D major (D) chord on ukulele

Looking for the D chord on ukulele? It is a major triad, made of three notes: D – F♯ – A.

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 5easy

Position 9medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

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What the D chord sounds like

A major triad sounds stable and bright: root, major third and perfect fifth. Most songs are built on major chords – in a major key, chords I, IV and V are all major.

Notes of the D chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	D	root
3	F♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	A	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (A): open (A4)
String 2 (E): fret 2, ring finger (F♯4)
String 3 (C): fret 2, middle finger (D4)
String 4 (G): fret 2, index finger (A4)

Position 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (A): fret 5, index finger (D5)
String 2 (E): fret 5, index finger (A4)
String 3 (C): fret 6, middle finger (F♯4)
String 4 (G): fret 7, ring finger (D5)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 9

String 1 (A): fret 9, middle finger (F♯5)
String 2 (E): fret 10, ring finger (D5)
String 3 (C): fret 9, index finger (A4)
String 4 (G): fret 11, little finger (F♯5)

Tuning: G C E A (the G string is higher than the C – standard re-entrant ukulele tuning). In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The D chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

D major: I (tonic)
G major: V (dominant)
A major: IV (subdominant)
G minor: V (dominant)
E minor: VII
B minor: III
F♯ minor: VI

Similar chords and substitutes

If D is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

Bm – relative minor: two shared notes, a common stand-in for the tonic
F♯m – mediant minor (iii): two shared notes
Dmaj7 – a softer, jazzier tonic colour
Dsus4 – suspended version that resolves back to this chord

Richer versions

D7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Dmaj7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
D6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Dadd9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the D chord?

D, F♯, A. The root is D; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth.

What is the easiest way to play D on ukulele?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the D chord written?

The chord symbol is D, and its full name is D major.