Unified English Braille · Words in braille
Hello in braille
In braille, “hello” is 5 cells: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕. Contracted braille (Grade 2), the form most books and signs in English use, writes it exactly the same way.
The cells are Unicode braille, so you can copy them: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕. To write another word, use the braille translator.
Hello, letter by letter
One cell per letter, the dots numbered 1, 2 and 3 down the left column and 4, 5 and 6 down the right.
| Letter | Braille | Dots | Where the dots are |
|---|---|---|---|
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 | top left, middle left and middle right |
| e | ⠑ | 1-5 | top left and middle right |
| l | ⠇ | 1-2-3 | top left, middle left and bottom left |
| l | ⠇ | 1-2-3 | top left, middle left and bottom left |
| o | ⠕ | 1-3-5 | top left, bottom left and middle right |
The letters h and e stay in the top two rows of the cell, like every letter from a to j; the letters l and o reach the bottom row, with dot 3 or dot 6. In hello, l appears twice, and every copy is the same cell: in Grade 1 a letter looks the same wherever it falls. The fullest cells are h, l and o, with three dots, and the whole word has 14 raised dots in Grade 1.
Each letter has its own page in the braille alphabet: H, E, L, O.
Hello in Grade 2 braille
liblouis, the braille engine our translator runs, gives the same cells for both grades: hello has no contraction in Unified English Braille. Grade 1 is ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ and Grade 2 is ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ (dots 1-2-5, 1-5, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-3-5).
Do not shorten it to its first letter. In Grade 2, h written alone means “have”, so a lone letter would be read as that word.
Grade 1 is easier to check against a chart; Grade 2 is the form most books and signs in English use. More in braille contractions.
Hello with capital letters
Braille has no separate capital letters. The capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), goes in front of a capital letter, and two of them (⠠⠠) put a whole word in capitals.
| Grade 1 | Grade 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower case: hello | ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ | ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ |
| Capital first letter: Hello | ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ | ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ |
| All capitals: HELLO | ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ | ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ |
Where to use hello in braille
Hello is a natural first word to write in braille, and a good one to practise with: five letters, no contractions, and a double l that shows each letter keeping its own cell. It works on a first worksheet, a sign for a classroom door, or a badge that says “Hello, my name is…”.
At the start of a card, Hello takes a capital H, which in braille is the capital indicator in front of the h: ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕. An exclamation mark adds one more cell, ⠖ (dots 2-3-5): ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕⠖.
To greet a Spanish speaker, the word is hola, and Spanish braille marks capitals with a different sign: Hola en braille shows it.
More words in braille
- Love in braille: ⠇⠕⠧⠑
- Happy birthday in braille: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽
- Thank you in braille: ⠞⠓⠁⠝⠅⠀⠽⠕⠥
- Merry Christmas in braille: ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎
- Yes in braille: ⠽⠑⠎
- I love you in braille, and how to write a name
- Braille contractions: the Grade 2 signs, explained
- All braille words
Frequently asked questions
How do you write hello in braille?
Hello is 5 cells: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ (1-2-5, 1-5, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-3-5). In Grade 1 each letter takes one six-dot cell.
Is hello different in Grade 2 braille?
No. Hello has no contraction in Unified English Braille, so Grade 1 and Grade 2 are the same: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕.
How do you write Hello with capital letters in braille?
Put the capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), in front of the first letter: ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕. In all capitals, the word takes two capital indicators: ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕.
How many dots does hello have in braille?
14 raised dots in Grade 1, spread over 5 cells.
How do you write “Hello!” in braille?
⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕⠖: the capital indicator, the five letters of hello and the exclamation mark, dots 2-3-5.
From “hello” to reading
Writing a word is the start. Reading braille by touch takes practice
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