How to type ñ/á/é/í/ó/ú Spanish letters on a US layout keyboard?

[Individual-Heart-719]

Hello everyone,
I’ve recently switched my keyboard layout to the standard US layout (on Manjaro Linux) so I can use a modal editor more effectively. Now I’m running into trouble typing Spanish-specific characters: ñ, Ñ, and accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú).

Could you please suggest how to configure my system so I can type those characters while keeping the US layout?

Thanks in advance!

[Mirdarthos]

Hi @Individual-Heart-719,

I believe what you’re looking for is the Compose key. Have a look here:

Xorg/Keyboard configuration - ArchWiki

[DeLinuxCo]

@Individual-Heart-719 use the link that @Mirdarthos linked above and in conjunction with the cinnamon settings for keyboards > select the key you wish to use for the Compose Key, in my case, I use the Right Alt key etc.

[Individual-Heart-719]

Here’s how you can enable a Compose Key in Cinnamon on Manjaro Linux so that you can type Spanish letters (ñ, á, é, etc.) with a US‑layout keyboard. I’ll include a GUI method + a fallback via terminal/config files.

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GUI method (simplest)

1. Open Settings → Keyboard (or Keyboard & Mouse) in Cinnamon.
2. Go to the Layouts tab (or Input Sources / Layouts depending on version).
3. Click the Options… button.
4. Expand the section Position of Compose Key.
5. Choose a key you don’t normally use (e.g., Right Alt, Right Ctrl, Menu, CapsLock) to act as the Compose key. (Ask Ubuntu)
6. Apply/OK and close. Now: to type e.g. “á” you press then ' then a. For “ñ” you might press then ~ then n.

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Fallback / Terminal method

If the GUI doesn’t work (or you prefer config), you can edit keyboard configuration:

1. In a terminal, run something like:

   setxkbmap -option compose:ralt
   

   This sets Right Alt as your Compose key. (Arch Linux Forums)

2. To make it persistent, edit (or create) a file such as /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf (or similar) and include something like:

   Section "InputClass"
     Identifier "system-keyboard"
     MatchIsKeyboard "on"
     Option "XkbOptions" "compose:ralt"
   EndSection
   

   (Manjaro Linux Forum)

3. Alternatively, you can add it to your user profile login scripts: e.g., in ~/.xprofile etc., but note some display managers may ignore these. (Arch Linux Forums)

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Tips specific for Spanish and US layout

• Using a Compose key lets you keep the US (English) layout for the keyboard but still type accented Spanish letters easily.
• Example sequences: + ~ + n → ñ ; + ' + a → á ; + " + e → ë ; etc. (see full list of sequences) (It’s FOSS)
• If you also often type Spanish letters, you might consider using the “US International (with dead keys)” layout instead of plain US, but if you prefer a Compose key, the above works well.