HTML Entity for Lowercase Z Caron (ž)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+017E
HTML Entity for Lowercase Z Caron tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the lowercase z with caron (ž) in HTML using named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. Essential for Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, and other Slavic languages, it appears in words such as život (life) and žena (woman). It is U+017E in the Latin Extended-A block. The caron (háček) is the wedge-shaped diacritic common in Central European orthography.

Render it with ž, ž, ž, or CSS escape \017E. The named entity ž is often the most readable option. Do not confuse ž (z caron) with plain z (U+007A) or ź (z acute, ź).

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase Z Caron Entity

Unicode U+017E

Latin Extended-A

Hex Code ž

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ž

Decimal reference

Named Entity ž

Most readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+017E
Hex code       ž
HTML code      ž
Named entity   ž
CSS code       \017E
Meaning        Latin small letter z with caron
Also known as  z caron, z hacek
Related        U+017D = Ž (Ž)
Block          Latin Extended-A (U+0100–U+017F)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the lowercase z caron (ž) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\017E";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): &#x017E;</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): &#382;</p>
<p>Symbol (named): &zcaron;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The lowercase z caron (ž) and the named entity &zcaron; are supported in all modern browsers:

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

👀 Live Preview

See the lowercase z caron (ž) in Czech and Slavic language contexts:

Large glyphž
Czechživot, žena, žlutý
Named entity&zcaron; renders as ž
UppercaseŽ (U+017D) — &Zcaron;
Not the same asz (plain)  |  ź (z acute)  |  ż (z with dot)
Numeric refs&#x017E; &#382; &zcaron; \017E

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x017E; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 017E to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#382; uses the decimal Unicode value 382 to display the same character. A common method for Latin Extended-A characters.

HTML markup
3

Named Entity

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

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\017E 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: ž. Unicode U+017E sits in Latin Extended-A. Uppercase equivalent: U+017D (Ž). Do not confuse with plain z (U+007A) or ź (z acute).

✅

Use Cases

The lowercase z caron (ž) is commonly used in:

🇨🇿 Czech

Essential in words like život (life), žena (woman), and žlutý (yellow). A distinct letter in the Czech alphabet.

🇸🇰 Slovak

Used in Slovak orthography where ž represents a distinct consonant sound.

🇮🇷 Slovenian

Part of the Slovenian alphabet; required for correct spelling in Slovenian text.

📝 Proper names

Slavic place names, surnames, and brands that include ž must display correctly.

🔤 Education

Language learning apps, dictionaries, and pronunciation guides teaching Slavic languages.

🌐 Internationalization

Multilingual websites, forms, and CMS content requiring correct Central European spelling.

🔍 Search & SEO

Correct rendering so users can find content with Czech and Slavic words containing ž.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &zcaron; in HTML when possible for readability
  • Serve pages as UTF-8; you can also type ž directly in UTF-8 source
  • Set lang="cs" or lang="sk" on Slavic content for correct pronunciation
  • Use fonts that support Latin Extended-A characters
  • Distinguish ž (caron) from plain z, ź (acute), and ż (dot above)

Don’t

  • Substitute plain z when ž is required for correct Czech or Slavic spelling
  • Confuse ž (caron) with ź (acute) or ż (z with dot above)
  • Use the old incorrect CSS escape \0017E—the correct value is \017E
  • Put CSS escape \017E in HTML text nodes
  • Omit UTF-8 encoding on pages with accented characters

Key Takeaways

1

Four references render ž; named entity is most readable

&#x017E; &#382; &zcaron;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\017E
3

Unicode U+017E — LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON

4

Essential for Czech, Slovak, Slovenian; uppercase is Ž (U+017D, &Zcaron;)

5

Previous: Lowercase Z Acute (ź)   Next: Lowercase Z Curl (ʑ)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &zcaron; (named), &#x017E; (hex), &#382; (decimal), or \017E in CSS content. All four methods render ž correctly.
U+017E (LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON). Latin Extended-A block. Hex 017E, decimal 382. Used in Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, and other Slavic languages. Uppercase form is U+017D (Ž) with named entity &Zcaron;.
For Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian (Latin), and other Slavic text, language learning sites, internationalized content, and any text requiring correct spelling with this accented letter.
No. ž (U+017E) is z with caron (&zcaron;), used in Czech, Slovak, and other Slavic languages. z (U+007A) is the plain lowercase letter. They are different characters with different Unicode values.
The named entity &zcaron; is easier to read in hand-written HTML. Numeric codes are useful when generating markup programmatically. All produce the same character ž.

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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
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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 Z Acute (ź) Lowercase Z Curl (ʑ)