Ukulele Chord Chart — Soprano
Soprano uke, standard re-entrant g–C–E–A · 144 chords in 12 types · tap to see & hear
How to play
- This is the soprano ukulele — the smallest and most familiar size, and the one people picture when they hear the word. It uses standard re-entrant tuning: g–C–E–A, and every chord shape here is the one a soprano player uses.
- Re-entrant means the 4th string g is HIGH, not low: it sounds above the C and E strings. So the strings do not run low-to-high across the neck. That is exactly what gives the soprano its bright, jangly, all-in-one-register sound — there is no bass note to anchor a chord, so every shape sounds light.
- Because the neck is short, chords sit close together and the same shapes here also work on a concert uke. A tenor uke uses the same shapes but is often strung with a LOW g instead.
- Tap a chord to see its shape and hear it strummed across the four strings.
- The row of grey buttons picks the chord type — Common holds the twelve every beginner learns, and the rest give you all twelve roots of that type: Major, Minor, 7th, m7, maj7, 6th, m6, sus2, sus4, dim7, m7♭5 and aug. That is 144 chords in total.
- A thick bar across the diagram means a barre — lay one finger flat across those strings and press them all at once. The number on the bar is the finger to use (nearly always your index).
- Some shapes sit further up the neck. When they do, the nut disappears and a label like 5fr tells you which fret the top row of the diagram is — count up from there.
- Reading the diagram — thick bar on top is the nut; the four vertical lines are the strings g, C, E, A (left to right). Dots show where to press, and the number is the finger. ◯ = open, × = don’t play.
- Tuning is re‑entrant: the g string is higher than the C string, so the strings aren’t low‑to‑high left‑to‑right — that’s normal for a ukulele.
- Strum re‑plays it (tap the diagram too). Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
- Tip 1 — C is the easiest (one finger); start there, then try Am and F. Those three plus G7 already cover a lot of songs.
- Tip 2 — if a barre chord buzzes, roll the finger slightly onto its bony side and move it closer to the fret wire. Pressing harder is rarely the fix.
This is a full chord reference for the soprano uke. Find finger positions for any chord shape. Listen to what the chord sounds like, and more!
Just click on any of the chord tiles with your mouse. To move around the grid, just use your keyboard. Use the Tab key to jump from one chord tile to the next and the Space bar or Enter key to select the current chord and play it. It’s really handy if you want to quickly browse through some shapes without having to reach for the mouse.
How to Use the Chord Chart
You will also notice a set of buttons along the top row. These provides filters for the sort of chord. If you click Common then it displays first dozen chords that are commonly used in beginner songs. Other buttons show you Major, Minor, Seventh etc and further variations such as sus2, sus4 or maj7. The complete selection of twelve chords based off that root note is displayed in each group. If you change the type of chord then you can hear what the difference sound like over the same root note. From here you can choose the variation that works best with the mood of the song you are learning.
On the right-hand side of the screen you can see a large diagram showing how to play the chord. The vertical lines is the strings (g to A) from left to right. The dots shows where to place your fingers and the numbers suggest what finger to use. Where there is an open circle it is to be played as an open string, i.e., not pressed down on a fret. An X indicates do not play this string. Where the diagram has a thick bar through it, then this is a barre chord and more than one string are being pressed by the same finger. If the diagram is positioned further up the neck, a label will show the number of the first fret where you should of start playing. This helps you place your hand in correct place.
The Strum button under the diagram plays the chord for you to hear. Alternatively, simply click on the diagram and it will play again. If you want to keep hearing the chord while learning how to finger the shape yourself then this option is good for that too. Use the volume slider on the right to control the volume of playback so that it is comfortabley for you. This is good if you’re working quietly in a room or have people viewing your screen.
By clicking on the help button, you can get a full explanation of how to play barre chords. You will also get some tips and an in-depth look at how to read the diagram. For example, it explains about the re-entrant tuning (which means high g string sounds higher than the c string) used by the soprano ukulele. That isn’t how guitars are tuned so it makes a difference to the sound of the chords when played. So if you’ve wondered why some shapes have been named as they are then this will explain why.
There’s also a fullscreen option which lets you expand the widget across the whole of your screen. This is great if you’re on a small device where more space can make it easier to read the chord details.
To familiarize yourself with the widget begin playing with the Common chords. Click on each of them: G, C and Am and observe simplicity of their shapes. Next, change to the Major type to check out the chords available in different keys. As you move along the neck, listen to the altered sounds. Use the volume control so it doesn’t distract as you try things out.
It’s meant to be a useful reference tool that you can use every day. Experiment with all of the chord types. This can lead to discovering a new voicing that colors your playing. It’s also simple to link what you are seeing with what you are hearing, which is a great combination of visual feedback and sound.
Leave this page open alongside your ukulele when learning new songs. It’s handy for quick checks on finger placement and to try out sounds too.