How to Type ĉ (C with circumflex) on Mac

Published June 22, 2026, 2 min read

The letter ĉ does not have its own key on an English keyboard, but Mac still makes it easy to type. Use Option + 0109 (Unicode Hex Input), or pick one of the other methods in this guide. ĉ appears in Esperanto.

ĉ on Mac: Option + 0109 (Unicode Hex Input)

Ĉ on Mac: Option + 0108 (Unicode Hex Input)

Or copy it:

Method 1: Press and hold

Hold down the C key.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If ĉ is in the row, press the number under it or click it.

If nothing appears, press-and-hold is turned off. Run defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true in Terminal and log out and back in.

Method 2: Unicode Hex Input

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, click +, and add Unicode Hex Input.
Switch to it from the input menu in the menu bar.
Hold Option and type 0109. ĉ appears when you release Option.

This works for every letter on this site, including ones with no Option shortcut.

Method 3: Character Viewer

Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search for "latin small letter c with circumflex", and double-click ĉ.

How to type the capital Ĉ

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

Press and hold

Hold down the C key with Shift.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If Ĉ is in the row, press the number under it or click it.

If nothing appears, press-and-hold is turned off. Run defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true in Terminal and log out and back in.

Unicode Hex Input

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, click +, and add Unicode Hex Input.
Switch to it from the input menu in the menu bar.
Hold Option and type 0108. Ĉ appears when you release Option.

This works for every letter on this site, including ones with no Option shortcut.

About the letter ĉ

ĉ is Unicode U+0109, named LATIN SMALL LETTER C WITH CIRCUMFLEX. It is used in Esperanto. 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 ĉ character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

If holding a key repeats the letter, press-and-hold is off. Turn it back on with the Terminal command above.
Option shortcuts depend on the keyboard layout. They work on US and ABC; other layouts move them.
If Option+E shows a highlighted ´ but no letter appears, you pressed a letter that cannot take that accent.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ĉ on Mac?

Option + 0109 (Unicode Hex Input).

Can I just copy and paste ĉ?

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 ĉ?

U+0109. In HTML it is ĉ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Mac