Skip to main content

Keyboard Layouts Around the World: Do They Include English Letters?

When buying a keyboard abroad, the big question is: will it have English letters printed, or only the local language?

Efrat Kabilo avatar
Written by Efrat Kabilo
Updated over a week ago

In most countries, keyboards are bilingual by default — you’ll see English letters printed alongside the local script.

Country / Region

What the keyboard looks like

Notes

Bangladesh

Bengali + English letters

English always printed for tech/URLs.

Brazil

Portuguese (BR) + English

Has Ç and accents, based on QWERTY.

Bulgaria

Bulgarian + English letters

Cyrillic + Latin together.

China

Chinese or US English only

Depends on supplier – some ship only Chinese layout, others only US English.

Colombia

Spanish (LatAm) + English

Includes ñ, ¡, ¿ with Latin base.

Costa Rica

Spanish (LatAm) + English

Same as Mexico; ñ and accents.

France

French + English letters

AZERTY layout; English A–Z always there.

Germany

German + English letters

Plus ä, ö, ü, ß.

India

US English only

Official standard for laptops (including MacBooks).

Indonesia

English only (US International QWERTY)

No local script; looks just like a standard US keyboard

Israel

Hebrew + English letters

Almost always bilingual.

Italy

Italian + English letters

QWERTY with a few extras.

Japan

Japanese + English letters

JIS layout; full A–Z plus kana.

Mexico

Spanish (MX) + English

Includes ñ, ¡, ¿.

Netherlands

Dutch + English letters

Usually standard QWERTY with tweaks.

Philippines

English only

No local script on keys.

Poland

Polish + English letters

Latin QWERTY + ł, ę, ą.

Portugal

Portuguese + English letters

Similar to Brazil but slightly different.

Singapore

English only

Other languages aren’t printed.

Slovenia

Slovene + English letters

Always bilingual.

South Africa

English only (mostly)

Rare bilingual versions.

South Korea

Korean + English letters

Always bilingual.

Spain

Spanish + English letters

Includes ñ, ¡, ¿.

Switzerland

Swiss (DE/FR/IT) + English

Sometimes 3 languages on one keyboard (!).

Thailand

Thai + English letters

Always bilingual.

Turkey

Turkish only (Q layout)

US English usually provided as an extra external keyboard if requested

Ukraine

Ukrainian + English letters

Cyrillic + Latin side by side.

United Arab Emirates

Arabic + English letters

Always bilingual.

United Kingdom / US

English only (usually)

Bilingual is rare unless custom.

Vietnam

International English (QWERTY)

Official standard layout; no local script printed on the keys.


⚠️ Disclaimer: Keyboard layouts can vary by supplier, brand, and even region within the same country. The list above reflects the most common defaults as of today, but exceptions always exist.

Did this answer your question?