HTML Entity for Lowercase R Reverse Hook (ɻ)

Q: How do I display the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) in HTML?

Use ɻ (hex), ɻ (decimal), or \27B in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity for ɻ. In UTF-8 you can also type ɻ directly.

Q: What is the Unicode value for the lowercase r reverse hook?

U+027B (LATIN SMALL LETTER R WITH FISHHOOK) in the IPA Extensions block. Hex 027B, decimal 635. It is the IPA symbol for the retroflex approximant.

Q: When should I use the HTML entity for lowercase r reverse hook?

When displaying IPA phonetic transcriptions for Mandarin Chinese, Indic languages, Hiberno-English, linguistic dictionaries, or documentation about this character. In UTF-8 pages you can type ɻ directly.

Q: What's the difference between ɻ and ɹ in IPA?

ɻ (U+027B) is the retroflex approximant—the curled-tip r sound in Mandarin ri and many Indic languages. ɹ (U+0279) is the alveolar approximant—the English r in red. They represent different place of articulation.

Beginner

⏱️ 5 min read

📚 Updated: Jun 2026

🎯 1 Code Example

Unicode U+027B

HTML Entity for Lowercase R Reverse Hook tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ), officially r with fishhook, in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This is the IPA symbol for the retroflex approximant—a curled-tip “r” sound found in Mandarin Chinese (e.g. “ri” /ɻi/), Hindi, Tamil, and Hiberno-English. The character is U+027B in the IPA Extensions block.

Render it with ɻ, ɻ, or CSS escape \27B. There is no named HTML entity for this character. In UTF-8 documents you can also type ɻ directly.

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase R Reverse Hook Entity

Unicode U+027B

IPA Extensions

Hex Code ɻ

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ɻ

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

No named entity

Reference Table

Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+027B
Hex code       &#x027B;
HTML code      &#635;
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \27B
Meaning        Latin small letter r with fishhook
IPA use        Retroflex approximant
Related        U+0279 = ɹ (turned r)
               U+027A = ɺ (r with turned leg)
               U+0271 = ɱ (r with hook)
               U+027C = ɼ (r long leg)
Block          IPA Extensions (U+0250–U+02AF)

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the character directly, and a CSS content escape:

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\27B";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): &#x027B;</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): &#635;</p>
<p>Symbol (direct): ɻ</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) is supported in all modern browsers as part of IPA Extensions:

Chrome1+

Firefox1+

Safari1+

Edge12+

Opera4+

Android4.4+

iOS Safari1+

👀 Live Preview

See the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) in phonetic and typographic contexts:

Large glyphɻ

IPA meaningRetroflex approximant (curled-tip “r”)

ExampleMandarin ri → /ɻi/ | Hindi retroflex r

Unicode blockIPA Extensions (U+0250–U+02AF)

Not the same asɹ (turned r) | ɱ (hook) | ɺ (turned leg) | r (plain r)

Numeric refsɻ ɻ \27B

🧠 How It Works

Hexadecimal Code

ɻ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 027B to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup

Decimal HTML Code

ɻ uses the decimal Unicode value 635 to display the same character. A common method when a numeric reference is needed.

HTML markup

Direct Character

Type ɻ directly in HTML when your document uses UTF-8 encoding. There is no named entity for this IPA symbol.

HTML markup

CSS Entity

\27B is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet

Same visual result

All methods produce the glyph: ɻ. Unicode U+027B sits in IPA Extensions. Do not confuse with ɹ (turned r/alveolar) or ɱ (r with hook).

✅

Use Cases

The lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) is commonly used in:

🎤 IPA Transcription

The standard IPA symbol for the retroflex approximant in Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Tamil, and other languages with curled-tip r sounds.

📚 Language Learning

Mandarin pinyin-to-IPA guides, Indic language courses, and pronunciation apps teaching retroflex consonants.

📐 Typography

When a font or design includes this IPA character for linguistic or decorative use. Use the entity to output it in HTML or CSS.

⚙ Programmatic HTML

When building HTML from phonetic databases or linguistic APIs, using ɻ or ɻ guarantees correct output.

📜 Academic Writing

Linguistics papers, phonology textbooks, and speech-science documentation referencing the retroflex approximant.

♿ Accessibility

Using the correct character (U+027B) ensures assistive technologies handle phonetic content correctly.

🎨 CSS Generated Content

Using \27B in the CSS content property to insert ɻ via pseudo-elements.

💡 Best Practices

Do

Serve pages as UTF-8; you can type ɻ directly in UTF-8 source
Use ɻ for retroflex approximant, not ɹ (alveolar approximant)
Use numeric references (ɻ or ɻ) when escaping is required
Use \27B in CSS content when generating the symbol via pseudo-elements
Use fonts that support IPA Extensions (e.g. Doulos SIL, Charis SIL)

Don’t

Expect a named HTML entity—none exists for ɻ
Confuse ɻ (fishhook/retroflex) with ɹ (turned r/alveolar) or ɱ (hook)
Use U+0027B or CSS \0027B—the correct code is U+027B and \27B
Put CSS escape \27B in HTML text nodes
Double-encode numeric references in dynamically generated HTML

Key Takeaways

Type ɻ directly, or use hex/decimal references

ɻ ɻ

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\27B

Unicode U+027B — LATIN SMALL LETTER R WITH FISHHOOK

IPA retroflex approximant; Mandarin /ɻi/ (ri)

Previous: Lowercase R Reverse (ɹ) Next: Lowercase R Reverse Long Leg (ɺ)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ) in HTML?

Use ɻ (hex), ɻ (decimal), or \27B in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity for ɻ. In UTF-8 you can also type ɻ directly.

What is the Unicode value for the lowercase r reverse hook?

U+027B (LATIN SMALL LETTER R WITH FISHHOOK). IPA Extensions block. Hex 027B, decimal 635. It is the IPA symbol for the retroflex approximant.

When should I use the HTML entity for lowercase r reverse hook?

When displaying IPA transcriptions for Mandarin Chinese, Indic languages, Hiberno-English, linguistic dictionaries, language-learning content, or documentation. In UTF-8 pages you can type ɻ directly.

Is there a named HTML entity for lowercase r reverse hook?

No. There is no named HTML entity for the lowercase r reverse hook (ɻ). Use numeric codes ɻ or ɻ, or the CSS entity \27B. In UTF-8 pages you can type ɻ directly.

What’s the difference between ɻ and ɹ in IPA?

ɻ (U+027B) is the retroflex approximant—curled-tip r in Mandarin and Indic languages. ɹ (U+0279) is the alveolar approximant—English “r” in /ɹɛd/ (red). They represent different places of articulation.

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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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Lowercase R Reverse (ɹ) Lowercase R Reverse Long Leg (ɺ)

HTML Entity for Lowercase R Reverse Hook (ɻ)

What You'll Learn

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase R Reverse Hook Entity

Complete HTML Example

🌐 Browser Support

👀 Live Preview

🧠 How It Works

Hexadecimal Code

Decimal HTML Code

Direct Character

CSS Entity

Same visual result

Use Cases

💡 Best Practices

Do

Don’t

Key Takeaways

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🧩 Related HTML Topics

Explore More HTML Entities!

About the author