C#dim Ukulele Chord

C#dim is the C sharp diminished chord, a diminished triad. It has three notes: C♯, E and G. Two of them are open strings on a ukulele, so the standard shape needs only two fingers: one at the 1st fret of the C string and one reaching the 4th fret of the A string. In songs in D it is the classic one fret climb into the home chord.

Two fingers, two open strings: the open G is the flat five, the open E the flat three, and the root is fretted twice, on the C string and up the A string.

How to play C#dim on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, C string
Middle finger: 4th fret, A string
Leave the G and E strings open. Strum all four strings.

The gap between the two fingers looks wide on paper, but the open G and E strings carry half the chord, so the hand stays relaxed. For the same chord higher up, the closed shape at the 3rd fret slides anywhere.

More ways to play C#dim

There are 3 common C#dim shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

C#dim ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 6, played 6434 — Frets 3 to 6

C#dim ukulele chord diagram, frets 6 to 7, played 6707 — Frets 6 to 7

If it buzzes or sounds dead

The open strings go quiet: The index on the C string is leaning back and touching the G string, or forward into the E. Stand it upright so both open strings can ring.
The 4th fret note is weak: The middle finger is on its own up at the 4th fret and easy to underpress. Land its tip close behind the fret and give it slightly more weight than feels natural.
The chord sounds like two halves: Two fretted notes and two open ones can pull apart if the strum is uneven. Strum through all four strings at one speed so the chord arrives as one thing.

What makes it a C#dim

C♯ · E · G 1 ♭3 ♭5

C#dim is two minor thirds stacked: C♯ up to E, then E up to G. C♯ minor would reach up to G♯; the diminished chord stops one fret short, and the flat fifth from C♯ to G is where the tension lives.

C#dim is the chord built on the seventh note of the D major scale, so it belongs to the key of D and pulls one fret up into D. Its three notes are also three quarters of A7, the key's dominant chord, which is why the two are interchangeable for that final push home.

C#dim vs C#m

Both start with C♯ and E. C♯ minor finishes with G♯ and sounds settled; C#dim finishes with G, one fret lower, and leans forward.

C♯m is a chord you can live on for a verse. C#dim is a doorway: a beat or two, then through it into D. When a chart in the key of D writes C#°, this two finger shape is what it wants.

C#dim chord questions

Are C#dim and Dbdim the same chord?

Yes, identical notes and shapes. C♯ is the usual spelling because the chord almost always resolves up to D, and C♯ to D reads more naturally than D♭ to D.

Is C#dim really a two finger chord?

Yes. The open G string is the chord's flat five and the open E its flat three, so only the two roots need fretting. It is one of the easiest diminished chords on the instrument.

What is the difference between C#dim and C#dim7?

C#dim is the three note triad: C♯, E, G. C#dim7 adds a diminished seventh, B♭, for a four note sound. Ukulele songbooks often chart the four note grip whenever they write dim.

What does C#dim resolve to?

D, one half step up, or D minor. It is the leading tone chord of D, so the climb home is built into it.

What does C#° mean?

The small circle is the standard symbol for diminished. C#°, C#dim and C sharp diminished all name the same chord.