Braille Translator
Type English to get braille, or paste braille to read it as text.
Grade 1 (uncontracted) Unified English Braille
Press the dots you want raised, then Add cell.
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How it works
Braille is written in cells of six dots, two columns of three. Dots 1, 2 and 3 run down the left column and 4, 5 and 6 down the right. Each letter takes one cell.
Every cell is a Unicode character numbered from U+2800 up, so h is U+2813.
Capitals and numbers add indicator cells in front. They are in the chart below.
Braille alphabet chart
Letters A–Z
The alphabet repeats in rows. k to t are a to j with dot 3 added; u, v, x, y and z add dots 3 and 6. w doesn't follow the pattern.
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| a | ⠁ | 1 |
| b | ⠃ | 1-2 |
| c | ⠉ | 1-4 |
| d | ⠙ | 1-4-5 |
| e | ⠑ | 1-5 |
| f | ⠋ | 1-2-4 |
| g | ⠛ | 1-2-4-5 |
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 |
| i | ⠊ | 2-4 |
| j | ⠚ | 2-4-5 |
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| k | ⠅ | 1-3 |
| l | ⠇ | 1-2-3 |
| m | ⠍ | 1-3-4 |
| n | ⠝ | 1-3-4-5 |
| o | ⠕ | 1-3-5 |
| p | ⠏ | 1-2-3-4 |
| q | ⠟ | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 |
| s | ⠎ | 2-3-4 |
| t | ⠞ | 2-3-4-5 |
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| u | ⠥ | 1-3-6 |
| v | ⠧ | 1-2-3-6 |
| w | ⠺ | 2-4-5-6 |
| x | ⠭ | 1-3-4-6 |
| y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 |
| z | ⠵ | 1-3-5-6 |
Numbers 0–9
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ⠼⠚ | 3-4-5-6, 2-4-5 |
| 1 | ⠼⠁ | 3-4-5-6, 1 |
| 2 | ⠼⠃ | 3-4-5-6, 1-2 |
| 3 | ⠼⠉ | 3-4-5-6, 1-4 |
| 4 | ⠼⠙ | 3-4-5-6, 1-4-5 |
| 5 | ⠼⠑ | 3-4-5-6, 1-5 |
| 6 | ⠼⠋ | 3-4-5-6, 1-2-4 |
| 7 | ⠼⠛ | 3-4-5-6, 1-2-4-5 |
| 8 | ⠼⠓ | 3-4-5-6, 1-2-5 |
| 9 | ⠼⠊ | 3-4-5-6, 2-4 |
Digits reuse the cells for a to j, after the numeric indicator ⠼. One ⠼ covers a whole run of digits. A decimal point or comma between digits doesn't need a new ⠼: 3.14 is ⠼⠉⠲⠁⠙.
Indicators (capital, capital word, numeric, grade 1)
| Indicator | Braille | Dots | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital letter | ⠠ | 6 | Hello ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ |
| Capital word (2+ letters, all capitals) | ⠠⠠ | 6, 6 | HELLO ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ |
| Numeric | ⠼ | 3-4-5-6 | 2024 ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠙ |
| Grade 1 (after a number, before a to j) | ⠰ | 5-6 | 12b ⠼⠁⠃⠰⠃ |
Without the ⠰ in 12b, the b would read as a third digit: 122.
Punctuation and symbols
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| . full stop | ⠲ | 2-5-6 |
| , comma | ⠂ | 2 |
| ? question mark | ⠦ | 2-3-6 |
| ? question mark on its own | ⠰⠦ | 5-6, 2-3-6 |
| ! exclamation mark | ⠖ | 2-3-5 |
| ' ’ apostrophe | ⠄ | 3 |
| - hyphen | ⠤ | 3-6 |
| : colon | ⠒ | 2-5 |
| ; semicolon | ⠆ | 2-3 |
| " “ opening quotation mark | ⠦ | 2-3-6 |
| " ” closing quotation mark | ⠴ | 3-5-6 |
| Character | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| ( opening parenthesis | ⠐⠣ | 5, 1-2-6 |
| ) closing parenthesis | ⠐⠜ | 5, 3-4-5 |
| / slash | ⠸⠌ | 4-5-6, 3-4 |
| & ampersand | ⠈⠯ | 4, 1-2-3-4-6 |
| @ at sign | ⠈⠁ | 4, 1 |
| # number sign | ⠸⠹ | 4-5-6, 1-4-5-6 |
| % percent sign | ⠨⠴ | 4-6, 3-5-6 |
| $ dollar sign | ⠈⠎ | 4, 2-3-4 |
| + plus sign | ⠐⠖ | 5, 2-3-5 |
| = equals sign | ⠐⠶ | 5, 2-3-5-6 |
| space | ⠀ | none (blank cell) |
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Frequently asked questions
Which braille standard does this translator use?
It uses Unified English Braille (UEB) Grade 1 (uncontracted), the current standard in the US (since 2016), UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It does not use the old US standard, EBAE.
Does it translate Grade 2 (contracted) braille?
No, this tool covers Grade 1 (uncontracted) braille only. Grade 2 replaces common words and letter groups with shorter signs, so Grade 2 braille pasted here will come out as letters that don't spell the words.
How do I write my name in braille?
Type it in the English box above and copy the braille. Anna, for example, is ⠠⠁⠝⠝⠁.
Can I use this for a sign, label or printed document?
Not on its own. The braille here is text on a screen, so printed in ink it is flat and can't be read by touch. Braille signs need raised, rounded dots, and in the US the 2010 ADA Standards require contracted (Grade 2) braille on signs. For anything a blind reader will rely on, use a braille transcriber or sign maker.
Why does a question mark sometimes look like a quotation mark?
In UEB, a question mark and an opening quotation mark share the same cell ⠦, and context decides which it is.
What happens to characters it can't translate?
They are shown unchanged (for example é, € or emoji) and listed under the output, rather than guessed. The same applies to braille cells it does not recognise when reading braille back as text.
Can I copy the braille into other apps?
Yes. The output is Unicode braille text, so it can be copied and pasted like any other text.
How accurate is it?
It follows the Grade 1 rules of Unified English Braille, and its output is checked against test cases made with liblouis, the open-source braille engine used by the NVDA and JAWS screen readers.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The translation runs in your browser, and what you type is not sent or stored.
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