---
title: "Capital letters"
level: A1
chapter: "Sounds and spelling"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/capital-letters
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Capital letters

In Dutch, days and months get a small letter (_maandag_, _januari_), but languages and nationalities get a capital (_Nederlands_, _een Spanjaard_). Names of people, places and institutions are capitalised, the polite _u_ is not, and when a word starting with _ij_ needs a capital, both letters go up: _IJsland_.

## The pattern

> A capital letter starts a sentence or a name. Languages, nationalities and adjectives from place names count as names; days, months and the polite _u_ do not.

- Small: days and months, such as _dinsdag_, _zaterdag_, _maart_, _oktober_.
- Capital: languages, nationalities and adjectives made from countries and places: _Engels_, _Arabisch_, _een Nederlander_, _Spaanse wijn_.
- Capital: names of people, places, streets and institutions: _Fatima_, _Rotterdam_, _de Kalverstraat_, _de Belastingdienst_. Holidays are names too: _Koningsdag_, _Pasen_.
- Small: ordinary nouns, even important ones: _de gemeente_, _de huisarts_.
- _IJ_: when _ij_ starts a name or a sentence, both letters go up: _IJmuiden_.
- Small: the polite _u_ (formal "you"), and _ik_ (I) inside a sentence.

## Examples

| Mijn verjaardag is in **juli**. | My birthday is in July. |
| Op **woensdag** gaat Sanne naar de markt. | On Wednesday Sanne goes to the market. |
| Priya spreekt **Engels** en een beetje **Nederlands**. | Priya speaks English and a little Dutch. |
| Carlos is een **Spanjaard**. | Carlos is a Spaniard. |
| Joris eet graag **Nederlandse** kaas. | Joris likes eating Dutch cheese. |
| **IJs** is lekker in de zomer. | Ice cream is lovely in summer. |
| Yara woont in **IJmuiden**. | Yara lives in IJmuiden. |
| Goedemiddag, kunt **u** mij helpen? | Good afternoon, can you help me? |
| Daan werkt bij de **Belastingdienst** in **Utrecht**. | Daan works for the tax office in Utrecht. |

## Why it works this way

A capital in Dutch says: this is a name, one specific person, place or organisation.

- _de stad_ (any city) versus _Utrecht_ (one city)
- _de universiteit_ (any university) versus _de Universiteit Utrecht_ (one institution)

Languages, nationalities and adjectives like _Nederlandse_ belong to a place on the map: _Nederlands_ goes with _Nederland_, _Spaans_ and _Spanjaard_ with _Spanje_. That link earns them the capital.

Days and months have no such link. Dutch files them with ordinary time words like _ochtend_ (morning) and _zomer_ (summer). English already writes morning and summer small; Dutch simply adds Monday and January to the same drawer. More in Days, months and dates.

The pair _ij_ behaves almost like one letter (see [ui, eu, ij, ei, ou, au, oe, ie](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/vowel-combinations)), so it goes up as a pair. The water behind Amsterdam's central station is even called _het IJ_.

The polite _u_ shows respect through the word itself, not through a capital. You may see _U_ in prayers or very old-fashioned letters, but your email to the _gemeente_ uses _u_. See [U or jij](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/u-or-jij) for when to use it.

Remember: a capital marks the start of a sentence, a name, or a word tied to a place on the map. Days and months stay small.

## Watch out

- Not: _Tot Maandag!_ Say: _Tot maandag!_ (days are lowercase)
- Not: _Ik spreek een beetje nederlands._ Say: _Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands._ (languages always take a capital, unlike in Spanish or French)
- Not: _Ijsland_ Say: _IJsland_ (_ij_ is capitalised as a pair)
- Not: _Kunt U mij helpen?_ Say: _Kunt u mij helpen?_ (the polite _u_ is lowercase in everyday writing)
- Not: _Ik heb een nieuwe Fiets._ Say: _Ik heb een nieuwe fiets._ (ordinary nouns are lowercase, unlike in German)

## Quick check

1. Fix the sentence: _Het is vaak koud in Februari._
2. Choose: _Mei komt uit China. Ze spreekt ..._ (_chinees_ or _Chinees_)
3. Choose: _Bas gaat in augustus naar ..._ (_Ijsland_ or _IJsland_)
4. Fix the sentence: _Kunt U de Huisarts bellen?_

## Answers

1. _Het is vaak koud in februari._ (months are lowercase)
2. _Chinees_ (languages take a capital)
3. _IJsland_ (both letters of _ij_ become capitals)
4. _Kunt u de huisarts bellen?_ (the polite _u_ and ordinary nouns are lowercase)

## Use it today

Write a short message to a neighbour or colleague in Dutch with three facts: where you come from, which languages you speak and which day you are free this week. Then check every capital: does it start a sentence, or is it a name, a language, a nationality or an adjective from a place name like _Nederlandse_? If not, make it small, and make sure every language and nationality does have its capital.

## Questions learners ask

**Are days of the week capitalised in Dutch?**

No. Days and months are written with a small letter in Dutch, so you write maandag and januari, unless the word starts a sentence.

**Why is IJsland written with two capital letters?**

In Dutch, ij works almost like one letter, so when it starts a name or a sentence both parts become capitals: IJsland, IJmuiden, or IJs at the start of a sentence. Writing Ijsland is a spelling mistake.

**Do you write the formal u with a capital in Dutch?**

No, the polite u is lowercase, also in formal emails and letters: Kunt u mij helpen? A capital U appears mainly in prayers and very old-fashioned letters.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.