How to type Bulgarian with this keyboard
Choose how you want to type with the tabs on the keyboard:
- Bulgarian (BDS): the standard layout used in Bulgaria. Your keys type the Cyrillic letter in that position right away.
- Bulgarian Phonetic: each English key types the Bulgarian letter that sounds like it: D gives д, L gives л. The rest sit on nearby keys: Q is я, W is в, Y is ъ, V is ж, X is ь, and ч ш щ ю are on ` [ ] \.
- Latin to Cyrillic: type Bulgarian in Latin letters and watch them turn into Cyrillic. zdravey becomes здравей, shtastie becomes щастие. See the table below.
Press Esc to switch between Bulgarian and normal English typing. Use the buttons above the keyboard for ѝ, the Bulgarian quotes „ “, the dash, the № sign and the stress mark. Open Old letters for ѣ and ѫ, used before the 1945 spelling reform.
Bulgarian keyboard layouts
The standard layout, BDS, comes from Bulgarian typewriters and is set out in the state standard BDS 5237. The small letter on each key is the English key in the same place. Note that Q types a comma and the full stop is on =.
The phonetic layout puts each letter on the English key that sounds most like it. This is the traditional version, called Bulgarian (Phonetic Traditional) on Windows:
The 2006 standard also defines a newer phonetic layout, which Windows calls Bulgarian (Phonetic). It moves seven letters:
| Key | Phonetic Traditional | Phonetic (2006) |
|---|---|---|
| ` (left of 1) | ч | ю |
| Q | я | ч |
| W | в | ш |
| [ | ш | я |
| \ | ю | ь |
| X | ь | ж |
| V | ж | в |
The Bulgarian alphabet
Bulgarian has 30 letters. Here is each one with its Bulgarian name, its sound and its spelling in Bulgaria's official Latin transliteration, the one used in passports and on road signs.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Latin |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | а | a as in father; unstressed, closer to the a in about | a |
| Б б | бъ | b (p at the end of a word) | b |
| В в | въ | v (f at the end of a word) | v |
| Г г | гъ | g as in go | g |
| Д д | дъ | d (t at the end of a word) | d |
| Е е | е | e as in bet | e |
| Ж ж | жъ | s as in pleasure | zh |
| З з | зъ | z | z |
| И и | и | ee as in see | i |
| Й й | и кратко | y as in boy | y |
| К к | къ | k | k |
| Л л | лъ | l | l |
| М м | мъ | m | m |
| Н н | нъ | n | n |
| О о | о | o as in more; unstressed, closer to u | o |
| П п | пъ | p | p |
| Р р | ръ | a rolled r | r |
| С с | съ | s | s |
| Т т | тъ | t | t |
| У у | у | oo as in boot | u |
| Ф ф | фъ | f | f |
| Х х | хъ | a light ch as in Scottish loch | h |
| Ц ц | цъ | ts as in cats | ts |
| Ч ч | чъ | ch as in church | ch |
| Ш ш | шъ | sh as in shop | sh |
| Щ щ | щъ | sht as in ashtray | sht |
| Ъ ъ | ер голям | a vowel: a as in about, or u as in hurt | a |
| Ь ь | ер малък | no sound of its own; only before о, where ьо sounds yo | y |
| Ю ю | ю | yu as in you | yu |
| Я я | я | ya as in yard | ya |
In the official transliteration, я at the end of a word after и is written a, not ya: България is Bulgaria and София is Sofia.
Bulgarian and Russian letters compared
- No ё, ы or э. Bulgarian never uses them. е always sounds like the e in bet, never ye.
- ъ is a vowel. In Russian it's a silent sign; in Bulgarian it's the sound in the middle of България and път (road).
- щ is sht: щастие (happiness) is shtastie.
- ь only comes before о: шофьор (driver), актьор (actor).
- ѝ (her) is written with a grave accent to tell it apart from и (and).
Latin to Cyrillic: typing Bulgarian in Latin letters
In the Latin to Cyrillic tab, type these letters to get each Cyrillic letter. Capitals work too. The combinations follow the official transliteration, with y for ъ so that every letter can be typed.
| Cyrillic | Type |
|---|---|
| а б в г д е з и й к л м н о п р с т у ф х ц | a b v g d e z i j k l m n o p r s t u f h c |
| ж | zh |
| ч | ch |
| ш | sh |
| щ | sht |
| ц | ts or c |
| ъ | y, a` or ` |
| й (moy → мой) | y after a vowel, or j |
| ю | yu, ju |
| я | ya, ja or q |
| ьо (shofyor → шофьор) | yo after a consonant |
| ь | ' |
When two letters should stay apart, type the second one twice: izhhod gives изход (exit) and otssystvie gives отсъствие (absence).
Stress marks
Bulgarian doesn't mark stress in normal writing, but dictionaries and textbooks do. Type the vowel, then click the stress button (◌́): вода́ (water). The stress can change the meaning: вълна́ is a wave, въ́лна is wool.
How to add a Bulgarian keyboard to your device
Windows
Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Bulgarian. Then open the language's options and use Add a keyboard to pick a layout: Bulgarian (the BDS standard), Bulgarian (Typewriter) (the older BDS), Bulgarian (Phonetic Traditional) or Bulgarian (Phonetic). Switch with Windows+Space.
Mac
System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → + → Bulgarian. Choose the standard or the phonetic layout. Switch with Control+Space or the input menu in the menu bar.
iPhone and iPad
Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Bulgarian, then pick a layout. Tap the globe key to switch.
Android
In Gboard, open Settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Bulgarian and choose a layout. Tap the globe key or hold the space bar to switch.
Chromebook
Settings → Device → Keyboard and inputs → Input settings → Add input methods → Bulgarian. Switch with Ctrl+Space.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type Bulgarian without a Bulgarian keyboard?
Use the Bulgarian Phonetic tab: English keys type the Bulgarian letter that sounds alike (D → д, L → л). Or choose Latin to Cyrillic and type words the way they are spelled in Latin: zdravey becomes здравей, blagodarya becomes благодаря. Then press Copy and paste the text anywhere.
Which layout do people in Bulgaria use: BDS or phonetic?
Both are common. BDS is the official state standard, based on the old Bulgarian typewriter layout. Many people, especially those who learned to type in English first, prefer the phonetic layout because most letters sit on the English key with the same sound.
What's the difference between Phonetic and Phonetic Traditional?
Windows has two phonetic layouts. Phonetic Traditional is the older one that most people mean by 'phonetic', with я on Q, в on W and ж on V. The newer Bulgarian (Phonetic), from the 2006 standard, moves a few letters: ч on Q, ш on W, в on V, ж on X, я on [ and ю on the key left of 1. The keyboard on this page uses Phonetic Traditional; the table above lists every difference.
How do I type ѝ?
Click the ѝ button above the keyboard. On the BDS layout it's on the extra key left of Z, and also on Shift + A. ѝ is the short form of 'her' (дай ѝ, give her), and the grave accent tells it apart from и, 'and'. It can also be written as и followed by a combining grave accent (U+0300), which looks the same.
How is Bulgarian Cyrillic different from Russian?
Bulgarian has 30 letters and no ё, ы or э. Ъ is a full vowel in Bulgarian (the a in about), while in Russian it's a silent sign. Щ is sht in Bulgarian and a long soft sh in Russian, and ь is only used before о. Fonts that support Bulgarian letterforms also draw some lowercase letters in a handwriting-like style, for example д like g.
Is my text private?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser and your draft is kept on your own device. Nothing is uploaded.
