Combining Greek perispomeni is the Unicode character at U+0342 in Combining Diacritical Marks. Official name: COMBINING GREEK PERISPOMENI. It is the polytonic Greek circumflex (περισπωμένη) and must follow a base letter (for example α + U+0342 → ᾶ).
Remember
Character ◌͂ (combining; needs a base letter)
Unicode U+0342
Hex entity ͂
Decimal ͂
CSS escape \0342
Named entity (none)
Meaning Greek perispomeni / circumflex (polytonic)
Not the same ᾶ (precomposed) · U+0302 (Latin circumflex) · koronis
Use ͂ or ͂ after a letter (no named form). For normal polytonic text, prefer precomposed letters such as ᾶ (U+1FB6).
Mark on a base letter, large sample, and related forms.
With base αᾶ
Large glyphᾶ
Sampleletter: ᾶ precomposed: ᾶ
Comparedᾶ ᾶ â ἀ
With entitiesHex: ᾶ | Decimal: ᾶ
Code
Complete HTML Example
One page that shows U+0342 with hex, decimal, CSS escape, a Latin circumflex contrast, and a precomposed letter. Use View Output or open the live editor.
Built with Hex: ᾶ
Built with Decimal: ᾶ
Built with CSS (after α): ᾶ
Latin circumflex (different): â
Precomposed: ᾶ
How It Works
1. Hex: write a base letter, then ͂. Alone, U+0342 has no letter shape.
2. Decimal: same mark as 834 → ͂ after the letter.
3. CSS: use \0342 in content after a letter in the string (here the letter is in the HTML, the mark is appended). Prefer four hex digits so the escape does not swallow the next character.
4. Latin contrast:â uses U+0302 — not Greek perispomeni and not a substitute for U+0342.
5. Precomposed:ᾶ (U+1FB6) is usually best for normal text. NFC may turn ᾶ into ᾶ.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with combining Greek perispomeni.
Base
Always use a base letter
U+0342 alone is invisible as a letter. Write ᾶ, not a bare ͂, when you want a visible glyph.
Prefer
Prefer precomposed Greek
For published text, use Greek Extended letters (ᾶ, ῆ, …) instead of stacking combining marks by hand.
vs 0302
Not Latin circumflex
Do not use U+0302 for polytonic Greek. It will not normalize to Greek precomposed forms the way U+0342 does.
NFC
Normalization may rewrite it
α + U+0342 often becomes precomposed ᾶ under NFC. Do not assume the code point stays U+0342 after processing.
Named?
No named entity
HTML5 does not define a name for U+0342. Use ͂ or ͂.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\0342 belongs in CSS strings. ͂ / ͂ belong in HTML after a base letter.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish entities with ; — write ͂, not ͂.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Combining Greek perispomeni (U+0342) and its numeric entity forms (͂, ͂, CSS \\0342) are supported in browsers that implement Unicode combining marks. Rendering quality depends on the font’s Greek diacritic support.
✓ Universal entity support
Greek Perispomeni (ᾶ)
Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape after a base letter — same code point where combining marks are supported.
100%Entity support
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerIE 9+
Yes
U+0342Full support
Bottom line: Prefer precomposed polytonic letters for normal text. Use ͂ / ͂ when you need U+0342 explicitly, and \\0342 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: combining Greek perispomeni is U+0342 (decimal 834).
HTML: use ͂ or ͂ after a base letter — no named entity.
CSS: use \0342 inside content after a letter in the string.
Prefer: precomposed ᾶ — do not substitute Latin U+0302.
One line:U+0342 → base + ͂ / ͂ / CSS \0342 (prefer ᾶ).
Frequently Asked Questions
Place ͂ (hex) or ͂ (decimal) after a base letter, for example ᾶ. There is no named HTML entity for U+0342. You can also use CSS \0342 in content. Prefer precomposed letters such as ᾶ when available.
U+0342 (COMBINING GREEK PERISPOMENI). Hex 342, decimal 834. It belongs to Combining Diacritical Marks (U+0300–U+036F).
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for combining Greek perispomeni. Prefer ͂ or ͂.
Use it for polytonic Greek circumflex when building letters with combining marks. For everyday text, prefer precomposed Greek Extended letters such as ᾶ (U+1FB6).
HTML numeric entities (͂ or ͂) go in markup after a base letter. The CSS escape \0342 goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).
No. U+0342 is the Greek perispomeni. U+0302 is the Latin combining circumflex and does not compose to Greek precomposed letters the same way.
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Did you know?
Combining Greek perispomeni is Unicode U+0342 (decimal 834) in Combining Diacritical Marks — the polytonic Greek circumflex (περισπωμένη). There is no HTML5 named entity; use ͂ or ͂ after a base letter. It is not the same as Latin combining circumflex (U+0302). NFC may turn ᾶ into precomposed ᾶ (U+1FB6).
