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On Linux/Ubuntu, I have found a few options for entering special characters:

  • AltGr+Key and Shift+AltGr+Key on keyboards that have AltGr; those can be found on the Keyboard Layout Chart in Ubuntu. For example, Shift+AltGr+Q produces Ω. Keyboard layout chart on Ubuntu
  • Unicode input with Shift+Ctrl+U <unicode> <RET>, which works in almost all applications in Ubuntu 17.04 and in GTK applications for older Ubuntu versions and other distributions. For example, Shift+Ctrl+U 2209 <RET> creates ∉
  • The Compose key which, after enabling, combines two characters to one, for example <Compose> 1 2 produces ½ or <Compose> B . produces Ḃ.
  • And finally, dead keys like ~ and ^ which do not immediately produce a character but modify the keyboard layout for the next key press. For example, ~ a produces ã, ~ = produces ≃, ^ i produces î, and ^ ^ produces ^.

Where can I find a reference for dead keys?

Simon A. Eugster
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  • It sounds to me as if you understand this quite well. What kind of reference is it you would like to see? – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 14:21
  • Something like this list which lists all possible characters that can be produced with dead keys. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 14:58
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    To use dead keys, they need to be available in the keyboard layout you are using. For instance, to see which dead keys are present in the German (Switzerland) layout, you can study the /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/chfile. Considering that, the usefulness of such a complete reference appears to be limited. Doesn't the Gtk list you pointed at provide sufficient guidance? – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 15:20
  • It does almost (I found it after posting this question). It would help a bit more to really see the character that is produced instead of a textual description. But if there is no such list, then so be it. Thanks for the hint about xkb symbols, that looks like a good source of truth once one understands how it works. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 21:15
  • Background: I want to find out if I can create letters like the ộ in the city name Hội An without the unicode input method. With an overview table this is easy to confirm or deny. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 21:18
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    I see. I don't think there exist dead keys for characters as special as the one you mentioned. If you often need to type those, you may want to consider a custom keyboard layout. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 21:28

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