HTML Entity for Lowercase B Topbar (ƃ)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+0183

HTML Entity for lowercase b with topbar (U+0183) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Lowercase B Topbar Entity?

Lowercase b topbar (ƃ) is the Latin Extended-B character at Unicode U+0183 (LATIN SMALL LETTER B WITH TOPBAR). It is the letter b with a horizontal bar across the top — used in historical Zhuang orthography and some extended Latin notation.

Remember

Character     ƃ
Unicode       U+0183
Hex entity    &#x183;
Decimal       &#387;
CSS escape    \0183
Named entity  (none)
Capital       Ƃ (U+0182)

Hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ƃ. Prefer ƃ in HTML source when you need an explicit entity.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Hex entity	`ƃ`	HTML markup (best default)
Decimal entity	`ƃ`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\0183`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`ƃ`	UTF-8 HTML text
Named entity	none	Use hex or decimal instead

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`ƃ`
Decimal entity required	`ƃ`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\0183"`
Capital Ƃ	`Ƃ` — see Uppercase B Topbar
Tone six letter ƅ	See Lowercase B Tone Six

See it

Live Preview

Lowercase b topbar in linguistic and comparison contexts.

Sample ƃa (example)

Large glyph ƃ

Hex entity ƃ → ƃ

vs b / ƅ / Ƃ ƃ | b | ƅ | Ƃ

With entities Hex: ƃ | Decimal: ƃ

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows this character with hex, decimal, and CSS. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + CSS

Three ways to produce ƃ in a single document (no named entity).

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Lowercase B Topbar (ƃ)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\0183";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x183;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#387;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Case pair: &#x182; / &#x183;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+0183 → ƃ in HTML. The browser turns it into ƃ.

2. Decimal: same code point as 387 → ƃ. Same result as hex.

3. Named: HTML5 does not define a named entity for this character — use hex or decimal instead.

4. CSS: use \0183 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ƃ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with lowercase b topbar.

Named

No `&…;` shortcut

HTML5 has no named entity for U+0183. Use ƃ or ƃ.

Look-alikes

Not plain `b` or tone six

Do not substitute ASCII b or tone six (ƅ) when the topbar form is required.

Shape

Bar on top, not through

Topbar sits across the top of the letter. B with stroke (ƀ) has a bar through the stem instead.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\0183 belongs in CSS. ƃ / ƃ belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

If you type ƃ directly, keep <meta charset="UTF-8"> so the file is not misread.

Fonts

Check glyph coverage

Some fonts omit Latin Extended-B. Pick a font that includes U+0183 if the glyph is missing.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Lowercase b topbar (U+0183) and its entity forms (ƃ, ƃ, CSS \\0183) are supported in all modern browsers. Glyph display depends on font coverage.

✓ Universal encoding

Lowercase B Topbar (ƃ)

Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ƃ 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 IE 9+

Yes*

U+0183 Full support

Bottom line: Prefer ƃ for readable HTML. Use \\0183 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this character is U+0183 (decimal 387).
HTML: prefer ƃ — or use ƃ (no named entity).
CSS: use \0183 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: ƃ ≠ plain b ≠ tone six (ƅ) ≠ capital Ƃ.

One line: U+0183 → ƃ / ƃ / CSS \0183 (no named entity).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display lowercase b topbar (ƃ) in HTML using entities?

Use ƃ (hex), ƃ (decimal), or the CSS escape \0183 in the content property. All render ƃ when the font supports Latin Extended-B. There is no named HTML entity.

What is the Unicode value for lowercase b topbar?

U+0183 (LATIN SMALL LETTER B WITH TOPBAR). Hex 183, decimal 387. It belongs to Latin Extended-B (U+0180–U+024F).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+0183?

No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+0183. Use numeric references like ƃ or ƃ.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for historical Zhuang orthography, Caribbean language notation, linguistics, and extended Latin typography that needs ƃ.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+0183?

HTML entities (ƃ or ƃ) go in markup. The CSS escape \0183 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ƃ.

Is ƃ the same as b or ƅ?

No. Plain b is U+0062. Tone six ƅ is U+0185. B with topbar ƃ is U+0183 — a horizontal bar across the top of the letter.

Did you know?

Lowercase b topbar is Unicode U+0183 (decimal 387) — LATIN SMALL LETTER B WITH TOPBAR in Latin Extended-B. HTML5 has no named entity — use ƃ or ƃ. Used in historical Zhuang orthography and some Caribbean language notation. Capital is Ƃ (U+0182). Not the same as plain b, b stroke, or tone six.

Next: Lowercase C

Learn the HTML entity for Lowercase C — next in this sequence.

Continue 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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