Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 3rd fret of the C string (3rd).
- Middle finger on the 5th fret of the G string (4th).
- Ring finger on the 5th fret of the E string (2nd).
- Little finger on the 6th fret of the A string (1st).
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (G) | fret 5 | middle | C5 | minor third |
| 3rd (C) | fret 3 | index | E♭4 | flat fifth |
| 2nd (E) | fret 5 | ring | A4 | root |
| 1st (A) | fret 6 | little | E♭5 | flat fifth |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
2 other ways to play Adim
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- 8080A shape at the 8th fret · two fingers
- 5056A shape at the 5th fret · three fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
5350 is Adim without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Holding it cleanly
It spans 4 frets. Bring the elbow in and let the hand turn slightly toward the body of the ukulele; the stretch comes from the hand opening, not from the fingers reaching.
The notes in Adim
A diminished chord is built from the root (1), ♭3 and ♭5 of its root’s major scale. From A that gives A – C – E♭. Two minor thirds stacked: tense and unstable, a passing chord between two steadier ones.
The same root, other chords: A major, Am, A7, Amaj7, Am7, Asus2, Asus4, Aaug.
Keys that use Adim
Adim is built from the notes of 2 keys. Each link is that key’s full set of ukulele chords — the ones that sound right next to this one.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Adim chord?
A diminished is three notes: A – C – E♭ — the root, ♭3 and ♭5 of the A major scale. On ukulele the shape 5356 sounds C5, E♭4, A4 and E♭5, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Adim on ukulele?
The usual shape is 5356 — a shape at the 3rd fret, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, 5350 is the same chord without the full barre.
What is the difference between Adim and Am?
One note. Adim is Am with its fifth lowered a semitone, to E♭. That flattened fifth is a tritone above the root — the most unstable interval there is — which is why Adim never sounds like a place to stop.
What keys is Adim in?
Adim is one of the seven chords of B♭ major (as vii°) and G minor (as ii°).