HTML Entity for Lowercase Z Dot Above (ż)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+017C

HTML Entity for lowercase z with dot above (U+017C) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Lowercase Z Dot Above Entity?

Lowercase z with dot above (ż) is the Latin Extended-A character at Unicode U+017C (LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH DOT ABOVE). It is the letter z with a dot (˙) above — used in Polish, Kashubian, and related orthographies.

Remember

Character     ż
Unicode       U+017C
Named entity  &zdot;
Hex entity    &#x17C;
Decimal       &#380;
CSS escape    \017C
Capital       &Zdot; (Ż)

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

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

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

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&zdot;`
Numeric entity required	`ż` or `ż`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\017C"`
Capital Ż	`&Zdot;` — see Uppercase Z Dot Above
Z with acute ź	See Lowercase Z Acute (`&zacute;`)
Z with caron ž	See Lowercase Z Caron (`&zcaron;`)

See it

Live Preview

Lowercase z with dot above in Polish and comparison contexts.

Polish sample żółty, żaba

Large glyph ż

Named entity &zdot; → ż

vs z / Ż / ź / ž ż | z | Ż | ź | ž

With entities Named: ż | Hex: ż | Decimal: ż

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 ż in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Lowercase Z Dot Above (&zdot;)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\017C";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &zdot;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x17C;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#380;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p lang="pl">Polish: &zdot;&oacute;łty, &zdot;aba</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &zdot; is the clearest HTML form and renders ż.

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

3. Decimal: same code point as 380 → ż. Same result as hex.

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

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with lowercase z dot above.

Case

`&zdot;` ≠ `&Zdot;`

Named entities are case-sensitive. Lowercase is ż; uppercase is Ż.

Look-alikes

Not ź or ž

Dot above is not acute or caron. Do not confuse &zdot; with &zacute; or &zcaron;.

Compose

Prefer precomposed

Use &zdot; instead of z plus combining dot above (U+0307) when the precomposed form exists.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\017C belongs in CSS. &zdot; / ż / ż belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

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

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Lowercase z with dot above (U+017C) and its entity forms (&zdot;, ż, ż, CSS \\017C) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal encoding

Lowercase Z Dot Above (&zdot;)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ż 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+017C Full support

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

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this character is U+017C (decimal 380).
HTML: prefer &zdot; — or use ż / ż.
CSS: use \017C inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &zdot; ≠ &Zdot; ≠ &zacute; ≠ &zcaron;.

One line: U+017C → &zdot; / ż / ż / CSS \017C.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display lowercase z with dot above (ż) in HTML using entities?

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

What is the Unicode value for lowercase z with dot above?

U+017C (LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH DOT ABOVE). Hex 17C, decimal 380. It belongs to Latin Extended-A (U+0100–U+017F).

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

Yes. &zdot; is the HTML5 named entity for ż. The capital form is &Zdot; (Ż, U+017B) — names are case-sensitive.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for Polish, Kashubian, and other text that needs ż, plus linguistic or internationalized pages.

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

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

Is ż the same as ź or ž?

No. Z with dot above ż is U+017C (&zdot;). Z acute ź is U+017A (&zacute;). Z caron ž is U+017E (&zcaron;). Different diacritics — do not substitute one for another.

Did you know?

Lowercase z with dot above is Unicode U+017C (decimal 380) — LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH DOT ABOVE in Latin Extended-A. HTML5 provides &zdot; — the most readable form. Capital is &Zdot; (Ż, U+017B). Used in Polish (żółty, żaba) and Kashubian. Not the same as plain z, z acute (&zacute;), or z caron (&zcaron;).

Next: Lowercase Z Hook

Learn the HTML entity for lowercase z with hook — 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.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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