C augmented chord on ukulele (Caug)

Caug is C, E and G♯. The easiest shape is 1-0-0-3. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

1-0-0-3 · open · easy

Notes: C · E · G♯
Formula: 1 · 3 · ♯5
First shape: 1-0-0-3

How to play Caug on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-0-0-3, reading from the G string on the left:

G♯: index finger, 1st fret of the G string.
C: middle finger, 3rd fret of the A string.
Leave the C and E strings open: C and E.

Arch your fingers so their tips come down vertically. That keeps them off the open strings, which have to ring for the chord to sound complete.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play Caug

5-4-4-7: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
9-8-8-7: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.

Caug chord changes

The chords Caug usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

F (the raised fifth pushes up into the IV): Caug (1-0-0-3) to F (2-0-1-0): your index finger lands on the E string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret. Shared note: C. F on ukulele
G (V in C major): Caug (1-0-0-3) to G (0-2-3-2): the index finger goes to the C string, 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret, the ring finger comes down on the E string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. G on ukulele
Am (vi in C major): Caug (1-0-0-3) to Am (2-0-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret. Listen for C and E, which stay put while the rest moves. Am on ukulele

Caug is an augmented triad: two major thirds stacked, with a raised fifth. All 3 notes of Caug fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. On ukulele you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

A short Caug drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: G♯, C, E, C. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 5-4-4-7 and back four times without looking at your hand.

Where Caug shows up

Caug on guitar and piano

Caug on guitar and piano uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Next to try on ukulele

Other augmented chords

Caug on ukulele: questions

What notes are in Caug on ukulele?

C, E and G♯. In the 1-0-0-3 shape the strings play G♯ (G string), C (C string, open), E (E string, open) and C (A string), so C is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play Caug on ukulele?

1-0-0-3, shape 1 above. No barre: some strings ring open.

Is Caug a barre chord on ukulele?

Not usually: 1-0-0-3 needs no barre.

Which string does Caug start on?

In the 1-0-0-3 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 1st fret, which is G♯, the augmented fifth.

Every shape above plays only C, E and G♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.