Beginner 5 min Reference card
Rubik's Cube Notation Guide
Learn the language of the cube. Understand what R, U, L, D, F, and B mean.
To read algorithms and solve the cube, you need to understand the standard notation. Each letter refers to a face of the cube and how to turn it.
Basic Moves
A letter by itself means a 90-degree clockwise turn. A letter followed by an apostrophe (e.g., R') means a 90-degree counter-clockwise turn. A letter followed by a '2' (e.g., R2) means a 180-degree turn.
R
Turn the Right face clockwise.
R' counter-clockwise
R2 180°
L
Turn the Left face clockwise.
L' counter-clockwise
L2 180°
U
Turn the Up (top) face clockwise.
U' counter-clockwise
U2 180°
D
Turn the Down (bottom) face clockwise.
D' counter-clockwise
D2 180°
F
Turn the Front face clockwise.
F' counter-clockwise
F2 180°
B
Turn the Back face clockwise.
B' counter-clockwise
B2 180°
Modifiers
R
No modifier
Clockwise 90 degrees
R'
Counter-clockwise (apostrophe) — e.g. R'
Counter-clockwise 90 degrees
R2
180-degree turn — e.g. R2
180 degrees (either direction)
Wide Moves
Lowercase or 'w' suffix means move that face plus the adjacent inner slice together.
Rw Right face + middle slice (same as r).
Uw Up face + second layer (same as u).
Slice Moves
Single inner layers, not touching any outer face.
M Middle layer, same direction as L.
E Equatorial layer, same direction as D.
S Standing layer, same direction as F.
Cube Rotations
Rotate the entire cube without turning any face.
x Rotate the whole cube on R axis (like an R move).
y Rotate the whole cube on U axis (like a U move).
z Rotate the whole cube on F axis (like an F move).