C♯ diminished chord on ukulele (C♯dim)

C♯dim is C♯, E and G. The easiest shape is 0-4-3-4. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

How to play C♯dim on ukulele

Shape 1, 0-4-3-4, reading from the G string on the left:

1. Put your index finger on the E string at the 3rd fret, which is G.
2. Put your middle finger on the C string at the 4th fret, which is E.
3. Put your ring finger on the A string at the 4th fret, which is C♯.
4. The open G string adds G; don't touch it.

• If an open string sounds dead, a fingertip is leaning on it. Come down more on the tips, with your knuckles bent.
• Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, all four strings, across the spot where the neck meets the body.

Other ways to play C♯dim

• 9-7-9-7: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.

Moving between C♯dim and its neighbours

These are the changes you'll meet most often with C♯dim, using the first shape of each chord.

• D (leads up a half step): C♯dim (0-4-3-4) to D (2-2-2-0): move the index finger to the G string, 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. D on ukulele
• Dm (leads up a half step): C♯dim (0-4-3-4) to Dm (2-2-1-0): your index finger lands on the E string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the C string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Dm on ukulele
• F♯m (iii in D major): C♯dim (0-4-3-4) to F♯m (2-1-2-0): the index finger goes to the C string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for C♯, which stays put while the rest moves. F♯m on ukulele

C♯dim is a diminished triad: two minor thirds stacked. All 3 notes of C♯dim fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Practice C♯dim in two minutes

Arpeggiate 0-4-3-4 from the lowest string: G, E, G, C♯. Then strum it and listen for the same 4 notes together. Finish by moving between 0-4-3-4 and 9-7-9-7 to learn two positions of the same chord.

You may also see it as D♭dim; nothing changes on the ukulele.

C♯dim in context

• vii° in D major
• ii° in B minor

C♯dim on guitar and piano

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

Related C♯ chords on ukulele

• C♯dim7
• C♯m7♭5
• C♯m
• D♭aug

Other diminished chords

• Cdim
• Ddim
• D♯dim
• Edim
• Fdim
• F♯dim
• Gdim
• G♯dim
• Adim
• B♭dim
• Bdim

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside C♯dim. Updated September 2026. Print this chord