Seventh Chords: maj7, 7, m7, m7♭5 and dim7

A seventh chord is a three-note chord with a 7th added on top. The kind of triad and the kind of 7th give the five common types: major 7th (maj7), dominant 7th (7), minor 7th (m7), half-diminished (m7♭5) and diminished 7th (dim7). Below: how each is built, where it appears in a key, and diagrams on every root.

How they are built

Chord	Symbol	Formula	Example	Where it appears
Major 7th	maj7, M7, Δ7	1 – 3 – 5 – 7	Cmaj7: C – E – G – B	Imaj7 and IVmaj7 in major keys
Dominant 7th	7	1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7	C7: C – E – G – B♭	V7 in major keys (and in minor with the raised 7th)
Minor 7th	m7, min7, −7	1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7	Cm7: C – E♭ – G – B♭	ii7, iii7 and vi7 in major keys
Half-diminished 7th	m7♭5, ø7	1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7	Cm7♭5: C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭	viiø7 in major keys, iiø7 in minor keys
Diminished 7th	dim7, °7	1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – 𝄫7	Cdim7: C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫	vii°7 in minor keys with the raised 7th
Minor-major 7th	mMaj7	1 – ♭3 – 5 – 7	CmMaj7: C – E♭ – G – B	a minor chord with the major 7th

Major 7th or dominant 7th?

The difference is one note. A major 7th has the 7th 11 semitones above the root (one semitone below the octave); a dominant 7th has a minor 7th, 10 semitones above. Cmaj7 is C – E – G – B; C7 is C – E – G – B♭. In chord symbols, a plain "7" means the dominant 7th.

On every root: names and notes

maj7	7	m7
Cmaj7 C E G B	C7 C E G B♭	Cm7 C E♭ G B♭
C♯maj7 C♯ E♯ G♯ B♯	D♭7 D♭ F A♭ C♭	C♯m7 C♯ E G♯ B
Dmaj7 D F♯ A C♯	D7 D F♯ A C	Dm7 D F A C
E♭maj7 E♭ G B♭ D	E♭7 E♭ G B♭ D♭	E♭m7 E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭
Emaj7 E G♯ B D♯	E7 E G♯ B D	Em7 E G B D
Fmaj7 F A C E	F7 F A C E♭	E♯m7 E♯ G♯ B♯ D♯
F♯maj7 F♯ A♯ C♯ E♯	F♯7 F♯ A♯ C♯ E	F♯m7 F♯ A C♯ E
Gmaj7 G B D F♯	G7 G B D F	Gm7 G B♭ D F
A♭maj7 A♭ C E♭ G	A♭7 A♭ C E♭ G♭	G♯m7 G♯ B D♯ F♯
Amaj7 A C♯ E G♯	A7 A C♯ E G	Am7 A C E G
B♭maj7 B♭ D F A	B♭7 B♭ D F A♭	B♭m7 B♭ D♭ F A♭
Bmaj7 B D♯ F♯ A♯	B7 B D♯ F♯ A	Bm7 B D F♯ A

Dominant 7th chords on guitar

C7

x32310
D♭7 C♯7

x4342x
D7

xx0212
E♭7 D♯7

xx1323
E7

020100
F7

131211
F♯7 G♭7

242322
G7

320001
A♭7 G♯7

xxx112
A7

x02020
B♭7 A♯7

x13131
B7

x21202

Major 7th chords on guitar

Cmaj7

x32000
C♯maj7 D♭maj7

x43111
Dmaj7

xx0222
E♭maj7 D♯maj7

xx1333
Emaj7

021100
Fmaj7

xx3210
F♯maj7 G♭maj7

243322
Gmaj7

320002
A♭maj7 G♯maj7

465544
Amaj7

x02120
B♭maj7 A♯maj7

x13231
Bmaj7

x24342

Minor 7th chords on guitar

Cm7

x3134x
C♯m7 D♭m7

x46454
Dm7

xx0211
E♭m7 D♯m7

xx1322
Em7

022030
E♯m7 Fm7

131111
F♯m7 G♭m7

242222
Gm7

353333
G♯m7 A♭m7

464444
Am7

x02010
B♭m7 A♯m7

x13121
Bm7

x24232

Dominant 7th chords on piano

C7

C E G B♭
C♯7 D♭7

C♯ E♯ G♯ B
D7

D F♯ A C
E♭7 D♯7

E♭ G B♭ D♭
E7

E G♯ B D
F7

F A C E♭
F♯7 G♭7

F♯ A♯ C♯ E
G7

G B D F
A♭7 G♯7

A♭ C E♭ G♭
A7

A C♯ E G
B♭7 A♯7

B♭ D F A♭
B7

B D♯ F♯ A

Dominant 7th chords on ukulele

C7

0001
C♯7 D♭7

1112
D7

2223
E♭7 D♯7

3334
E7

1202
F7

2313
F♯7 G♭7

3424
G7

0212
A♭7 G♯7

1323
A7

0100
B♭7 A♯7

1211
B7

2322

See also: the guitar chord chart, the piano chord chart, the ukulele chord chart, the chord builder and the chord identifier.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a 7th chord?

A 7th chord is a triad (root, 3rd and 5th) plus the 7th note above the root. The type of triad (major, minor or diminished) and the type of 7th (major, minor or diminished) give the chord its name.

What are the types of 7th chords?

The five common ones are major 7th (1 – 3 – 5 – 7), dominant 7th (1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7), minor 7th (1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7), half-diminished (1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7) and diminished 7th (1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – 𝄫7). The minor-major 7th (1 – ♭3 – 5 – 7) is less common.

What is the difference between a 7th chord and a major 7th chord?

"7" means a dominant 7th, with a minor 7th on top: C7 = C – E – G – B♭. "maj7" has a major 7th, one semitone higher: Cmaj7 = C – E – G – B.

What are the symbols for 7th chords?

Major 7th: maj7, M7 or Δ7. Dominant 7th: 7. Minor 7th: m7, min7 or −7. Half-diminished: m7♭5 or ø7. Diminished 7th: dim7 or °7.

Which 7th chords are in a major key?

In C major: Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7 and Bm7♭5 (Imaj7 ii7 iii7 IVmaj7 V7 vi7 viiø7). Every major key has the same pattern.

Last updated: October 12, 2026