Dm7 Ukulele Chord

Dm7 is the D minor seventh chord. It has four notes: D, F, A and C. The standard shape uses all four fingers inside the first three frets, with the seventh sitting on top on the A string.

Middle and ring paired at the 2nd fret on the G and C strings, index at the 1st fret on the E string, pinky adding the seventh at the A string's 3rd fret.

How to play Dm7 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, E string
Middle finger: 2nd fret, G string
Ring finger: 2nd fret, C string
Pinky finger: 3rd fret, A string
Strum all four strings.

Dm7 also lives as a straight line at the 5th fret, lower on this page: the ukulele is tuned to a minor seventh chord, so one flat line across any fret is always an m7.

More ways to play Dm7

There are 3 common Dm7 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.

Dm7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 5, played 5555 — Frets 5 to 5

Dm7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 7 to 9, played 7988 — Frets 7 to 9

If the shape is not clean

The index gets buried: It holds the E string at the 1st fret while three fingers work above it. Place the index first, then stack middle, ring and pinky around it, not the other way round.
The pinky misses the 3rd fret: Keep it curled rather than reaching from a flat hand. If it keeps collapsing, practise the shape without the pinky, then add it last once the other three land together.
It sounds like plain Dm: The difference is the A string: 3rd fret for Dm7, open for Dm. Pick that string alone and listen for C, the seventh, before you strum the whole chord.

What makes it a Dm7

D · F · A · C 1 ♭3 5 ♭7

Dm7 is a minor seventh chord: a D minor triad (D, F, A) plus a minor seventh (C). The seventh rounds the minor into the soft, patient sound that sits before a resolution.

Dm7 is the ii chord of C, the ukulele's home key, which makes it one of the most useful chords on the instrument: Dm7, G7, C is the turnaround that closes countless songs. It is also the vi chord of F, the other great ukulele key.

Dm7 vs Dm

Dm7 is Dm plus the pinky: the plain minor leaves the A string open, and the seventh version presses it at the 3rd fret, where it sounds C. Lift the pinky and you are back to Dm.

Because the change is one finger, the two swap mid-song easily. Charts in C major usually mean the seventh version even when they only write Dm; let your ear decide.

Dm7 chord questions

What is the difference between Dm and Dm7?

One pinky. Dm leaves the A string open; Dm7 adds the 3rd fret there, which is C, the minor seventh. The other three fingers do not move.

Why does Dm7 matter in the key of C?

It is the ii chord, and Dm7 to G7 to C is the most common closing move in the key. Learn those three changes and a large share of songs in C is covered.

Is there an easier Dm7?

The straight line at the 5th fret can be played as one flat index finger across all four strings. It trades the low position for a one finger grip.

What does the 5555 shape have to do with the open strings?

The open strings are Am7, and a straight line keeps the chord type while moving the pitch: five frets up, the same line is Dm7.