Morse Code Alphabet and Numbers Chart: A–Z, Symbols, and What Prosigns Mean
International Morse, which sends letters and numbers, is the Morse code used worldwide. This article lists the codes for A–Z and 0–9, symbols such as the period and “?”, the pattern behind the number codes, memory tricks using pairs that become another letter when reversed, and the meaning of prosigns like CQ, 73, AR, and SK and Q codes often heard on the radio.
In International Morse, common letters are shortest
International Morse grew out of the telegraph code devised by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in 19th-century America, then refined in Europe and made an international standard. Today, the codes for letters, numbers, and symbols are set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677.
Codes are assigned so that letters common in English are shorter. E, the most frequent, is a single dot (•); T, the next, is a single dash (−); while rarely used Q, Y, Z, and J combine four elements. It’s a way to shave off sending time, and Japanese Wabun Morse inherited the same idea.
Morse code chart for the letters A–Z
| Letter | Code | Letter | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | •− | N | −• |
| B | −••• | O | −−− |
| C | −•−• | P | •−−• |
| D | −•• | Q | −−•− |
| E | • | R | •−• |
| F | ••−• | S | ••• |
| G | −−• | T | − |
| H | •••• | U | ••− |
| I | •• | V | •••− |
| J | •−−− | W | •−− |
| K | −•− | X | −••− |
| L | •−•• | Y | −•−− |
| M | −− | Z | −−•• |
There’s no distinction between upper and lower case: “a” and “A” are both sent as “•−”. Wabun Morse, which sends Japanese kana, assigns other characters to the same codes; “•−” becomes the kana for “i”. See the Japanese Wabun Morse Chart for the full list.
Codes for the numbers 0–9 and symbols
All numbers use five elements and follow a clear pattern. For 1–5, the number of dots equals the digit and the rest are dashes. For 6–9, the number of dashes equals the digit minus 5 and the rest are dots. 0 is five dashes. Learn the pattern and you can build them without a chart.
| Number | Code | Number | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | •−−−− | 6 | −•••• |
| 2 | ••−−− | 7 | −−••• |
| 3 | •••−− | 8 | −−−•• |
| 4 | ••••− | 9 | −−−−• |
| 5 | ••••• | 0 | −−−−− |
| Symbol | Code | Symbol | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period . | •−•−•− | Slash / | −••−• |
| Comma , | −−••−− | Equals = | −•••− |
| Question mark ? | ••−−•• | Plus + | •−•−• |
| Apostrophe ' | •−−−−• | Hyphen - | −••••− |
| Colon : | −−−••• | Quotation mark " | •−••−• |
| Left parenthesis ( | −•−−• | Right parenthesis ) | −•−−•− |
| At sign @ | •−−•−• | Ampersand & | •−••• |
Memorizing the alphabet: organize by opposite and reversed pairs
Rather than memorizing 26 letters one by one, grouping related letters cuts down the work. To start, letters made only of dots or only of dashes can be remembered by count.
- Dots only: E (•) → I (••) → S (•••) → H (••••)
- Dashes only: T (−) → M (−−) → O (−−−)
- Reversed makes another letter: A (•−) and N (−•), D (−••) and U (••−), G (−−•) and W (•−−), B (−•••) and V (•••−), F (••−•) and L (•−••), Q (−−•−) and Y (−•−−)
- The same forward and backward: K (−•−), R (•−•), P (•−−•), X (−••−)
Memorizing a chart by eye is enough for reading codes you can see, but it’s a detour for picking out sounds. Once you get into the habit of counting dots and dashes in your head, you can’t keep up with fast audio. If you also want to copy by ear, we recommend learning by sound rhythm from the start, with listening practice using the Koch method.
CQ, 73, AR, SK, and other common radio abbreviations
In Morse communication (CW) such as amateur radio, many fixed abbreviations are used to reduce sending time. Here are prosigns, in which two letters are run together and sent like one, along with common English abbreviations.
| Prosign or abbreviation | Code and meaning |
|---|---|
| CQ | A call to no one in particular (anyone, please reply) |
| DE | “This is”. CQ CQ DE JA1ZZZ = JA1ZZZ is calling anyone |
| K | Go ahead (ending your transmission and awaiting theirs) |
| R | Received, understood |
| AR | •−•−• (sent run together with no gap). End of message |
| SK | •••−•−. End of contact |
| BT | −•••−. Break between sentences (the same code as the equals sign) |
| KN | −•−−•. Go ahead, named station only |
| AS | •−•••. Please wait a moment |
| 73 | −−••• •••−−. Goodbye, best regards |
| 88 | −−−•• −−−••. Love and kisses (a farewell to someone close) |
| 599 | Signal report (RST): readability 5, strength 9, tone 9, the best |
When you send something wrong, send eight dots in a row (••••••••) and resend from the previous word.
Q codes like QTH, QSL, and QRZ, and reading an exchange
Q codes are international abbreviations: three letters beginning with Q that carry a fixed meaning. Adding “?” makes them a question. Here are some often used in amateur radio.
| Q code | Meaning | With “?” |
|---|---|---|
| QTH | My location is… | What’s your location? |
| QSL | I confirm receipt (also used to mean a contact card) | Can you confirm receipt? |
| QRZ | … is calling you | Who’s calling me? |
| QRM | There’s interference | Is there interference? |
| QRN | There’s static | Is there static? |
| QSY | I’ll change frequency | Shall I change frequency? |
| QRT | I’ll stop transmitting | Shall I stop transmitting? |
For example, “CQ CQ DE JA1ZZZ K” in Morse code is “−•−• −−•− / −•−• −−•− / −•• • / •−−− •− •−−−− −−•• −−•• −−•• / −•−”. At the standard 15 WPM, it takes about 15 seconds to send.
Convert English text to Morse code and listen to it
Enter letters and numbers in the Morse Code Translator & Trainer to convert them to International Morse and play them as sound and flashing light. Paste codes to decode them into letters, and change the speed (WPM) and pitch to save as WAV. In the “Code chart” tab, tapping a character in the International Morse list plays its sound, so you can check by ear while viewing the chart.
The correct way to send the SOS distress signal is explained in SOS in Morse Code and How to Send It. For another system that expresses numbers and letters with dots, it’s interesting to read and compare Braille Numbers and Letters as well.
FAQ
- What is A in Morse code?
- In International Morse, A is “•−” (dit dah). The same “•−” is the katakana for “i” in Japanese Wabun Morse.
- Is there a pattern to Morse code numbers?
- Yes. All numbers use five elements. For 1–5, the number of dots equals the digit (3 = •••−−). For 6–9, the number of dashes equals the digit minus 5 (7 = −−•••). 0 is five dashes (−−−−−).
- What does “73” mean on the radio?
- It’s a farewell equal to “goodbye” or “best regards”. In Morse code, it’s sent as “−−••• •••−−”. With someone close, “88”, meaning “love and kisses”, is sometimes used.
- What does CQ mean?
- It’s a call seeking a response from anyone listening, rather than a specific person. You send something like “CQ CQ DE (your call sign) K” and begin a contact with the station that replies.
- Does Morse code have lower case letters?
- No. Morse code doesn’t distinguish upper and lower case, so “a” and “A” are both sent as “•−”.
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