HTML Entity for Lowercase I Latin Macron (ī)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+012B
HTML Entity for Lowercase I Latin Macron tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the lowercase i with macron (ī) in HTML using named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. The macron (horizontal bar) indicates a long vowel and is used in Latvian, Latin language texts, and phonetic notation. It is U+012B in the Latin Extended-A block.

Render it with ī, ī, ī, or CSS escape \12B. The named entity ī is often the most readable option in HTML source.

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase I Latin Macron Entity

Unicode U+012B

Latin Extended-A

Hex Code ī

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ī

Decimal reference

Named Entity ī

Most readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+012B
Hex code       ī
HTML code      ī
Named entity   ī
CSS code       \12B
Meaning        Latin small letter i with macron
Related        U+012A = Ī (uppercase)
Block          Latin Extended-A (U+0100–U+017F)
1

Complete HTML Example

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

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\12B";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): &#x12B;</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): &#299;</p>
<p>Symbol (named): &imacr;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The lowercase i macron (ī) and the named entity &imacr; are supported in modern browsers:

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

👀 Live Preview

See the lowercase i macron (ī) in language and content contexts:

Large glyphī
Latvianī is a distinct letter in the Latvian alphabet
LatinLong vowel marking in Latin texts (vīta, fīlius)
Uppercase pairĪ (U+012A) / ī (U+012B)
Named entity&imacr; renders as ī
Numeric refs&#x12B; &#299; &imacr; \12B

🧠 How It Works

1

Named Entity

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

HTML markup
2

Hexadecimal Code

&#x12B; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 12B to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
3

Decimal HTML Code

&#299; uses the decimal Unicode value 299 to display the same character. A common method for Latin Extended-A characters.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\12B 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: ī. Unicode U+012B sits in Latin Extended-A. It decomposes to i (U+0069) + combining macron (U+0304). Uppercase equivalent: U+012A (&Imacr;). Do not confuse with plain i (U+0069) or combining ͥ (U+0365).

✅

Use Cases

The lowercase i macron (ī) is commonly used in:

🇻🇻 Latvian

ī is a distinct letter in the Latvian alphabet and appears in everyday words.

📜 Latin

Marking long vowels in Latin texts and learning materials (vowel length).

🗣 Phonetic notation

Linguistics and pronunciation guides indicating a long i sound.

🔤 Language learning

Courses and resources for Latvian, Latin, or phonetics teaching macron usage.

📝 Data & forms

Correct spelling of Latvian names and words in input fields and databases.

🌐 Internationalization

Websites and apps for languages that use the macron to mark long vowels on i.

♿ Accessibility & i18n

Accurate diacritics improve clarity for readers and assistive technologies.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &imacr; in HTML when possible for readability
  • Serve pages as UTF-8; you can also type ī directly in UTF-8 source
  • Set lang attributes (e.g. lang="lv", lang="la") for correct pronunciation
  • Use fonts that support Latin Extended-A characters
  • Distinguish ī (macron) from plain i, í (acute), and ͥ (combining mark)

Don’t

  • Substitute plain i when ī is required for correct spelling
  • Confuse ī (macron, U+012B) with ͥ (combining Latin small letter i, U+0365)
  • Put CSS escape \12B in HTML text nodes
  • Assume all fonts render Latin Extended-A glyphs identically
  • Omit UTF-8 encoding on pages with accented characters

Key Takeaways

1

Four references render ī; named entity is most readable

&#x12B; &#299; &imacr;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\12B
3

Unicode U+012B — LATIN SMALL LETTER I WITH MACRON

4

Essential for Latvian, Latin, and phonetic notation

5

Previous: Lowercase I Latin (ͥ)   Next: Lowercase I Ogonek

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

The named HTML entity is &imacr;. You can also use &#299; (decimal) or &#x12B; (hex).
U+012B (LATIN SMALL LETTER I WITH MACRON). Latin Extended-A block. Hex 12B, decimal 299.
Yes—if your document is UTF-8. Entities are useful when you want an explicit, portable character reference.
ī (U+012B) is a precomposed character. It canonically decomposes to i (U+0069) + combining macron (U+0304).
In Latvian orthography, Latin language texts (long vowels), and phonetic or linguistic notation to indicate a long i sound.

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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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