A one-script installer that adds a Tamazight (QWERTY - Latin - Tamɛemrit) keyboard layout to GNOME on Linux — no manual XKB editing, no reboot required.
The layout follows a QWERTY base and adds Tamazight-specific characters where they naturally belong, using the Shift layer for uppercase and dedicated keys for phonemes that don't exist in standard Latin.
Visual reference for the key mapping.
- Linux with GNOME desktop environment
gsettings(ships with GNOME)python3(used internally to safely parse gsettings values)- Bash 4+
Tested on Fedora 49 (Wayland). Should work on Ubuntu/Debian GNOME, openSUSE, Arch+GNOME, and similar.
# Clone or download the script
git clone https://github.com/m4sensen/tamazight-latin-keyboard.git
cd tamazight-latin-keyboard
bash install.sh installThe script will:
- Write the XKB symbols file to
~/.config/xkb/symbols/tmz - Write the rules file to
~/.config/xkb/rules/evdev.xml - Add the layout to GNOME's input sources via
gsettings
No sudo needed. Everything installs to your home directory.
After installation, switch layouts with:
Super + Space
Or open Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources to manage layouts visually.
The layout appears as "Tamazight (QWERTY, Latin, Tamɛemrit)" in the GNOME input source selector.
Screenshot showing the layout in GNOME input sources.
bash install.sh uninstallThis removes both the XKB files and the entry from GNOME's input sources. Your other layouts remain untouched.
GNOME supports user-local XKB configuration at ~/.config/xkb/ — no system-wide files are touched. The script places two files:
~/.config/xkb/
├── symbols/
│ └── tmz ← XKB symbols definition (the actual key mappings)
└── rules/
└── evdev.xml ← Layout metadata (name, language tag, variant list)
The layout is then registered in GNOME's input sources using gsettings, which handles both Wayland (libxkbcommon reads ~/.config/xkb natively) and X11 (GNOME applies it via setxkbmap on session start).
gsettings values are parsed with python3 -c "import ast, os; ..." using environment variables to safely handle shell quoting — no eval, no injection risk.
- Emphatic consonants at Level 3 (AltGr) — ṣ ḍ ṭ ṛ ẓ are placed on AltGr+s d t r z because they are phonetically the emphatic versions of those exact consonants. The physical relationship between the plain and emphatic form is built into the layout itself.
- o → ɛ and v → ɣ — Tamazight has no o or v sounds. Rather than leaving those keys as dead weight, they are replaced entirely with ɛ (epsilon) and ɣ (gamma) — two phonemes that are central to the language and now have dedicated, unshifted keys.
- ḥ is not on h — typing ḥ requires holding Right Alt, but h is on the right side of the keyboard — directly above the Right Alt key. Reaching both simultaneously is physically awkward. Placing ḥ on p instead (an unused key, since Tamazight has no p sound) keeps it accessible with a comfortable left-hand + right-thumb motion.
- ⵣ replaces $ on Shift+4 — Amazighs has no currency symbol on the keyboard that reflects daily life. ⵣ (Tifinagh Yaz) is not just a character — it is the symbol of Amazigh identity. It belongs on the keyboard at least as much as a dollar sign does, and Shift+4 gives it a permanent, easy-to-remember home.
- « and » replace < and > — Tamazight is a spoken language with a rich oral tradition. When it is written, quotation marks appear constantly, so they replace the angle brackets that would otherwise sit unused on those keys.
| File | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
install.sh |
Project root | Main install/uninstall script |
~/.config/xkb/symbols/tmz |
User XKB dir | Key mapping definitions |
~/.config/xkb/rules/evdev.xml |
User XKB dir | Layout registration metadata |
Layout doesn't appear in GNOME Settings Log out and back in. GNOME caches input sources on session start.
Characters don't type correctly on Wayland
Ensure your compositor reads ~/.config/xkb. This is standard in GNOME 42+ but may require a session restart after first install.
AltGr characters don't work
The layout uses include "level3(ralt_switch)" which maps Right Alt to the Level 3 modifier. If your keyboard remaps Right Alt, this won't work without adjusting the symbols file.
Script fails on non-GNOME desktops
This script is GNOME-specific. For KDE, XFCE, or bare X11 setups, the XKB files can still be used — but you'll need to apply them manually (e.g. via setxkbmap).
Yaz (ⵣ) symbol does not appear The Yaz character (ⵣ, Unicode U+2D63) may not render if the system lacks fonts with Tifinagh support. Install a font package that includes this Unicode block — Noto Sans Tifinagh on Google Fonts is a good option.
Issues, corrections to the key mappings, and compatibility reports from other distros are all welcome. Open an issue or submit a pull request.
This project is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0. See LICENSE for details.
Made with love for Tamazight. ❤️ⵣ