Ukulele chords: the most important shapes for beginners

There are hundreds of ukulele chords, but ten to twelve cover the vast majority of songs. The easiest way to learn them is in “families”: chords that often appear together in the same key. A chord chart shows the strings G, C, E, A from left to right; the dots are your fingers.

The C family: where everyone starts

C, Am, F and G7 are the first four chords in almost every ukulele class. They are explained step by step in first ukulele chords. Sometimes G appears instead of G7, and Dm and Em join in.

The F family

Lots of children’s songs are in F. For those you need F, C7 and sometimes Bb. C7 is wonderfully easy: just your index finger on the A string at the 1st fret.

The G and D families

Songs in G need G, C, D (or D7) and Em. For D you add A7 and D. A7 is another one-finger chord: index finger on the C string at the 1st fret.

Chords written as numbers

Sometimes chords are written as four digits, such as 2010 for F. Each digit belongs to a string, in the order G, C, E, A. The number tells you the fret, and 0 means leave the string open. So C is 0003, Am is 2000 and G7 is 0212. This shorthand lets you jot down chords quickly without drawing a diagram.

What do m and 7 mean?

A small m stands for minor (Am = A minor), and a 7 means a seventh chord with an extra note that sounds like “there’s more to come”. Find out more in reading chord symbols and major and minor. Found a shape and want to know its name? Play it to the chord detective.