How to Type ī (I with macron) on iPhone

Published July 13, 2026, 2 min read

ī is i with macron, a letter used in Latvian, Mandarin Pinyin, Māori and Hawaiian. On iPhone, the quickest way to get it is Hold i. This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Ī and fixes for common problems.

ī on iPhone: Hold i

Ī on iPhone: Hold i

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

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

ī is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Method 2: Add the Latvian keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Latvian.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

Method 3: Text Replacement

Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, tap +, paste ī as the phrase and type a shortcut such as ima. The shortcut syncs to your Mac through iCloud.

How to type the capital Ī

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 I key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Ī and lift it.

Ī is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Add the Latvian keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Latvian.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

About the letter ī

ī is Unicode U+012B, named LATIN SMALL LETTER I WITH MACRON. It is used in Latvian, Mandarin Pinyin, Māori and Hawaiian. A flat bar above a vowel, used for long vowels in Latvian, Lithuanian, Māori, Hawaiian and Latin textbooks, and for the first tone in Pinyin. See the ī character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

If no menu appears when you touch and hold, make sure you are not using a third-party keyboard that disables it.
Text Replacement shortcuts need a space or punctuation after them to expand.
Some apps with custom keyboards, such as games, do not support accents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ī on iPhone?

Hold i.

Can I just copy and paste ī?

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 ī?

U+012B. In HTML it is ī.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for iPhone