Csus2 Ukulele Chord

Csus2 is the C suspended second chord on ukulele. It has three notes: C, D and G. The shape keeps the C chord's ring finger on the A string and adds two more at the 2nd and 3rd frets, with the G string still ringing open.

Index at the 2nd fret of the C string, middle and ring at the 3rd on the E and A, G string open. The C chord's top note stays put.

How to play Csus2 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, C string
Middle finger: 3rd fret, E string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, A string
Leave the G string open. Strum all four strings.

The C chord is inside this shape: hold the A string note, lift the other two fingers, and you are back on plain C. Moving between them is the sus2 move a hundred songs use to make one chord breathe.

More ways to play Csus2

There are 3 common Csus2 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.

Csus2 ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 5, played 0035 — Frets 3 to 5

Csus2 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 8, played 0085 — Frets 5 to 8

If it will not ring

The 3rd fret notes crowd each other: Middle and ring sit at the same fret on the E and A strings. Stagger them slightly so each presses on its tip rather than shoulder to shoulder.
The open G is dull: The index on the C string is leaning back into it. Curl the finger upright and the open string comes back.
It sounds like a different chord: A finger drifting to the 2nd fret of the E string turns the D into a B. Check the middle finger is at the 3rd fret, not the 2nd.

What makes it a Csus2

C · D · G 1 2 5

Csus2 replaces the third of the C chord, E, with D. With no third the chord is neither major nor minor: the D hangs, and the ear waits for it to move, usually back up to E as the chord resolves to C.

The same three notes, C, D and G, read from G spell Gsus4; every sus2 chord has a sus4 twin a fifth up like this. C is the home key of the ukulele, so Csus2 earns its keep everywhere: it is the standard way to make a long C chord move without changing the harmony under a melody.

Csus2 vs Csus4

Csus2 hangs D a whole step below the missing E; Csus4 hangs F a half step above it. On ukulele both start from the plain C shape: the sus4 adds one finger next to it, the sus2 adds two.

The sus4 is the tenser sound and resolves almost immediately; the sus2 is open enough to sit for a full bar. If you want shimmer rather than pull, the sus2 is the one.

Csus2 chord questions

Is Csus2 major or minor?

Neither. The E that would make it major is replaced by D, so the chord hangs until a third returns.

Is Csus2 the same as Gsus4?

They contain the same three notes, C, D and G. If the song treats C as home the chord is Csus2; if G is home it is Gsus4.

Is Csus2 hard to play?

No. Three fingers inside the first three frets with the G string open, and the familiar C chord is hiding inside it.

What is the difference between Csus2 and Csus4?

Csus2 suspends D, a whole step over the root; Csus4 suspends F, a fourth over it. The sus4 pulls harder, the sus2 floats longer.

What does Csus2 resolve to?

C major, when the D steps up to E. It can also fall into C minor, since nothing in the chord blocks the flat third.