How to Type â (A with circumflex) on Android

Published August 29, 2026, 2 min read

The letter â does not have its own key on an English keyboard, but Android still makes it easy to type. Use Hold a, or pick one of the other methods in this guide. â appears in French, Portuguese, Romanian and Welsh.

â on Android: Hold a

Â on Android: Hold a

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the a key.
Slide your finger to â and lift it.

â is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard.

Method 2: Add the French keyboard

Open Settings → System → Languages & input → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages.
Tap Add keyboard and pick French.
Switch keyboards with the globe key or by holding the space bar.

Method 3: Personal dictionary shortcut

In Gboard go to Settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary, pick your language, tap +, paste â as the word and add a shortcut such as aci. Typing the shortcut then suggests â.

How to type the capital Â

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the A key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Â and lift it.

Â is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard.

Add the French keyboard

Open Settings → System → Languages & input → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages.
Tap Add keyboard and pick French.
Switch keyboards with the globe key or by holding the space bar.

About the letter â

â is Unicode U+00E2, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH CIRCUMFLEX. It is used in French, Portuguese, Romanian, Welsh and Vietnamese. A small caret (^) above a vowel. In French it often marks a vanished s (forêt from forest), in Portuguese a closed vowel, in Welsh a long vowel, and in Vietnamese a distinct vowel (â, ê, ô). See the â character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

Samsung Keyboard and Gboard show slightly different long-press menus. If a letter is missing, add the language.
Turn off "Long press for symbols" in Gboard settings if holding a key shows numbers instead of accents.
Personal dictionary shortcuts appear as suggestions; tap the suggestion to insert the letter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for â on Android?

Hold a.

Can I just copy and paste â?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for â?

U+00E2. In HTML it is â.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Android