Dm7♭5 chord on ukulele

Dm7♭5 is D, F, A♭ and C. The usual shape is 1-2-1-3. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

1-2-1-3 · movable · medium

Notes: D · F · A♭ · C
Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
First shape: 1-2-1-3

How to play Dm7♭5 on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-2-1-3, reading from the G string on the left:

Index finger: G string, 1st fret (A♭).
Middle finger: E string, 1st fret (F).
Ring finger: C string, 2nd fret (D).
Pinky: A string, 3rd fret (C).

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play Dm7♭5

5-5-4-5: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
7-8-8-8: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.
10-12-10-11: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Moving between Dm7♭5 and its neighbours

Songs rarely hold Dm7♭5 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

G7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Dm7♭5 (1-2-1-3) to G7 (0-2-1-2): the index finger goes to the E string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the C string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share D and F, which is why the change sounds smooth. G7 on ukulele
E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): Dm7♭5 (1-2-1-3) to E♭maj7 (3-3-3-5): move the index finger to the G string, 3rd fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share D, which is why the change sounds smooth. E♭maj7 on ukulele
Gm7 (iii in E♭ major): Dm7♭5 (1-2-1-3) to Gm7 (0-2-1-1): your ring finger stays put, the index finger goes to the E string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the A string at the same fret. Listen for D and F, which stay put while the rest moves. Gm7 on ukulele

Dm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). All 4 notes of Dm7♭5 fit on the ukulele's four strings. On ukulele you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice Dm7♭5 in two minutes

Arpeggiate 1-2-1-3 from the lowest string: A♭, D, F, C. Then strum it and listen for the same 4 notes together. Finish by moving between 1-2-1-3 and 5-5-4-5 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Dm7♭5 in context

Dm7♭5 on guitar and piano

Dm7♭5 on guitar and piano uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Related D chords on ukulele

Other half-diminished chords

Dm7♭5 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in Dm7♭5 on ukulele?

D, F, A♭ and C. In the 1-2-1-3 shape the strings play A♭ (G string), D (C string), F (E string) and C (A string).

What's the easiest way to play Dm7♭5 on ukulele?

No open-string Dm7♭5 exists in standard tuning; 1-2-1-3 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is Dm7♭5 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not in its common form: 1-2-1-3 needs no barre.

Which string does Dm7♭5 start on?

In the 1-2-1-3 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭, the diminished fifth.

Every shape above plays only D, F, A♭ and C, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.