diff --git a/src/shl_misc.h b/src/shl_misc.h
index 47bee10..9afd058 100644
--- a/src/shl_misc.h
+++ b/src/shl_misc.h
@@ -95,4 +95,35 @@ static inline unsigned int shl_get_xkb_mods(struct xkb_state *state)
 	return mods;
 }
 
+static inline uint32_t shl_get_ascii(struct xkb_state *state, uint32_t keycode,
+				     const uint32_t *keysyms,
+				     unsigned int num_keysyms)
+{
+	struct xkb_keymap *keymap;
+	xkb_layout_index_t num_layouts;
+	xkb_layout_index_t layout;
+	xkb_level_index_t level;
+	const xkb_keysym_t *syms;
+	int num_syms;
+
+	if (num_keysyms == 1 && keysyms[0] < 128)
+		return keysyms[0];
+
+	keymap = xkb_state_get_map(state);
+	num_layouts = xkb_keymap_num_layouts_for_key(keymap, keycode);
+
+	for (layout = 0; layout < num_layouts; layout++) {
+		level = xkb_state_key_get_level(state, keycode, layout);
+		num_syms = xkb_keymap_key_get_syms_by_level(keymap, keycode,
+							layout, level, &syms);
+		if (num_syms != 1)
+			continue;
+
+		if (syms[0] < 128)
+			return syms[0];
+	}
+
+	return XKB_KEY_NoSymbol;
+}
+
 #endif /* SHL_MISC_H */
diff --git a/src/terminal.c b/src/terminal.c
index e8f6f24..460dd22 100644
--- a/src/terminal.c
+++ b/src/terminal.c
@@ -393,8 +393,8 @@ static void input_event(struct uterm_input *input,
 	if (ev->num_syms > 1)
 		return;
 
-	if (tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(term->vte, ev->keysyms[0], ev->mods,
-				    ev->codepoints[0])) {
+	if (tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(term->vte, ev->keysyms[0], ev->ascii,
+				    ev->mods, ev->codepoints[0])) {
 		tsm_screen_sb_reset(term->console);
 		schedule_redraw(term);
 		ev->handled = true;
diff --git a/src/tsm_vte.c b/src/tsm_vte.c
index 155b242..5fd9bd6 100644
--- a/src/tsm_vte.c
+++ b/src/tsm_vte.c
@@ -2152,10 +2152,12 @@ void tsm_vte_input(struct tsm_vte *vte, const char *u8, size_t len)
 }
 
 bool tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(struct tsm_vte *vte, uint32_t keysym,
-			     unsigned int mods, uint32_t unicode)
+			     uint32_t ascii, unsigned int mods,
+			     uint32_t unicode)
 {
 	char val, u8[4];
 	size_t len;
+	uint32_t sym;
 
 	/* MOD1 (mostly labeled 'Alt') prepends an escape character to every
 	 * input that is sent by a key.
@@ -2167,8 +2169,22 @@ bool tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(struct tsm_vte *vte, uint32_t keysym,
 	if (mods & TSM_ALT_MASK)
 		vte->flags |= FLAG_PREPEND_ESCAPE;
 
+	/* A user might actually use multiple layouts for keyboard input. The
+	 * @keysym variable contains the actual keysym that the user used. But
+	 * if this keysym is not in the ascii range, the input handler does
+	 * check all other layouts that the user specified whether one of them
+	 * maps the key to some ASCII keysym and provides this via @ascii.
+	 * We always use the real keysym except when handling CTRL+<XY>
+	 * shortcuts we use the ascii keysym. This is for compatibility to xterm
+	 * et. al. so ctrl+c always works regardless of the currently active
+	 * keyboard layout.
+	 * But if no ascii-sym is found, we still use the real keysym. */
+	sym = ascii;
+	if (sym == XKB_KEY_NoSymbol)
+		sym = keysym;
+
 	if (mods & TSM_CONTROL_MASK) {
-		switch (keysym) {
+		switch (sym) {
 		case XKB_KEY_2:
 		case XKB_KEY_space:
 			vte_write(vte, "\x00", 1);
diff --git a/src/tsm_vte.h b/src/tsm_vte.h
index d12b27a..638ac95 100644
--- a/src/tsm_vte.h
+++ b/src/tsm_vte.h
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ void tsm_vte_reset(struct tsm_vte *vte);
 void tsm_vte_hard_reset(struct tsm_vte *vte);
 void tsm_vte_input(struct tsm_vte *vte, const char *u8, size_t len);
 bool tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(struct tsm_vte *vte, uint32_t keysym,
-			     unsigned int mods, uint32_t unicode);
+			     uint32_t ascii, unsigned int mods,
+			     uint32_t unicode);
 
 #endif /* TSM_VTE_H */
diff --git a/src/uterm.h b/src/uterm.h
index 333e2cc..5424462 100644
--- a/src/uterm.h
+++ b/src/uterm.h
@@ -271,6 +271,7 @@ enum uterm_input_modifier {
 struct uterm_input_event {
 	bool handled;		/* user-controlled, default is false */
 	uint16_t keycode;	/* linux keycode - KEY_* - linux/input.h */
+	uint32_t ascii;		/* ascii keysym for @keycode */
 	unsigned int mods;	/* active modifiers - uterm_modifier mask */
 
 	unsigned int num_syms;	/* number of keysyms */
diff --git a/src/uterm_input_uxkb.c b/src/uterm_input_uxkb.c
index caa1cb4..09b8a52 100644
--- a/src/uterm_input_uxkb.c
+++ b/src/uterm_input_uxkb.c
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ int uxkb_dev_process(struct uterm_input_dev *dev,
 
 	dev->event.handled = false;
 	dev->event.keycode = code;
+	dev->event.ascii = shl_get_ascii(state, code, keysyms, num_keysyms);
 	dev->event.mods = shl_get_xkb_mods(state);
 	dev->event.num_syms = num_keysyms;
 	memcpy(dev->event.keysyms, keysyms, sizeof(uint32_t) * num_keysyms);
diff --git a/src/wlt_terminal.c b/src/wlt_terminal.c
index 505945d..96b5bf0 100644
--- a/src/wlt_terminal.c
+++ b/src/wlt_terminal.c
@@ -398,7 +398,8 @@ static const struct wl_data_source_listener copy_listener = {
 };
 
 static bool widget_key(struct wlt_widget *widget, unsigned int mask,
-		       uint32_t sym, uint32_t state, bool handled, void *data)
+		       uint32_t sym, uint32_t ascii, uint32_t state,
+		       bool handled, void *data)
 {
 	struct wlt_terminal *term = data;
 	uint32_t ucs4;
@@ -536,7 +537,7 @@ static bool widget_key(struct wlt_widget *widget, unsigned int mask,
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	if (tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(term->vte, sym, mask, ucs4)) {
+	if (tsm_vte_handle_keyboard(term->vte, sym, ascii, mask, ucs4)) {
 		tsm_screen_sb_reset(term->scr);
 		wlt_window_schedule_redraw(term->wnd);
 		return true;
diff --git a/src/wlt_theme.c b/src/wlt_theme.c
index b4e65d1..52b7d17 100644
--- a/src/wlt_theme.c
+++ b/src/wlt_theme.c
@@ -531,7 +531,8 @@ static void widget_pointer_button(struct wlt_widget *widget,
 }
 
 static bool widget_key(struct wlt_widget *widget, unsigned int mask,
-		       uint32_t sym, uint32_t state, bool handled, void *data)
+		       uint32_t sym, uint32_t ascii, uint32_t state,
+		       bool handled, void *data)
 {
 	struct wlt_theme *theme = data;
 
diff --git a/src/wlt_toolkit.c b/src/wlt_toolkit.c
index 8531244..6b358c4 100644
--- a/src/wlt_toolkit.c
+++ b/src/wlt_toolkit.c
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ struct wlt_display {
 	struct wlt_window *keyboard_focus;
 	struct ev_timer *repeat_timer;
 	uint32_t repeat_sym;
+	uint32_t repeat_ascii;
 
 	struct wl_data_device_manager *w_manager;
 	struct wl_data_device *w_data_dev;
@@ -639,7 +640,7 @@ static void keyboard_key(void *data, struct wl_keyboard *keyboard,
 {
 	struct wlt_display *disp = data;
 	struct wlt_window *wnd = disp->keyboard_focus;
-	uint32_t code, num_syms;
+	uint32_t code, num_syms, ascii;
 	unsigned int mask;
 	enum wl_keyboard_key_state state = state_w;
 	const xkb_keysym_t *syms;
@@ -659,6 +660,7 @@ static void keyboard_key(void *data, struct wl_keyboard *keyboard,
 
 	mask = shl_get_xkb_mods(disp->xkb_state);
 	num_syms = xkb_key_get_syms(disp->xkb_state, code, &syms);
+	ascii = shl_get_ascii(disp->xkb_state, code, syms, num_syms);
 	sym = XKB_KEY_NoSymbol;
 	if (num_syms == 1)
 		sym = syms[0];
@@ -667,7 +669,7 @@ static void keyboard_key(void *data, struct wl_keyboard *keyboard,
 	shl_dlist_for_each(iter, &wnd->widget_list) {
 		widget = shl_dlist_entry(iter, struct wlt_widget, list);
 		if (widget->keyboard_cb) {
-			if (widget->keyboard_cb(widget, mask, sym, state,
+			if (widget->keyboard_cb(widget, mask, sym, ascii, state,
 						handled, widget->data))
 				handled = true;
 		}
@@ -678,6 +680,7 @@ static void keyboard_key(void *data, struct wl_keyboard *keyboard,
 		ev_timer_update(disp->repeat_timer, NULL);
 	} else if (state == WL_KEYBOARD_KEY_STATE_PRESSED) {
 		disp->repeat_sym = sym;
+		disp->repeat_ascii = ascii;
 		spec.it_interval.tv_sec = 0;
 		spec.it_interval.tv_nsec = wlt_conf.xkb_repeat_rate * 1000000;
 		spec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
@@ -704,6 +707,7 @@ static void repeat_event(struct ev_timer *timer, uint64_t num, void *data)
 		widget = shl_dlist_entry(iter, struct wlt_widget, list);
 		if (widget->keyboard_cb) {
 			if (widget->keyboard_cb(widget, mask, disp->repeat_sym,
+						disp->repeat_ascii,
 						WL_KEYBOARD_KEY_STATE_PRESSED,
 						handled, widget->data))
 				handled = true;
diff --git a/src/wlt_toolkit.h b/src/wlt_toolkit.h
index df2edc1..20fac59 100644
--- a/src/wlt_toolkit.h
+++ b/src/wlt_toolkit.h
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ typedef void (*wlt_widget_pointer_button_cb) (struct wlt_widget *widget,
 typedef bool (*wlt_widget_keyboard_cb) (struct wlt_widget *widget,
 					unsigned int mods,
 					uint32_t key,
+					uint32_t ascii,
 					uint32_t state,
 					bool handled,
 					void *data);