It’s easy for guitar players to start learning to play the ukulele because the standard G-C-E-A tuning lends itself to the chord shapes that match the top four strings of a guitar. You’ll just need to be able to transpose the chords.

However, if you only know how to play guitar chord shapes on the ukulele, you’ll miss a few gems. Just for fun, we’ll call them the hidden ukulele chords. Knowing these chords will help you get around the fretboard a little easier. Let’s see what they are.

We’ll use screen captures from our handy ukulele chord dictionary that comes built-in with eMedia Ukulele Method, a interactive course for learning to play the ukulele.

The E7 ukulele chord

This one is not obvious to most guitarists even though it’s a common chord in songs. It’s also very easy to play! The notes from left-to-right are G#, D, E, and B. These are the 3rd, 7th, root, and 5th of the E7 chord! If you played this shape on a guitar (playing only the top four strings), it would be a B7 with the 3rd on the bottom.

The Em ukulele chord

Here’s another fun hidden ukulele chord. Normally, you’d think to play fret 4 on the 4th string, and if you did it would work fine. It sounds OK, but take advantage of the open G string which is actually an octave up. Then you only need three fingers to play the chord. In this voicing, the notes from left-to-right are G, E, G, and B. These are the minor 3rd, root, minor 3rd, and 5th of the Em chord. If you played the same shape on a guitar (playing only the top four strings), you’d have a Bm chord with a minor 3rd on the bottom.

The Fm ukulele chord

This one is a super secret, hidden gem. The notes are Ab, C, F, and C. These are the minor 3rd, 5th, root, and 5th of the Fm chord. If you played this shape on a guitar (using only the top four strings), it would be a Cm with a minor 3rd on the bottom.

The Cm ukulele chord

The final hidden ukulele chord in today’s list is the super easy-to-play Cm ukulele chord. Just one finger is all you need. The notes are G, Eb, G, and C. These are the 5th, minor 3rd, 5th, and root of the Cm chord. If you played this shape on a guitar (playing only the top four strings), you’d hear a Gm chord with the 5th on the bottom.