HTML Entity for Lowercase A Umlaut (ä)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+00E4
HTML Entity for Lowercase A Umlaut tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the lowercase a with diaeresis/umlaut (ä) in HTML using named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. Essential for German, Swedish, Finnish, and other languages, it appears in common words such as Mädchen (girl) and Bär (bear). It is U+00E4 in the Latin-1 Supplement block.

Render it with ä, ä, ä, or CSS escape \00E4. The named entity ä is often the most readable option in HTML source.

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase A Umlaut Entity

Unicode U+00E4

Latin-1 Supplement

Hex Code ä

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ä

Decimal reference

Named Entity ä

Most readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+00E4
Hex code       ä
HTML code      ä
Named entity   ä
CSS code       \00E4
Meaning        Latin small letter a with diaeresis
Also known as  a umlaut
Block          Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the lowercase a umlaut (ä) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\00E4";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): &#xE4;</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): &#228;</p>
<p>Symbol (named): &auml;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The lowercase a umlaut (ä) and the named entity &auml; are supported in all modern browsers:

Chrome1+
Firefox1+
Safari1+
Edge12+
Opera4+
Android4.4+
iOS Safari1+

👀 Live Preview

See the lowercase a umlaut (ä) in German and Nordic contexts:

Large glyphä
GermanMädchen, Bär, Käse, März
Named entity&auml; renders as ä
Not the same asplain a (U+0061)
Numeric refs&#xE4; &#228; &auml; \00E4

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#xE4; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value E4 to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#228; uses the decimal Unicode value 228 to display the same character. One of the most commonly used methods in HTML.

HTML markup
3

Named Entity

&auml; is the standard named entity for ä—readable in source HTML and part of the HTML5 entity set.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\00E4 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All four methods produce the glyph: ä. Unicode U+00E4 sits in Latin-1 Supplement. In German and Nordic languages, ä is a distinct character—do not confuse with plain a (U+0061).

✅

Use Cases

The lowercase a umlaut (ä) is commonly used in:

🇩🇪 German

Correct spelling of German words (e.g. Mädchen, Bär, Käse, März).

🇪🇺 Nordic

Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian text requiring the a-with-diaeresis character.

📚 Language Learning

Vocabulary, pronunciation guides, and dictionary entries for German and Nordic languages.

🌐 Internationalization

Websites and apps targeting German-speaking or Nordic audiences.

📄 Publishing

Academic papers, books, and editorial content with German or Nordic names and terminology.

🔍 Search & SEO

Correct rendering so users can find content searching for words like “Mädchen” or “Käse”.

📧 Forms & Input

Name fields, addresses, and user input that may contain German or Nordic characters.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &auml; in HTML when possible for readability
  • Serve pages as UTF-8; you can also type ä directly in UTF-8 source
  • Set lang="de", lang="sv", or lang="fi" on relevant content
  • Use fonts that support Latin-1 Supplement characters
  • Distinguish ä (umlaut) from plain a (U+0061)

Don’t

  • Substitute plain a when ä is required for correct spelling
  • Confuse ä (umlaut) with ã (tilde) or other accented a variants
  • Put CSS escape \00E4 in HTML text nodes
  • Assume all fonts render Latin-1 glyphs identically
  • Mix entity styles randomly in one file

Key Takeaways

1

Four references render ä; named entity is most readable

&#xE4; &#228; &auml;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\00E4
3

Unicode U+00E4 — LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH DIAERESIS

4

Essential for German, Swedish, Finnish, and internationalized web content

5

Previous: Lowercase A Tilde (ã)   Next: Lowercase Ae

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &auml; (named), &#xE4; (hex), &#228; (decimal), or \00E4 in CSS content. All four methods render ä correctly.
U+00E4 (LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH DIAERESIS). Latin-1 Supplement block. Hex E4, decimal 228. Used in German, Swedish, Finnish, and other languages.
For German words (e.g. Mädchen, Bär), Swedish and Finnish text, language learning and dictionary sites, internationalized content, and any text requiring correct spelling with this character.
HTML code (&#228; or &#xE4;) or the named entity &auml; is used in HTML content. The CSS entity (\00E4) is used in CSS, e.g. in the content property of pseudo-elements. Both produce ä but in different contexts.
The named entity &auml; is easier to read and maintain in hand-written HTML. Numeric codes (&#228; or &#xE4;) are useful when generating HTML programmatically. All produce the same character ä.

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About the author

Mari Selvan M P
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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