Braille Translator

Braille alphabet for this language

How braille works

Each braille character is a cell of six dots in two columns: dots 1, 2 and 3 run down the left, dots 4, 5 and 6 down the right. Letters a to j use only the top four dots, k to t are the same patterns with dot 3 added, and u, v, x, y and z add dots 3 and 6. W is the odd one out because Louis Braille’s French alphabet of 1829 had no w. Numbers reuse a to j after the number sign, and a capital is marked by dot 6 in front of the letter.

Grade 1 and Grade 2

Grade 1 spells every word letter by letter. Grade 2, or contracted braille, writes common words and letter groups in fewer cells: in Unified English Braille, “the” is one cell and “knowledge” is the single letter k. Most braille books and signs for adults use Grade 2; learners usually start with Grade 1. The United States moved from EBAE to Unified English Braille (UEB) in 2016, so choose EBAE only for older American material.

Type braille without a braille keyboard

Press Type braille, then tap the dots of each cell and Add cell, or use a computer keyboard like a Perkins brailler: hold S, D, F, J, K and L for dots 3, 2, 1, 4, 5 and 6 together and release to write the cell. The translator reads what you typed straight back into text.

Writing with a slate and stylus

With a slate you press the dots from the back of the paper, so you write from right to left and every cell is a mirror image. Mirror shows exactly that: the cells reversed and flipped, ready to copy onto the slate.

Print, image and BRF files

Save the cells as an image or print them for a visual chart. For real embossed braille, download the .brf file: it is Braille ASCII, the plain text format braille embossers and braille notetakers read, here with 40 cells per line and 25 lines per page.

Where the translations come from

The translator runs liblouis 3.39.0 in your browser, the open source braille engine used by screen readers such as NVDA, with the braille tables written by braille experts for each language. Contracted braille has many rules, so for anything permanent, such as a sign, a label or an engraving, ask a braille reader to check it.