Zazaki/keyboard

Existing resources

Existing keyboard support for Zazaki (ISO: zza) across major platforms reveals limited dedicated resources:

• Microsoft SwiftKey (Android/iOS): Offers a Zazaki keyboard option. However, the layout is functionally identical to the standard Turkish keyboard, with no apparent modifications for Zazaki-specific characters.
• Windows: No dedicated Zazaki keyboard layout is included in the operating system. The standard Turkish-Q layout is the most commonly used alternative among Zazaki speakers.
• macOS: No dedicated Zazaki layout. Turkish keyboard layouts are available.
• GNU/Linux (xkb/IBus): No dedicated Zazaki layout is included by default in major distributions.

No standard cross-platform Zazaki keyboard layout appears to exist. The available options are uniformly based on the Turkish-Q layout, which covers most but not all of the Zazaki alphabet. Notably, the circumflexed vowels ‹ê›, ‹î›, and ‹û›, which are phonemically significant in Zazaki, are absent from the standard Turkish-Q layout and require workarounds on all surveyed platforms.

Layout

This layout is based on the Turkish-Q keyboard, extended to support the full Zazaki alphabet. Characters shown in the third and fourth positions (bottom-right of each key) are accessed via AltGr.

é
"

!
1

'
2

^
3

+
4

%
5

&
6

/
7

(
8

)
9

=
0

?
*

_
-

       

Q
q

@

W
w

E
e

R
r

T
t

Y
y

U
u

Û
û

Î
î

I
ı

O
o

Ö
ö

P
p

Ğ
ğ

Ü
ü

        

A
a

æ

S
s

ß

D
d

F
f

G
g

H
h

J
j

K
k

L
l

Ş
ş

İ
i

;
,

           

Z
z

X
x

C
c

V
v

B
b

N
n

M
m

Ê
ê

Ç
ç

:
.

The layout file and source are available at: ling073-zza-keyboard repository.

Compose sequences

The following compose sequences are supported using ^ (Shift+3) as a dead key:

Input	Result
^ then e	ê
^ then E	Ê
^ then i	î
^ then I	Î
^ then u	û
^ then U	Û

AltGr mappings

Key	AltGr	AltGr+Shift
q	@	—
u	û	Û
î	ı (dotless i)	I (dotted capital I)
o	ö	Ö
a	æ	—
s	ß	—

Justification

The layout is based on the Microsoft Turkish-Q keyboard, the de facto standard keyboard for the region where Zazaki is spoken. This decision reflects a practical consideration: virtually all Zazaki speakers are bilingual in Turkish, and most are already familiar with the Turkish-Q layout. Basing the Zazaki keyboard on this layout minimizes the learning curve and allows speakers to switch between Zazaki and Turkish input with minimal friction.

One concern with this approach is that it may implicitly frame Zazaki as subordinate to or derived from Turkish. However, the relationship between Zazaki and Turkish is not one of colonial imposition in the traditional sense; rather, Turkish is the politically and culturally dominant language of the Turkish state, within which the Zaza-speaking population resides. Basing a keyboard layout on the regionally dominant input method is a pragmatic choice driven by user familiarity and accessibility, not an endorsement of linguistic hierarchy. Moreover, the layout introduces keys for Zazaki-specific characters (‹ê›, ‹î›, ‹û›) at the primary level rather than putting them to AltGr positions, affirming their first-class status in the orthography.

The three circumflexed vowels (‹ê›, ‹î›, ‹û›) are central to Zazaki phonology, distinguishing vowel quality in minimal pairs. In this layout:

• ‹ê› and ‹î› occupy dedicated keys on the main layer, replacing less frequently needed characters from the Turkish-Q layout.
• ‹û› is accessible via AltGr+u, as well as through a compose sequence ^ then u).
• All three circumflexed vowels are also available through compose sequences using the ^ dead key, providing an alternative input method.

The AltGr layer retains ‹ö›, ‹æ›, and ‹ß›, which are useful for typing Turkish and German loanwords, and ‹ı› (dotless i), which is needed for Turkish.

Installation

1. Ensure IBus is installed and running on a GNU/Linux system.
2. Copy the zza.mim file to ~/.m17n.d/:

   mkdir -p ~/.m17n.d && cp zza.mim ~/.m17n.d/

3. Restart IBus:

   Right-click the IBus icon in the system tray and select "Restart", or run ibus restart.

4. Enable the layout:

   Right-click the IBus icon → Preferences → Input Method → Add → find "Other" → select the Zazaki layout.

The layout file and source are available at: ling073-zza-keyboard repository.

License

This keyboard layout is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file in the repository for the full text.