asked questions

How do I copy and paste braille symbols?

Select the braille characters on this page and copy them like any text. They are Unicode characters, so they paste into documents, messages and social media. The whole alphabet is ⠁⠃⠉⠙⠑⠋⠛⠓⠊⠚⠅⠇⠍⠝⠕⠏⠟⠗⠎⠞⠥⠧⠺⠭⠽⠵.

What is the Unicode range for braille?

The Braille Patterns block, from U+2800 to U+28FF. It holds 256 characters: every combination of an eight-dot cell, including the 64 six-dot cells from U+2800 to U+283F.

What is the braille symbol for "a"?

Dot 1 alone: ⠁, Unicode U+2801. The same cell is the digit 1 after the numeric indicator.

Is there a blank braille character?

Yes. U+2800, BRAILLE PATTERN BLANK, is a cell with no dots raised. It looks like a space but is a separate character, so some apps treat it as text rather than whitespace.

Can I use Unicode braille to write a message in braille?

You can paste the letters one by one, but that gives uncontracted, letter-by-letter braille without capital or numeric indicators. For correct braille, type the message into the braille translator.

Can blind people read braille symbols on a screen?

Not by touch: a screen is flat. Braille users read on refreshable braille displays, which turn text into raised pins, and their screen readers may read pasted braille symbols aloud as dot numbers rather than as words.