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Umesh Kadam· 5 years ago
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On a normal computer keyboard with which number does * share a key?

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Replying to the question above
Updated on09/14/26

On a standard QWERTY keyboard, the asterisk symbol (*) shares its key with the number 8, sitting directly on the same keycap in the row of number keys above the letters. This is true across almost every standard English-language keyboard layout, whether it's built into a laptop, sold as a standalone desktop keyboard, or included with a compact wireless setup.

How the Shift Key Comes Into Play

  • Pressing the 8 key on its own types the number 8, just as expected with any number key.

  • Holding Shift and pressing that same key types the asterisk symbol instead, since Shift acts as a modifier that switches the key's output to its secondary character.

  • This pairing is standard across virtually every English-language QWERTY keyboard, whether it's a desktop keyboard, laptop keyboard, or a standard external keyboard layout, including most keyboards sold in the US, UK, and other English-speaking regions.

  • On numeric keypads, separate from the top row, the asterisk often appears as its own dedicated key rather than sharing space with a number, typically used to represent multiplication in calculator-style input.

Why Number Keys Double Up With Symbols

  • Most number keys along the top row of a keyboard carry two characters each, a number as the primary character and a symbol as the shifted character, a layout choice that has stuck around for decades.

  • This design dates back to early typewriters, where physical space for keys was limited and pairing related or commonly used symbols with numbers made the overall layout far more efficient.

  • Symbol placement wasn't random either. Keyboard designers historically grouped certain symbols with certain numbers based on how frequently those symbols were used together in typed documents at the time.

  • Other common pairings follow the same logic, like the number 1 sharing a key with the exclamation mark, and the number 2 sharing a key with the "at" symbol, both chosen for convenience rather than any strict mathematical relationship.

A Few Other Common Number-Symbol Pairings

  • 1 shares its key with the exclamation mark (!), commonly used to end sentences with emphasis or flag urgency in written text.

  • 2 shares its key with the "at" symbol (@), now most recognizable from email addresses and social media handles.

  • 3 shares its key with the number sign or hashtag (#), which has taken on a second life in recent years through social media tagging.

  • 4 shares its key with the dollar sign ($), used constantly in anything involving pricing or currency.

  • 5 shares its key with the percent symbol (%), frequently used in statistics, discounts, and measurements.

  • 6 shares its key with the caret symbol (^), commonly seen in mathematical notation to indicate an exponent.

  • 7 shares its key with the ampersand (&), often used as shorthand for "and" in titles, brand names, and casual writing.

  • 9 and 0 share their keys with the opening and closing parentheses, used constantly in writing, coding, and math.

Quick Tip to Remember This

Once these pairings become familiar, switching between numbers and their paired symbols becomes second nature, especially for anyone who types frequently, codes regularly, or creates passwords that mix numbers with special characters. The layout has stayed remarkably consistent for decades, which is part of why it's worth learning once and relying on it across nearly any standard keyboard encountered afterward.

Tara Verma
Ten years in the classroom, shaping minds — bringing the same clarity and purpose to every piece she writes about education.
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Tara Verma is a practising teacher and education content writer with over 10 years of classroom experience across primary and secondary levels. She holds a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.) from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Jamia Millia Islamia — qualifications that ground her writing in both pedagogical theory and the day-to-day realities of teaching in India. Her content covers exam preparation strategies, learning methodologies, curriculum guidance, student mental health, career counselling for students, and the evolving state of school and higher education in India. Her work has appeared on platforms including TeacherVision India, Jagran Josh, and Careers360, where she writes for students, parents, and fellow educators who need content built on actual teaching experience — not theory alone. Over a decade of working directly with students across age groups and learning levels has given Tara a practical understanding of how education content should be written — clearly, accessibly, and with genuine awareness of the challenges students and teachers face on the ground. She has taught 1,000+ students, contributed to school curriculum development initiatives, and published 250+ articles on education across digital platforms. She is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) India. Across all her writing, every recommendation is classroom-tested, every insight comes from direct teaching experience, and every article is held to the same standard she applies in her own classroom — accuracy, clarity, and genuine usefulness for the reader.

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Replying to the question above
Updated on10/04/25

On most standard keyboards, the * symbol usually shares the key with the number 8. Key placement is interesting, especially when thinking about how often certain keys are pressed. For example, the SPACEBAR is one of the most frequently used keys overall, and even tools exist to measure how quickly it can be pressed.

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