HTML Entity for Lowercase Z Caron (ž)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+017E

HTML Entity for lowercase z with caron (U+017E) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Lowercase Z Caron Entity?

Lowercase z caron (ž) is the Latin Extended-A character at Unicode U+017E (LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON). It is the letter z with a caron (háček) — used in Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian, Lithuanian, and related orthographies.

Remember

Character     ž
Unicode       U+017E
Named entity  &zcaron;
Hex entity    &#x17E;
Decimal       &#382;
CSS escape    \017E
Capital       &Zcaron; (Ž)

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

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&zcaron;`	HTML markup (best default)
Hex entity	`ž`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`ž`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\017E`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`ž`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&zcaron;`
Numeric entity required	`ž` or `ž`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\017E"`
Capital Ž	`&Zcaron;` — see Uppercase Z Caron
Z with acute ź	See Lowercase Z Acute (`&zacute;`)

See it

Live Preview

Lowercase z caron in Czech and comparison contexts.

Czech sample že, život

Large glyph ž

Named entity &zcaron; → ž

vs z / Ž / ź ž | z | Ž | ź

With entities Named: ž | Hex: ž | Decimal: ž

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 ž in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Lowercase Z Caron (&zcaron;)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\017E";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &zcaron;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x17E;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#382;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p lang="cs">Czech: &zcaron;e, &zcaron;ivot</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &zcaron; is the clearest HTML form and renders ž.

2. Hex: U+017E → ž in HTML. Same result as the named entity.

3. Decimal: same code point as 382 → ž. Same result as hex.

4. CSS: use \017E in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ž after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with lowercase z caron.

Case

`&zcaron;` ≠ `&Zcaron;`

Named entities are case-sensitive. Lowercase is ž; uppercase is Ž.

Look-alikes

Not plain z or ź

Caron (háček) is not acute. Do not confuse &zcaron; with plain z or &zacute; (ź).

Compose

Prefer precomposed

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

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\017E belongs in CSS. &zcaron; / ž / ž belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

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

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Lowercase z caron (U+017E) and its entity forms (&zcaron;, ž, ž, CSS \\017E) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal encoding

Lowercase Z Caron (&zcaron;)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ž 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+017E Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &zcaron; for readable HTML. Use \\017E only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this character is U+017E (decimal 382).
HTML: prefer &zcaron; — or use ž / ž.
CSS: use \017E inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &zcaron; ≠ &Zcaron; ≠ plain z ≠ &zacute;.

One line: U+017E → &zcaron; / ž / ž / CSS \017E.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display lowercase z caron (ž) in HTML using entities?

Use &zcaron; (named), ž (hex), ž (decimal), or the CSS escape \017E in the content property. All render ž. Prefer &zcaron; in HTML source.

What is the Unicode value for lowercase z caron?

U+017E (LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON). Hex 17E, decimal 382. It belongs to Latin Extended-A (U+0100–U+017F).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+017E?

Yes. &zcaron; is the HTML5 named entity for ž. The capital form is &Zcaron; (Ž, U+017D) — names are case-sensitive.

When should I use this HTML entity?

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

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+017E?

HTML entities (&zcaron;, ž, or ž) go in markup. The CSS escape \017E is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ž.

Is ž the same as z or ź?

No. Plain z is U+007A. Z acute ź is U+017A (&zacute;). Z caron ž is U+017E — a different diacritic (háček).

Did you know?

Lowercase z caron is Unicode U+017E (decimal 382) — LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON in Latin Extended-A. HTML5 provides &zcaron; — the most readable form. Capital is &Zcaron; (Ž, U+017D). Common in Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian, and Lithuanian (že, život). The caron is also called háček. Not the same as plain z or z acute (&zacute;).

Next: Lowercase Z Curl

Learn the HTML entity for lowercase z with curl — 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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