HTML Entity for Left Double Quotation Mark (“)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+201C

HTML Entity for Left Double Quotation Mark (U+201C) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Left Double Quotation Mark Entity?

Left Double Quotation Mark (“) is the General Punctuation character at Unicode U+201C (LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK). It is the opening curly (smart) double quote — pair it with ”.

Remember

Character     “
Unicode       U+201C
Hex entity    &#x201C;
Decimal       &#8220;
Named entity  &ldquo;  (alias &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;)
CSS escape    \201C
Not the same  &quot; (") · &lsquo; (‘)

All of these produce the same glyph: “. Prefer “ for readable typography in HTML.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`“`	HTML markup (best entity default)
Hex entity	`“`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`“`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\201C`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`“`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Opening curly double quote	`“` (or `&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;`)
Closing curly double quote	Use ” (U+201D)
Attribute values / code	Prefer ASCII `"` or `"`
Single curly quote	Use ‘ (U+2018)
Generated text via CSS	`content: "\201C"`

See it

Live Preview

Left Double Quotation Mark in common typography contexts.

Quoted sentence “Hello, world!”

Large glyph “

Named entity “ → “

vs ASCII / single “ | " | ‘

With entities Hex: “ | Decimal: “ | Named: “

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Left Double Quotation Mark with hex, decimal, named, and CSS. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + Named + CSS

All four ways to produce “ in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Left Double Quotation Mark (“) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\201C";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x201C;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8220;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &ldquo;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>&ldquo;Hello, world!&rdquo;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+201C → “ in HTML. The browser turns it into “.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8220 → “. Same result as hex.

3. Named: “ is the HTML5 name (alias &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;).

4. CSS: use \201C in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that “ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Left Double Quotation Mark.

Look-alikes

“ ≠ " ≠ ‘

Curly double, straight ASCII ("), and curly single (‘) are different characters.

Pairing

Always close with ”

Use ” (U+201D) for the matching right double quotation mark.

Attributes

Do not use in HTML attributes

For class="…" / href="…", stick to ASCII quotes — curly quotes can break markup.

Alias

`&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;` works too

It is an HTML5 alias for the same character as “.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\201C belongs in CSS. “ / “ / “ belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write “, not &ldquo.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Left Double Quotation Mark (U+201C) and its entity forms (“, “, “, CSS \\201C) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal support

Left Double Quotation Mark (“)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type “ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

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+201C / “ Full support

Bottom line: Prefer “…” for curly quotes in prose. Use \\201C only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+201C (decimal 8220).
HTML: prefer “ — or use “ / “.
CSS: use \201C inside content for generated text.
Watch out: “ ≠ " (") — and close with ”.

One line: U+201C → “ / “ / “ / CSS \201C.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Left Double Quotation Mark (“) in HTML using entities?

Use “ (named), “ (hex), “ (decimal), or the CSS escape \201C in the content property. You can also type “ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

What is the Unicode value for Left Double Quotation Mark?

U+201C (LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK). Hex 201C, decimal 8220. It belongs to the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+201C?

Yes. “ is the primary HTML5 named entity. &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote; is a supported alias. You can also use “ or “.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for opening curly quotes in body copy, pull quotes, and typography that should look polished. Prefer “…” over straight ASCII quotes for readable prose.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+201C?

HTML entities (“, “, or “) go in markup. The CSS escape \201C is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render “.

How is “ different from " or ‘?

ASCII " (U+0022, ") is a straight double quote. ‘ (U+2018) is the left single quotation mark. “ (U+201C) is the left curly double quote.

Did you know?

Left Double Quotation Mark is Unicode U+201C (decimal 8220) — LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK. HTML5 provides “ (alias &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;). Prefer it for typographic “smart” quotes. Pair it with ” (U+201D). Do not confuse it with ASCII " (U+0022).

Next: Left Fish Tail

Learn the HTML entity for Left Fish Tail — next in this sequence.

Left Fish Tail 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.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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