Braille Translator – Convert Text to Braille in 30+ Languages
Convert text to braille and braille back to text instantly across 30+ languages, including Latin, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hindi and other Indic scripts, Japanese, Korean, Chinese pinyin and more. Grade 1 and Grade 2 (English), with automatic number and capital indicators. Everything runs in your browser.
0 characters
English Braille Reference
Grade 1 reference. Numbers use the number sign ⠼; bicameral scripts use the capital sign ⠠.
Developer & Verifier
Developed by
Marcus Rodriguez
Full-stack developer specializing in web font implementation and performance optimization
Verified by
Sarah Mitchell
Typography expert specializing in font design, web typography, and accessibility
What is Braille?
Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are blind or have low vision. Invented by Louis Braille in 1824, it represents letters, numbers, and punctuation marks as raised dots arranged in a cell of six positions, two columns of three. Each of the 64 possible dot combinations maps to a character, and readers recognize them by touch. In digital text, braille cells are encoded in the Unicode Braille Patterns block (U+2800–U+28FF), which is what this translator produces.
The six dots in a braille cell are numbered 1-2-3 down the left column and 4-5-6 down the right column. The letter a is a single dot in position 1, b is dots 1 and 2, and so on. Because the system is compact and consistent, the first ten letters (a–j) double as the digits 1–9 and 0 when preceded by a number sign.
This tool converts in both directions: type ordinary text to see its braille equivalent, or paste braille characters to decode them back into readable text. To explore the full character set, see our braille alphabet chart and braille numbers guide.
Features
Grade 1 vs. Grade 2 Braille
Grade 1 (Uncontracted)
Every word is spelled out one letter at a time, with a direct one-to-one match between print characters and braille cells. It is the form beginners learn first and what this translator produces. Grade 1 is unambiguous, which makes it ideal for learning, labels, and short text.
Grade 2 (Contracted)
Grade 2, part of the Unified English Braille (UEB) standard, adds nearly 200 contractions, single cells or short sequences that stand in for common words and letter groups (for example, the, and, ch). It saves significant space and is standard for books and signage, but the rules are more complex and context-dependent.
Supported Languages & Scripts
The translator covers more than 30 languages across six writing-system families, each using its standard national braille table. Non-Latin scripts are read left-to-right in braille even when their print form is right-to-left. The more complex scripts (Thai, Lao, Burmese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese) are marked “beta” because ordering, tone, and syllable rules are approximated.
Latin
English (Grade 1 & 2), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Czech, Polish, Turkish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Filipino
European
Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Armenian
Middle Eastern
Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hebrew
South Asian (Bharati)
Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam
Southeast Asian
Thai, Lao, Burmese
East Asian
Japanese (kana), Korean (hangul), Chinese (pinyin)
Braille Translator by Language
Pick a language to load it in the translator with its own alphabet reference and guide.
How to Use the Braille Translator
- 1Choose a direction: Text → Braille to encode, or Braille → Text to decode.
- 2Select your language from the dropdown (or the language list below). The alphabet reference updates to match.
- 3Type or paste your text. The result appears instantly, with number and capital indicators added automatically.
- 4Click Copy to place the braille (or decoded text) on your clipboard.