Uppercase R Reverse Latin (ʁ) is the Unicode character at U+0281 (LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R) in IPA Extensions. It is a small capital inverted R used in IPA phonetic notation — not the same as ordinary capital R.
Remember
Character ʁ
Unicode U+0281
Hex entity ʁ
Decimal ʁ
CSS escape \0281
Named entity (none)
Official name LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R
IPA use voiced uvular fricative
Using Hex Code: ʁ
Using HTML Code: ʁ
Using CSS Entity: ʁ
Typed directly: ʁ
Compare: R ʁ r
How It Works
1. Hex:U+0281 → ʁ in HTML. The browser turns it into the glyph.
2. Decimal: same code point as 641 → ʁ. Same result as hex.
3. CSS: use \0281 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that glyph after the paragraph text.
4. Compare:R ʁ r shows how the small capital inverted form sits between full capital and lowercase.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with this character.
Named?
No named entity
HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+0281. Use numeric forms.
Look-alikes
Not plain R or ʀ
U+0281 is the uvular fricative (ʁ). Do not substitute plain R (U+0052) or small capital ʀ (U+0280, trill).
Name
Official name is inverted R
Unicode calls it LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R. “R reverse latin” is an informal site label for the same glyph.
Fonts
Check IPA coverage
Some fonts omit U+0281. Prefer fonts with good IPA Extensions support.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\0281 belongs in CSS. ʁ / ʁ belong in HTML.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ʁ, not ʁ.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Uppercase R Reverse Latin / LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R (U+0281) and its numeric entity forms (ʁ, ʁ, CSS \\0281) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph shape depends on IPA Extensions font coverage.
✓ Universal support
Uppercase R Reverse Latin
Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or paste the character in UTF-8 HTML.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+0281 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Use ʁ or ʁ for the Unicode glyph, and \\0281 only inside CSS content. Prefer fonts with IPA Extensions support.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this character is U+0281 (decimal 641) — LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R.
HTML: use ʁ or ʁ — there is no named entity.
Use ʁ (hex), ʁ (decimal), or the CSS escape \0281 in the content property. All render U+0281. You can also paste the character directly when your file is UTF-8.
U+0281 (hex 0281, decimal 641). Unicode names it LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R. It belongs to IPA Extensions and is used in IPA for the voiced uvular fricative.
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for this character. Use numeric references like ʁ or ʁ.
U+0281 is a small capital inverted R (ʁ) used in IPA for the voiced uvular fricative. U+0052 is ordinary capital R. U+0280 is LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL R (ʀ), the voiced uvular trill. They are different characters.
In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), ʁ represents the voiced uvular fricative. Prefer fonts with IPA Extensions coverage for accurate glyphs.
HTML entities (ʁ or ʁ) go in markup. The CSS escape \0281 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render the same glyph.
🤔
Did you know?
This character is Unicode U+0281 (decimal 641) — official name LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL INVERTED R in IPA Extensions. HTML5 has no named entity. In IPA it represents the voiced uvular fricative (as in many French pronunciations of r). It is not the same as full capital R (U+0052) or small capital ʀ (U+0280).
