Hiri motu: key facts
- Script: Latin, used across Océanie.
- Writing direction: left to right.
- Layout: 34 keys, 34 base characters, 34 on Shift.
- Typing: direct key mode with Shift and AltGr layers.
- One standard layout, plus export, speech synthesis and dictionary search.
- Native name: Hiri Motu; speech synthesis locale: hmo.
Hiri motu in detail
Clavier hiri motu en ligne : écrivez Hiri Motu (Latin) avec ce clavier virtuel gratuit — cliquez sur les touches ou tapez avec votre clavier physique. The Hiri motu (Hiri Motu) covers the Latin script as used across Océanie. Text flows left to right in the editor, and every character below belongs to the authentic Latin repertoire — no transliterated approximations once you use the virtual keys.
This keyboard works in direct mode: every key inserts exactly the Latin character printed on it, with Shift and AltGr layers for capitals, variants and extended characters.
Everything runs locally in your browser: copy your text to any app, export it, listen to it with the hmo speech voice, or send it to Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Translate, DuckDuckGo. A curated dictionary hub with monolingual dictionaries, bilingual translators, grammar references and press links sits further down this page.
Every key on the Hiri motu
The layout holds 34 character keys: 34 distinct base characters, 34 Shift variants. The table below maps each physical position to the characters it produces, so you can learn the layout or verify coverage of a rare letter before you start typing.
| Position | Base | Shift | AltGr |
|---|
| Row 1, key 2 | a | A | — |
| Row 1, key 3 | z | Z | — |
| Row 1, key 4 | e | E | — |
| Row 1, key 5 | r | R | — |
| Row 1, key 6 | t | T | — |
| Row 1, key 7 | y | Y | — |
| Row 1, key 8 | u | U | — |
| Row 1, key 9 | i | I | — |
| Row 1, key 10 | o | O | — |
| Row 1, key 11 | p | P | — |
| Row 1, key 12 | ^ | ¨ | — |
| Row 1, key 13 | $ | £ | — |
| Row 2, key 2 | q | Q | — |
| Row 2, key 3 | s | S | — |
| Row 2, key 4 | d | D | — |
| Row 2, key 5 | f | F | — |
| Row 2, key 6 | g | G | — |
| Row 2, key 7 | h | H | — |
| Row 2, key 8 | j | J | — |
| Row 2, key 9 | k | K | — |
| Row 2, key 10 | l | L | — |
| Row 2, key 11 | m | M | — |
| Row 2, key 12 | ù | % | — |
| Row 2, key 13 | * | µ | — |
| Row 3, key 2 | w | W | — |
| Row 3, key 3 | x | X | — |
| Row 3, key 4 | c | C | — |
| Row 3, key 5 | v | V | — |
| Row 3, key 6 | b | B | — |
| Row 3, key 7 | n | N | — |
| Row 3, key 8 | , | ? | — |
| Row 3, key 9 | ; | . | — |
| Row 3, key 10 | : | / | — |
| Row 3, key 11 | ! | § | — |
Direct typing with Shift and AltGr
This keyboard has no phonetic engine, and that is deliberate: Latin spelling maps cleanly onto its own keys. Click a key — or press its physical counterpart with the hardware toggle on — and the exact character appears. Capitals and common variants live on Shift (34 characters), extended and rare forms on AltGr (0 characters).
Dead keys are enabled, so accents compose naturally: press the accent, then the vowel. On mobile, everything is tappable at full key size, and the editor keeps left to right ordering correct even when you mix Latin with Latin words or digits in the same sentence.
Getting the most out of this keyboard
Latin runs left to right, so mixing it with in-line Latin terms, brand names or URLs just works: the editor keeps each run in its own direction without manual markers.
For pronunciation, press the speaker button: the hmo voice reads exactly what is in the editor, which makes this page a practical dictation and shadowing tool. Export the text first if you want to rehearse offline.
Preferred typefaces here are Noto Sans, Arial, Roboto Slab (fallback Noto Sans). If a character shows as a box on your device, switch fonts in the toolbar — complex-script shaping varies between systems, especially on older phones.
Hidden characters tour
Beyond the base alphabet, this keyboard hides real value on its upper layers. On Shift: A Z E R T Y U I O P ¨ £ Q S D F G H J K L M % µ …. On AltGr: . Hold the on-screen Shift or AltGr key (or your physical one in hardware mode) to reach them, exactly like a desktop layout.
Dictionaries and resources for Hiri motu
Below the keyboard, the resource hub gathers 4 hand-picked links for Hiri motu: 1 monolingual dictionary (including Lexilogos — index des dictionnaires), 1 bilingual translator, 0 grammar and conjugation reference, 1 vocabulary and phrase guide, and 1 encyclopedia, newspaper or general resource. Type a word in the editor first and the links marked with an arrow receive it automatically — look up a definition, a conjugation or a translation without retyping.
Keep exploring
If this is not quite your language, the closest alternatives each have their own virtual keyboard, transliteration engine and dictionary hub, so switching costs one click. The method guides embed the same keyboard, so you can practise while you learn.
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- Method guides: “Type Arabic without an Arabic keyboard: complete guide”, “Type Russian on a French/English keyboard: easy method”, “Type Hebrew with vowels (niqqud) online”.