HTML Entity for Fraction 1 By 2 (½)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+00BD

HTML Entity for fraction 1 by 2 (U+00BD) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is Fraction 1 By 2?

Fraction 1 by 2 (½) is the Unicode character at U+00BD in Latin-1 Supplement. Official name: VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF. It is one precomposed fraction glyph — not the three characters 1/2.

Remember

Character     ½
Unicode       U+00BD
Named entity  &frac12;  (also &half;)
Hex entity    &#x00BD;
Decimal       &#189;
CSS escape    \00BD
Meaning       vulgar fraction one half (1/2)
Not the same  1/2 (three chars) · ⅟2 · ⅓ (1/3)

Prefer ½ in HTML for readable markup (or &half;, same character). You can also use ½, ½, or type ½ in a UTF-8 document.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`½` / `&half;`	HTML markup (preferred)
Hex entity	`½`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`½`	HTML markup
Direct character	`½`	HTML text (UTF-8)
CSS escape	`\00BD`	Stylesheet `content`

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Precomposed one half	`½` or type `½`
Plain ASCII / maximum compatibility	Type `1/2` as three characters
One third	Fraction 1 by 3 (⅓)
One quarter	Fraction 1 by 4 — `¼` (¼)
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\00BD"`

See it

Live Preview

Fraction alone, in a sample phrase, and next to related fractions.

Glyph ½

Large glyph ½

Sample ½ cup flour

Compared ½ 1/2 ⅓ ¼

With entities Named: ½ | Hex: ½ | Decimal: ½

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows one half with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Five ways to display ½ in HTML and CSS.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Fraction 1 By 2 (U+00BD) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\00BD";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Built with Named: &frac12;</p>
  <p>Built with Hex: &#x00BD;</p>
  <p>Built with Decimal: &#189;</p>
  <p id="point">Built with CSS: </p>
  <p>Typed: ½</p>
  <p>Recipe: &frac12; cup flour</p>
  <p>Math: 2 &frac12; = 1</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: ½ (or &half;) is the HTML5 name for U+00BD → ½.

2. Hex: ½ inserts the same code point by hexadecimal value.

3. Decimal: same code point as 189 → ½. Same visual as named/hex.

4. CSS: use \00BD in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends ½.

5. Typed: paste ½ in a UTF-8 document when you need the half glyph as one character.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with fraction 1 by 2.

Name

Prefer `½`

Both ½ and &half; are valid. Prefer ½ for consistency with other vulgar-fraction names.

1/2

Not three characters

Typing 1/2 creates three code points. ½ is one Latin-1 character.

⅟

Not numerator + 2

⅟2 is a composed lookalike. Prefer ½ for the dedicated one-half glyph.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\00BD belongs in CSS strings. ½ / ½ / ½ belong in HTML.

a11y

Add accessible text

Screen readers usually handle ½ well, but nearby prose (for example “one half”) still helps in dense recipes or math.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish entities with ; — write ½, not &frac12.

Font

Wide support

U+00BD is in Latin-1 and is available in virtually all common fonts.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Fraction 1 by 2 (U+00BD) and its entity forms (½, &half;, ½, ½, CSS \\00BD) are supported in all mainstream browsers.

✓ Universal support

Fraction 1 By 2 (½)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+00BD Full support

Bottom line: Prefer ½ in HTML. Use ½ / ½ when numeric form is required, and \\00BD only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: fraction 1 by 2 is U+00BD (decimal 189) — glyph ½.
HTML: prefer ½ — also &half; / ½ / ½.
CSS: use \00BD inside content for generated text.
Meaning: ½ ≠ 1/2 (three chars) ≠ ⅟2.

One line: U+00BD → ½ / ½ / ½ / CSS \00BD.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display ½ in HTML?

Use ½ or &half; (named), ½ (hex), ½ (decimal), type ½ directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \00BD in content.

What is the Unicode value for fraction 1 by 2?

U+00BD (VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF). Hex 00BD, decimal 189. It belongs to the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for one half?

Yes. HTML5 defines both ½ and &half; for U+00BD. Prefer ½ for readable markup.

When should I use U+00BD?

Use it in recipes, math, and everyday text when you want the single one-half glyph. Prefer typing 1/2 as three characters when plain ASCII is required.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+00BD?

HTML entities (½, &half;, ½, or ½) go in markup. The CSS escape \00BD goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).

Is U+00BD the same as typing 1/2 or using fraction numerator one?

No. U+00BD is one character (½). Typing 1/2 creates three characters. Fraction numerator one (U+215F) plus 2 is a composed lookalike, not the dedicated half glyph.

Did you know?

Fraction 1 by 2 is Unicode U+00BD (decimal 189) — glyph ½ (VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF) in Latin-1 Supplement. HTML5 named entities: ½ and &half;. Prefer ½ for readable markup. It is one precomposed character, not 1/2 as three characters. Related fractions include one third (⅓) and one quarter (¼).

Next: Fraction 1 By 3

Learn the HTML entity for fraction 1 by 3 (U+2153).

Fraction 1 by 3 tutorial →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

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