# Is there a way to use kakoune with colemak keyboard layout? **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [July 30, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819 "2021-07-30T22:34:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![timber](https://discuss.kakoune.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@timber](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/timber)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/1 "2021-07-30T22:34:36Z")
colemak disperses hjkl, so it would be difficult to navigate a file with colemak keyboard layout. ---
**Author:** ![bravekarma](https://discuss.kakoune.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@bravekarma](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/bravekarma)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/2 "2021-07-31T01:26:36Z")
A few references from here regarding using Kakoune with alternative layouts: > [@Kakoune for non-qwerty layouts?](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/kakoune-for-non-qwerty-layouts/403/5): > > Thank you all for your answers! To conclude, I decided to use kakoune mostly without remapping because semantic meaning can be useful to learn as pointed out (though often there is no apparent semantic meaning like \, o, \, …). However, there are numerous awkward mapping for bépo (I mean really uncomfortable). I believe most of the \ mappings for qwerty or maybe dvorak can be done using left hand for alt and right hand for the character, while with bépo it’s the left han… > [@Switching keyboard layouts in insert mode](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/switching-keyboard-layouts-in-insert-mode/553): > > So, [maybe you know that I’m Russian](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/do-any-non-english-speakers-use-kakoune/480/3) or maybe not, but I know that on this forum we got several posts about using Kakoune with non qwerty layouts: [[1]](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/do-any-non-english-speakers-use-kakoune/480) [[2]](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/kakoune-for-non-qwerty-layouts/403/4), as well as some discussions on Kakoune’s GitHub issue tracker: [[3]](https://github.com/mawww/kakoune/issues/2151). Since for me it’s not a big deal, as I don’t really need non qwerty layout, I don’t notice the problem too much. But sometimes I want to write Russian text in Insert mode, and still be able to use Kakoune commands in normal mode. I could use system-wide layout change, but thi… > [@Switching between different keyboard layouts](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/switching-between-different-keyboard-layouts/1786): > > I thought I’d show how I handle multiple keyboard layouts in my kakoune configuration in case that’s useful to anyone. On my laptop, I alternate between using the built-in Qwerty keyboard, and an external ortholinear keyboard in Dvorak. On Dvorak, I remap H, T, N, S to H, J, K, L., but I also want an easy way to remove those mappings when I switch to Qwerty. To do that: I create a file with Dvorak-specific bindings at ~/.config/kak/keymaps/dvorak.kak, consisting of only map commands: set-optio… ---
**Author:** ![JJK96](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/jjk96/32/305_2.png) [@JJK96](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/JJK96)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:25am UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/3 "2021-08-01T11:25:53Z")
I’ve been using kakoune with colemak for 2 years now. Check out my mappings: [kakoune-config/colemak.kak at master · JJK96/kakoune-config · GitHub](https://github.com/JJK96/kakoune-config/blob/master/autoload/colemak.kak) ---
**Author:** ![SeerLite](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/seerlite/32/1152_2.png) [@SeerLite](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/SeerLite)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/4 "2021-08-01T15:45:14Z")
I’ve also been using Kakoune with Colemak-DH for a long time. At first I was using the default bindings to see if I could get used to them. I did, but after a while it started to get really uncomfortable because of the `hjkl`, so a few weeks ago I decided to remap every one of my bindings and even change some of non-`hjkl` bindings too to try to get them as comfortable as possible in every way. Since I was already going out of my way to learn a new more efficient layout like Colemak-DH, might as well learn a new more efficient layout for modal editing. (Yeah, I didn’t have anything better to do) I made `mnei` (`hnei` on vanilla Colemak, `hjkl` on qwerty) the directional movement keys, and `luy` (`uio` on qwerty) the word movement keys (`bwe`). This makes the right hand responsible for all movement and I find them really intuitive. Then I had to cycle some other keys to fit all those changes in. Like e.g. `h` (`m` on both Colemak and qwerty) is my `i` (insert mode) now. I’ve been really happy with these changes and my discomfort with `hjkl` is gone. Only problem after that was, if the default Kakoune bindings made going back to just Vim hard, these mappings made the whole TUI `hjkl` ecosystem harder haha. I’ve been remapping only the programs I use the most to use `mnei` as `hjkl` and then I fall back to a layer on [KMonad](https://github.com/kmonad/kmonad) that maps them to the arrow keys instead. It’s been working good enough for me that way. I’d post my config but right now it’s a big mess with lots of repeated mappings for all modes. I haven’t gotten around to organizing it yet. ---
**Author:** ![distrohop](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/distrohop/32/1075_2.png) [@distrohop](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/distrohop)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/5 "2023-05-06T21:14:21Z")
I’m diving into Colemak-DH; are you still using Kak? How has your config evolved? ---
**Author:** ![bravekarma](https://discuss.kakoune.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@bravekarma](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/bravekarma)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/6 "2023-05-07T19:13:18Z")
I myself also switched to Colemak DH full time recently and the most difficult part was overcoming muscle memory for shell shortcuts and modal editors. Since I use a [programmable ergonomic keyboard](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/ergonomic-keyboards/891), I have arrow keys mapped to the home row so I started using them instead of hjkl. It required a [few additional shortcuts](https://github.com/caksoylar/dotfiles/commit/81b2fdf893af5e8f4cc036bf497721ace5e02996) but all in all it was a pretty minimal config change. ---
**Author:** ![joemaro](https://discuss.kakoune.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@joemaro](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/joemaro)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-use-kakoune-with-colemak-keyboard-layout/1819/7 "2023-06-19T18:55:00Z")
I’ve been using kakoune for a long time now and have been using colemak way before that … here’s my bindings, i use an `e` and `u` for up/down and `n` and `i` for left/right, like the shape of the arrow keys … i love that config and haven’t made any changes for a long time because of how well this works: > **expand the config** > > ```auto > #MAPPINGS > #---------------------- > # insert mode > map global normal s i > map global normal S I > > #; works as : > map global normal \; : > > #swap t+a ... i prefer t for insertmode > map global normal t a > map global normal T A > map global normal a t > map global normal A T > > #comment binding > map global normal -docstring 'comment line' '#' ':comment-line' > > #move cursor in insert mode > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > map global insert > > #select command > map global normal j s > map global normal J S > > #undo/redo > map global normal z u > map global normal Z U > > #cursor movement > map global normal e j > map global normal u k > map global normal i l > map global normal n h > #word left/right > map global normal l b > map global normal y w > > #scroll half a page up/down > map global normal > > #yank (copy paste) > map global normal C y > map global normal p P > map global normal P p > # map global normal y > > # extend cursor downwards > map global normal C > > #search next/prev > map global normal k n > map global normal K > map global normal N > map global normal > > #extend selection by words > map global normal L B > map global normal Y E > > #select chars left/right > map global normal N H > map global normal I L > > #select line up/down > #(select to) end/beginning of line > map global normal U K > map global normal E J > map global normal > map global normal > > #leave insert mode > map global insert > map global insert > > #move line up/down > map global normal xdkP > map global normal xdp > > #save with Ctrl-s > map global normal :w > map global insert :w > #exit with Ctrl-q > map global normal :q > map global normal Q :q > > # case in- and sensitive search > map -docstring 'case insensitive search' global normal '/' /(?i) > map -docstring 'case insensitive backward search' global normal '' (?i) > map -docstring 'case insensitive extend search' global normal '?' ?(?i) > map -docstring 'case insensitive backward extend-search' global normal '' (?i) > > #move stuff left/right > map global normal hd > map global normal i > > ```