German (QWERTZ) keyboard layout
Germany and Austria. Y and Z swap, and ä ö ü ß get their own keys.
The German (QWERTZ) keyboard
Each colour is one finger. This is the 102-key ISO board used across Europe — note the extra key beside the left Shift, and the narrower Enter.
The home row
Where your fingers rest between keystrokes. On German (QWERTZ) that is ASDF JKLÖ. Find the two keys with the small raised bars — they are in the same place on every keyboard in the world — and your index fingers belong on them.
| Finger | Rests on |
|---|---|
| Left pinky | A |
| Left ring | S |
| Left middle | D |
| Left index | F |
| Right index | J |
| Right middle | K |
| Right ring | L |
| Right pinky | Ö |
| Thumbs | Space bar |
Coming from QWERTY
These are the things a QWERTY typist has to unlearn. They are also why following a QWERTY finger chart on this keyboard trains the wrong habits rather than merely feeling unfamiliar.
- Y and Z swap places, putting Z under the strong right index finger where German needs it.
- ä, ö and ü take the three keys to the right of L, so the home row ends on Ö.
- ß replaces the hyphen on the number row.
- There is an extra key between the left Shift and Y, carrying < and >.
Practise on this layout
The typing test works on any layout — you are reproducing text, not following a key map, so your result is valid here. The Typometer lesson course is currently written for QWERTY only, so use the chart above for finger positions rather than the lesson instructions.
Related
- Start at level 1: the home rowFind F and J without looking, one key at a time.
- How to learn touch typingWhat actually works, what to ignore, and how long it takes.
- The full typing course415 levels from the home row to code and professional documents.
- Untimed typing practicePractise without a clock and focus on the keys you keep missing.