How to Type ļ (L with cedilla) on Mac

Published May 28, 2026, 2 min read

The letter ļ does not have its own key on an English keyboard, but Mac still makes it easy to type. Use Option + 013C (Unicode Hex Input), or pick one of the other methods in this guide. ļ appears in Latvian.

ļ on Mac: Option + 013C (Unicode Hex Input)

Ļ on Mac: Option + 013B (Unicode Hex Input)

Or copy it:

Method 1: Press and hold

Hold down the L key.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If ļ 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 013C. ļ 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 l with cedilla", and double-click ļ.

How to type the capital Ļ

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

Press and hold

Hold down the L key with Shift.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If Ļ 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 013B. Ļ appears when you release Option.

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

About the letter ļ

ļ is Unicode U+013C, named LATIN SMALL LETTER L WITH CEDILLA. It is used in Latvian. A small hook under a letter. ç gives a soft s sound in French, Portuguese, Catalan, Turkish and Albanian; Turkish also uses ş, and Latvian uses ģ, ķ, ļ, ņ. See the ļ 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 ļ on Mac?

Option + 013C (Unicode Hex Input).

Can I just copy and paste ļ?

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 ļ?

U+013C. In HTML it is ļ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Mac