Latin small letter e with dot below

In Vietnamese it marks tone; in Yorùbá it marks a separate vowel. Vietnamese uses the dot below e for the tone called nặng. In the Yorùbá language, ẹ is a vowel in its own right, distinct from plain e. Read the whole word to know which writing system you are seeing.

How do I type ẹ?

Use the Vietnamese input method enabled on your device. Telex uses ej, VNI uses e5, and VIQR uses e.. These sequences work only in their matching input modes.

For a whole Vietnamese word, UniKey recommends entering the tone mark at the end so the input method can place it correctly.

Where does ẹ come from?

The Vietnamese writing system has a traceable history. In the early 17th century, Jesuit missionaries developed Latin-script Vietnamese for language study, religious work, translation, and correspondence. The system grew through collaborative work on letters, catechisms, and dictionaries.

The romanized script is documented in 1651 and appears in a report by Vietnamese writers by 1659. It later became known as Chữ Quốc Ngữ and spread beyond mission texts. These dates trace Vietnamese writing, not the first appearance of this exact lowercase letter.