HTML Entity for Lowercase S Caron (š)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+0161

HTML Entity for lowercase s with caron (U+0161) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Lowercase S Caron Entity?

Lowercase s caron (š) is the Latin Extended-A character at Unicode U+0161 (LATIN SMALL LETTER S WITH CARON). It is the letter s with a caron (háček) — used in Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovenian, and related orthographies.

Remember

Character     š
Unicode       U+0161
Named entity  &scaron;
Hex entity    &#x161;
Decimal       &#353;
CSS escape    \0161
Capital       &Scaron; (Š)

Named, hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: š. Prefer &scaron; in HTML source for clarity.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&scaron;`	HTML markup (best default)
Hex entity	`š`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`š`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\0161`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`š`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&scaron;`
Numeric entity required	`š` or `š`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\0161"`
Capital Š	`&Scaron;` — see Uppercase S Caron
S with acute ś	See Lowercase S Acute (`&sacute;`)

See it

Live Preview

Lowercase s caron in Czech and comparison contexts.

Czech sample škola, myš

Large glyph š

Named entity &scaron; → š

vs s / Š / ś š | s | Š | ś

With entities Named: š | Hex: š | Decimal: š

Code

Complete HTML Example

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

Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS

Four ways to produce š in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Lowercase S Caron (&scaron;)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\0161";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &scaron;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x161;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#353;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p lang="cs">Czech: &scaron;kola, my&scaron;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &scaron; is the clearest HTML form and renders š.

2. Hex: U+0161 → š in HTML. Same result as the named entity.

3. Decimal: same code point as 353 → š. Same result as hex.

4. CSS: use \0161 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that š after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with lowercase s caron.

Case

`&scaron;` ≠ `&Scaron;`

Named entities are case-sensitive. Lowercase is š; uppercase is Š.

Look-alikes

Not plain s or ś

Caron (háček) is not acute. Do not confuse &scaron; with plain s or &sacute; (ś).

Compose

Prefer precomposed

Use &scaron; instead of s plus combining caron (U+030C) when the precomposed form exists.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\0161 belongs in CSS. &scaron; / š / š belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

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

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write &scaron;, not &scaron.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Lowercase s caron (U+0161) and its entity forms (&scaron;, š, š, CSS \\0161) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal encoding

Lowercase S Caron (&scaron;)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type š 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+0161 Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &scaron; for readable HTML. Use \\0161 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this character is U+0161 (decimal 353).
HTML: prefer &scaron; — or use š / š.
CSS: use \0161 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &scaron; ≠ &Scaron; ≠ plain s ≠ &sacute;.

One line: U+0161 → &scaron; / š / š / CSS \0161.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display lowercase s caron (š) in HTML using entities?

Use &scaron; (named), š (hex), š (decimal), or the CSS escape \0161 in the content property. All render š. Prefer &scaron; in HTML source.

What is the Unicode value for lowercase s caron?

U+0161 (LATIN SMALL LETTER S WITH CARON). Hex 161, decimal 353. It belongs to Latin Extended-A (U+0100–U+017F).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+0161?

Yes. &scaron; is the HTML5 named entity for š. The capital form is &Scaron; (Š, U+0160) — names are case-sensitive.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovenian, and other languages that need š, multilingual sites, and correct spelling of names and words with s caron.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+0161?

HTML entities (&scaron;, š, or š) go in markup. The CSS escape \0161 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render š.

Is š the same as s or ś?

No. Plain s is U+0073. S acute ś is U+015B (&sacute;). S caron š is U+0161 — a different diacritic (háček).

Did you know?

Lowercase s caron is Unicode U+0161 (decimal 353) — LATIN SMALL LETTER S WITH CARON in Latin Extended-A. HTML5 provides &scaron; — the most readable form. Capital is &Scaron; (Š, U+0160). Common in Czech, Slovak, Croatian, and Slovenian (škola, myš). The caron is also called háček. Not the same as plain s or s acute (&sacute;).

Next: Lowercase S Cedilla

Learn the HTML entity for lowercase s with cedilla — 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.

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