US vs JIS Keyboard Layout Comparison (Symbol Key Positions)
Compare where symbol keys (@, ", [ ], etc.) sit on US and JIS (Japanese) keyboard layouts. A free reference table with notes to resolve confusion when buying an imported PC or changing OS keyboard settings, with a search filter.
| Symbol / Key | Position on US Layout | Position on JIS Layout | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ | Shift + 2 | 単独キー（Pの右） | Typed with Shift+2 on the US layout, but exists as its own dedicated key to the right of P on the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) layout. A classic mis-tap when entering Japanese email addresses. |
| " | Shift + ' | Shift + 2 | Typed as Shift plus the apostrophe key on the US layout, but with Shift+2 on the JIS layout. The differing position often trips people up when working with strings in code. |
| # | Shift + 3 | Shift + 3 | Shared as Shift+3 on both layouts, so it is relatively unlikely to cause confusion. |
| $ | Shift + 4 | Shift + 4 | Shared as Shift+4 on both layouts, so it is relatively unlikely to cause confusion. |
| % | Shift + 5 | Shift + 5 | Shared as Shift+5 on both layouts, so it is relatively unlikely to cause confusion. |
| & | Shift + 7 | Shift + 6 | Typed with Shift+7 on the US layout, but Shift+6 on the JIS layout. Worth noting since it appears frequently as an operator. |
| ' | 単独キー（;の右） | Shift + 7 | Exists as its own dedicated key to the right of the semicolon key on the US layout, but is typed with Shift+7 on the JIS layout. Frequently used for quoting in SQL and code, making it an easy source of confusion. |
| ( | Shift + 9 | Shift + 8 | Typed with Shift+9 on the US layout, but Shift+8 on the JIS layout. |
| ) | Shift + 0 | Shift + 9 | Typed with Shift+0 on the US layout, but Shift+9 on the JIS layout. |
| = | 単独キー（0の右） | Shift + -（ほ） | Exists as its own dedicated key to the right of 0 on the US layout, but is typed with Shift plus the "ho" key on the JIS layout. One of the most common mis-taps in coding and spreadsheets, where the equals sign is used constantly. |
| ~ | Shift + ` | Shift + ^（へ） | Typed as Shift plus the backtick key at the top-left on the US layout, but Shift plus the "he" key (the caret key) on the JIS layout. Frequently needed for regular expressions and home-directory paths. |
| ` | 単独キー（左上） | Shift + @（＾の左） | Exists as its own dedicated key at the top-left on the US layout, but is typed with Shift plus the key to the left of @ on the JIS layout. Easy to overlook, yet needed for Markdown code blocks. |
| [ | 単独キー（Pの右） | 単独キー（@の右） | Exists as its own dedicated key to the right of P on the US layout, but to the right of @ on the JIS layout. A symbol that appears often in array notation in code. |
| ] | 単独キー（[の右） | 単独キー（[の右） | Sits to the right of the [ key on both layouts, so the position itself is close, but note that the surrounding keys shift as a result. |
| \ | 単独キー（]の右） | ¥キー（Backspaceの左） | Exists as its own dedicated key to the right of ] on the US layout, but on the JIS layout there is a dedicated key labeled "¥" to the left of Backspace. In Japanese input it is commonly displayed as a yen sign. |
| : | Shift + ; | 単独キー（Lの右） | Typed as Shift plus the semicolon key on the US layout, but exists as its own dedicated key to the right of L on the JIS layout. Frequently used for object key syntax in code, making the positional gap stand out. |
| _ | Shift + - | Shift + \（ろ） | Typed as Shift plus the hyphen key on the US layout, but Shift plus the "ro" key (the backslash key) on the JIS layout. Worth watching out for since it appears constantly in snake_case variable names. |
| Enter | 横長の1段キー | L字形の2段キー | A single-row, horizontally elongated key on the US layout, but typically an L-shaped (backwards-L) key spanning two rows on the right side of the JIS layout. Because the key's size and shape differ, switching to a third-party keyboard can feel unfamiliar at first. |
| Space | 長め（変換キーなし） | 短め（左右に無変換・変換キー） | On the US layout the space bar is long and there are few other dedicated keys nearby, whereas on the JIS layout there are dedicated "Muhenkan" (non-conversion) and "Henkan" (conversion) keys flanking the space bar, used to toggle Japanese input. Typing Japanese on a US-layout PC usually requires configuring an OS-level shortcut instead. |
Tips
- When buying a laptop from an overseas retailer, always confirm whether it uses a US layout or a JIS (Japanese) layout — the physical key positions cannot be changed afterward.
- On macOS you can switch between US and JIS layout recognition under System Settings > Keyboard, but be aware this setting may not always match the actual labels printed on the keycaps.
- Many programmers prefer the US layout because its symbol key placement feels more consistent and easier to reach, while the JIS layout has the edge for quickly toggling Japanese input.
- A common hybrid setup is a laptop with a built-in JIS keyboard paired with an external US-layout keyboard for daily typing.
- If Windows misidentifies your keyboard layout, you can manually correct the keyboard type from the Control Panel's language settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Side Note — Why Does the JIS Layout Still Survive in Japan?
The JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) layout, formally JIS X 6002, was established in the 1970s as a Japanese national standard. It builds on the US layout while adding dedicated keys needed for Japanese text entry — such as half-width/full-width toggle, "Muhenkan" (non-conversion), and "Henkan" (conversion) — and enlarges the Enter key to reduce mis-taps. While the US (English) layout became the near-universal global standard, languages like Japanese that rely on a distinct kana-to-kanji conversion input method continued to benefit in practice from dedicated conversion keys, which is why the two layouts have coexisted for decades.
This layout difference is a frequent topic of debate in software development. While the JIS layout makes toggling Japanese input easy, the symbols used constantly in programming (such as { }, [ ], and ;) tend to feel more cramped than on the US layout, and much overseas programming educational content and technical literature assumes a US layout — which is part of why many engineers in Japan deliberately choose a US-layout keyboard. It is not uncommon for Japanese IT companies to issue external US-layout keyboards to their engineers for exactly this reason.
When the OS's keyboard layout setting and the physical keyboard's actual layout disagree, a classic problem occurs: pressing @ produces a " instead. This happens because the physical position of a symbol key never changes, but which character gets typed depends entirely on which layout the OS thinks is connected — a scenario often encountered when plugging a used or salvaged keyboard into a different PC. Knowing the positional relationships in this comparison table lets you quickly tell whether you are simply dealing with a layout-recognition mismatch or an actual hardware fault.