C Major ukulele chord

The shape

Tap the diagram to hear C Major strummed on the ukulele. C Major on ukulele is 0003 (numbers are frets on the g-C-E-A strings, starting from the g string on the left). It sits in the first few frets, comfortable for beginners.

Standard gCEA high-Gtuning (soprano / concert / tenor). Baritone ukulele (DGBE) uses different shapes and isn't covered here yet.

The notes in C Major

Because the uke's high-G string is re-entrant (it's a high note, not a bass), these notes don't stack low-to-high like a guitar — but the chord is the same: C (R), E (3), G (5).

What a major chord is

a major chord is the bright, resolved sound of the root, its major third and its perfect fifth stacked together — the first chord most people ever hear.

How it's used: It's the home base (I) of any major key, and it also lives as the IV and V. When a song feels settled and happy, a major chord is usually why.

The sound: Open, stable, cheerful — the default 'happy' chord. Where you'll hear it: Everywhere: pop, folk, rock, classical — the backbone of Western music.

Hear C Major in a progression

As the I chord, it's home. Here it is in a I–IV–V–I — the most common move in music. Played on the ukulele — press play, and drag Key to move it.

Keys that use C Major

C Major appears naturally in these keys — tap any to see all its chords:

Other C ukulele chords

major ukulele chords on other roots

Play guitar too? See C Major on guitar.

Chords and their spellings are shared facts of music theory. Every diagram and sound is generated by ThunderFret's own engine — no tabs, lyrics or recordings are reproduced.