german keyboard layout

The German keyboard layout is a QWERTZ keyboard layout commonly used in Austria and Germany. It is based on one defined in a former edition (October 1988) of the German standard DIN 2137-2.

1. How do you type special characters in German keyboard?
2. How do you get symbols on a German keyboard?
3. How do you type German letters on an English keyboard?
4. Why do German keyboards switch Y and Z?
5. Where is Ctrl on a German keyboard?
6. What is ß called?

How do you type special characters in German keyboard?

There is an easy way to write the German characters ä ö ü and ß on a non-German keyboard. Press NUM on the number pad of your keyboard to activate the NUM-lock. Then press ALT and keep it pressed while you type the code 132 on the number pad. 132 is the code for the letter ä, the a umlaut.

How do you get symbols on a German keyboard?

By typing out the new "DE" keyboard, you'll discover that you now type an ß by hitting the hyphen (-) key. You can make your own symbol key: ä = ; / Ä = " -- and so on. Some people even write the German symbols on the appropriate keys.

How do you type German letters on an English keyboard?

Hold down the “alt” key on your keyboard and type one of these codes:

1. ä : Alt + 0228.
2. ö : Alt + 0246.
3. ü : Alt + 0252.
4. ß : Alt + 0223.
5. Ä : Alt + 0196.
6. Ö : Alt + 0214.
7. Ü : Alt + 0220.

Why do German keyboards switch Y and Z?

The letters in the middle of the keyboard are the ones that are used the most. In English words like you, yours, my, as well as a whole host of others use the letter Y, that's why it's in the middle. In German, is is used almost never, Z quite often, that's why they're switched.

Where is Ctrl on a German keyboard?

Some of special key inscriptions are changed to a graphical symbol (e.g. ⇪ Caps Lock is an upward arrow, ← Backspace a leftward arrow). Most of the other abbreviations are replaced by German abbreviations (thus e.g. "Ctrl" is translated to its German equivalent "Strg", for Steuerung). "Esc" remains as such.

What is ß called?

In German, the ß character is called eszett. It's used in “Straße,” the word for street, and in the expletive “Scheiße.” It's often transliterated as “ss,” and strangely enough, it's never had an official uppercase counterpart. The letter “a” has “A” and “b” has “B,” while ß had…