Unified English Braille · Words in braille
Merry Christmas in braille
In braille, “merry christmas”, written in lower case, is 14 cells, with a blank cell between the words: ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎. Contracted braille (Grade 2), the form most books and signs in English use, shortens it to 11 cells: ⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎. As a greeting it takes capitals: ⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎ in Grade 2.
The cells are Unicode braille, so you can copy them: ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ (Grade 1) or ⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎ (Grade 2). To write another word, use the braille translator.
Merry Christmas, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| m | ⠍ | 1-3-4 | top left, bottom left and top right |
| e | ⠑ | 1-5 | top left and middle right |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 | top left, middle left, bottom left and middle right |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 | top left, middle left, bottom left and middle right |
| y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 | top left, bottom left, top right, middle right and bottom right |
| space | ⠀ | none | a blank cell between the words |
| c | ⠉ | 1-4 | top left and top right |
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 | top left, middle left and middle right |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 | top left, middle left, bottom left and middle right |
| i | ⠊ | 2-4 | middle left and top right |
| s | ⠎ | 2-3-4 | middle left, bottom left and top right |
| t | ⠞ | 2-3-4-5 | middle left, bottom left, top right and middle right |
| m | ⠍ | 1-3-4 | top left, bottom left and top right |
| a | ⠁ | 1 | top left |
| s | ⠎ | 2-3-4 | middle left, bottom left and top right |
The letters e, c, h, i and a stay in the top two rows of the cell, like every letter from a to j; the letters m, r, y, s and t reach the bottom row, with dot 3 or dot 6. In Merry Christmas, m appears twice, r appears three times and s appears twice, and every copy is the same cell: in Grade 1 a letter looks the same wherever it falls. The fullest cell is y, with five dots, and the whole phrase has 43 raised dots in Grade 1.
Each letter has its own page in the braille alphabet: M, E, R, Y, C, H, I, S, T, A.
Merry Christmas in Grade 2 braille
In Grade 2, Merry Christmas is ⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎: 11 cells instead of 14. These are the parts that change, as liblouis, the braille engine our translator runs, writes them:
| Grade 2 | Dots | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| er (in merry) | ⠻ | 1-2-4-5-6 | Groupsign: one cell for a group of letters |
| ch (in christmas) | ⠡ | 1-6 | Groupsign: one cell for a group of letters |
| st (in christmas) | ⠌ | 3-4 | Groupsign: one cell for a group of letters |
Everything else is spelled letter by letter. For comparison, Grade 1 is ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎: 1-3-4, 1-5, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3-5, 1-3-4-5-6, blank, 1-4, 1-2-5, 1-2-3-5, 2-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, 1-3-4, 1, 2-3-4.
Do not shorten a word to its first letter. In Grade 2, m written alone means “more” and c written alone means “can”, 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.
Merry Christmas 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; in this phrase each word takes its own.
| Grade 1 | Grade 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower case: merry christmas | ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ | ⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎ |
| Each word capitalized: Merry Christmas | ⠠⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠠⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ | ⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎ |
| All capitals: MERRY CHRISTMAS | ⠠⠠⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠠⠠⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ | ⠠⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎ |
Where to use Merry Christmas in braille
Merry Christmas goes on Christmas cards, tree ornaments and gift tags. In Grade 2 it takes three contractions, so the phrase is 11 cells instead of 14: the er of Merry is one cell, ⠻ (dots 1-2-4-5-6); the ch of Christmas is one cell, ⠡ (dots 1-6); and the st of Christmas is one cell, ⠌ (dots 3-4).
Christmas is a name, so it takes a capital C. In braille the capital indicator goes in front of the ch sign, exactly as it would go in front of a letter: ⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎.
For a handmade ornament or card, the dots have to be raised to be read: a slate and stylus on thick paper, a braillewriter, or a braille label maker for a gift tag. Our guide to braille labels covers label makers.
More words in braille
- Love in braille: ⠇⠕⠧⠑
- Hello in braille: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕
- Happy birthday in braille: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽
- Thank you 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 Merry Christmas in braille?
Without capitals, it is 14 cells, with a blank cell between the words: ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ (1-3-4, 1-5, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3-5, 1-3-4-5-6, blank, 1-4, 1-2-5, 1-2-3-5, 2-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, 1-3-4, 1, 2-3-4). In Grade 1 each letter takes one six-dot cell.
Is Merry Christmas different in Grade 2 braille?
Yes. In Grade 2 it is ⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎, 11 cells instead of 14: the er of Merry is one cell, ⠻ (dots 1-2-4-5-6); the ch of Christmas is one cell, ⠡ (dots 1-6); and the st of Christmas is one cell, ⠌ (dots 3-4).
How do you write Merry Christmas with capital letters in braille?
Put the capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), in front of each word: ⠠⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠠⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎ (Grade 2: ⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎). In all capitals, each word takes two capital indicators: ⠠⠠⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠠⠠⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎.
How many dots does Merry Christmas have in braille?
43 raised dots in Grade 1, spread over 14 cells; Grade 2 uses 34 dots in 11 cells.
How do you write “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” in braille?
In Grade 2 it is ⠠⠍⠻⠗⠽⠀⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎⠀⠯⠀⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠝⠑⠺⠀⠠⠽⠑⠜. Each word with a capital takes its own capital indicator; the braille translator writes any longer message for you.
From “Merry Christmas” to reading
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