How to Type K with Accent (ķ, ǩ, ḱ, ḳ, ḵ, ƙ, ĸ): Windows, Mac, Word & Mobile Shortcuts

Master K-Accent Keyboard Shortcut Matrix (All Variations)

The consonant K with diacritical modifications appears across national European alphabets (Latvian ķ, Skolt Sámi ǩ), Macedonian transliteration (ḱ), Semitic linguistic romanization (ḳ, ḵ), African orthographies (ƙ), and historical Arctic writing (ĸ). Below is your complete cross-platform reference table:

How to Type K with Accent on Windows (5 Methods)

Windows personal computers offer multiple hardware and software pathways to insert K with accent marks:

Method 1: Windows Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad)

Using the separate 10-key numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type the numerical code:

• ķ (Cedilla): Alt + 0311 | Ķ (Capital): Alt + 0310
• ǩ (Caron): Alt + 0489 | Ǩ (Capital): Alt + 0488
• ḱ (Acute): Alt + 7729 | Ḱ (Capital): Alt + 7728
• ḳ (Underdot): Alt + 7731 | Ḳ (Capital): Alt + 7730
• ḵ (Line Below): Alt + 7733 | Ḵ (Capital): Alt + 7732
• ƙ (Hook): Alt + 0409 | Ƙ (Capital): Alt + 0408
• ĸ (Kra): Alt + 0312

Method 2: Microsoft Word Unicode Hex Converter (Alt + X)

In any modern version of Microsoft Word, WordPad, or LibreOffice Writer on Windows:

Method 3: Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel (Win + .)

• Press Win + . (Windows Key + Period) or Win + ;.
• Click the Symbols (Ω) icon at the top → navigate to Latin Symbols → click ķ or ǩ.

How to Type K with Accent on Mac (macOS)

Apple macOS provides native press-and-hold menus and ABC Extended dead keys for K accents:

Method 1: ABC Extended Keyboard Input

If you enable the ABC - Extended layout in macOS System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources:

• Cedilla (ķ): Press Option + c, release, then press k → gives ķ. (Capital Ķ: Option + c, then Shift + K).
• Caron (ǩ): Press Option + v, release, then press k → gives ǩ. (Capital Ǩ: Option + v, then Shift + K).
• Acute (ḱ): Press Option + e, release, then press k → gives ḱ.

Method 2: Press-and-Hold Accent Menu (Built-in on macOS)

On a Mac keyboard, press and hold down the letter k (or Shift + k for capital). When the diacritics bubble appears, press the corresponding number or click ķ.

Method 3: macOS Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space)

• Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to open Character Viewer.
• Search for k cedilla or k caron, then double-click ķ or ǩ.

How to Type K with Accent in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel

Microsoft Word Shortcuts

• ķ (Cedilla): Type 0137 then press Alt + X. For capital Ķ: type 0136 + Alt + X.
• ǩ (Caron): Type 01E9 then press Alt + X. For capital Ǩ: type 01E8 + Alt + X.
• ḱ (Acute): Type 1E31 then press Alt + X.
• ḳ (Underdot): Type 1E33 then press Alt + X.
• ḵ (Line Below): Type 1E35 then press Alt + X.
• ƙ (Hook): Type 0199 then press Alt + X.

Microsoft Excel Formulas

In Excel spreadsheets and formulas, dynamically output K-accent characters using UNICHAR:

• =UNICHAR(311) outputs ķ | =UNICHAR(310) outputs Ķ
• =UNICHAR(489) outputs ǩ | =UNICHAR(488) outputs Ǩ
• =UNICHAR(7729) outputs ḱ | =UNICHAR(7728) outputs Ḱ
• =UNICHAR(7731) outputs ḳ | =UNICHAR(7730) outputs Ḳ
• =UNICHAR(7733) outputs ḵ | =UNICHAR(7732) outputs Ḵ
• =UNICHAR(409) outputs ƙ | =UNICHAR(408) outputs Ƙ
• =UNICHAR(312) outputs ĸ

How to Type K with Accent on iPhone, iPad & Android

iOS (Apple iPhone and iPad)

• Press and hold down the letter k on the virtual touchscreen keyboard.
• A popup bubble displaying ķ will appear. Slide your finger across and lift to insert.

Android (Google Gboard & Samsung Keyboard)

• On Gboard and Samsung keyboards, press and hold down the k key.
• Slide your thumb across the popup row to select ķ.

Linguistic, Historical & Grammatical Significance of K-Accent Marks

Diacritically modified forms of K represent crucial phonetic distinctions across Baltic, Finno-Ugric, Slavic, Semitic, and African language families:

Latvian Orthography: The Palatal Stop (ķ / Ķ)

In Latvian (a Baltic language), the letter ķ represents the voiceless palatal plosive /c/ (phonetically contrasting with the velar plosive /k/):

• Typographical Comma Below: Although encoded historically as "K with cedilla" in Unicode (U+0137), Latvian typographic convention dictates that the diacritic is drawn as a small attached comma (comma below) rather than a curly French cedilla.
• Minimal Pairs & Phonemic Contrast: Contrasts directly with plain /k/, as in kaķis ("cat"), ķirsis ("cherry"), ķiploks ("garlic"), ķēde ("chain"), and šķiņķis ("ham").

Skolt Sámi: The Palatal Affricate Caron (ǩ / Ǩ)

In Skolt Sámi (spoken in northern Finland and adjacent parts of the Kola Peninsula in Russia):

• Phonetic Value: The letter ǩ represents the voiceless palatal affricate /c͡ç/ or palatalized velar plosive /kʲ/.
• Essential Sámi Vocabulary: Found in words like ǩeä't ("house / winter hut") and ǩe'rjj ("book / letter").

Macedonian Cyrillic Transliteration: K with Acute (ḱ / Ḱ)

In the standard romanization of the Macedonian language:

• Cyrillic Correspondence: The letter ḱ directly transliterates the Macedonian Cyrillic letter Ќ / ќ (representing the voiceless palatal plosive /c/), as in куќа → kuḱa ("house"), ноќ → noḱ ("night"), and браќа → braḱa ("brothers").

Semitic & Arabic Transliteration: K with Underdot (ḳ / Ḳ)

In academic Orientalist romanization systems (DMG, DIN 31635, ISO 233):

• Arabic Qāf Transliteration: The underdot letter ḳ transliterates the Arabic consonant Qāf (ق /q/), representing a voiceless uvular stop (contrasting with Kāf ك /k/), e.g., al-Ḳur'ān ("the Quran"), Dimashḳ ("Damascus"), and ḥaḳīḳah ("truth / reality").

Biblical Hebrew: K with Line Below (ḵ / Ḵ)

In Hebraic academic transliteration:

• Begadkefat Spirantization: The letter ḵ (K with line below / macron below) transliterates the spirantized, non-dagesh allophone of the Hebrew letter Kaph (כ / כֿ /x/, pronounced like 'ch' in German Bach or Scottish loch), as in Bərāḵāh ("blessing") and Melāḵāh ("work").

West African Hausa: K with Hook (ƙ / Ƙ)

In the Hausa language (Chadic branch of Afroasiatic, spoken across Nigeria and Niger):

• Velar Ejective Consonant: The hooked letter ƙ represents the voiceless velar ejective /kʼ/ produced with glottalic airstream mechanism. It contrasts phonemically with plain k (/k/), found in essential words like ƙasa ("earth / country"), ƙofa ("door"), and ƙarfi ("strength / power").

Arctic Greenlandic: The Historical Kra (ĸ)

In Kalaallisut (Greenlandic Eskimo-Aleut):

• Historical Orthography: Before the 1973 orthographic reform, the unique letter ĸ (Kra, lowercase only) was used to represent the voiceless uvular plosive /q/. Modern Greenlandic spelling replaced ĸ with standard Latin q.

Developer & Technical Reference (Unicode, HTML, CSS & LaTeX)

For software developers, web designers, database architects, and LaTeX typesetters, below is the complete technical character specification for all K-accent variations:

Frequently Asked Questions About Typing K with Accents

A to Z Accent Letters Hub & Related Diacritics Guides

Need to type other accented letters, umlauts, tildes, cedillas, or special characters? Explore our dedicated accent directories and interactive typing tools below: