HTML Entity for Yuan Character China (元)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+5143

HTML Entity for Yuan character China (U+5143) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is Yuan Character China?

Yuan Character China (元) is the Unicode character at U+5143 (CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5143) — Simplified Chinese 元. HTML5 has no named entity — use hex or decimal. Use it for mainland China prices and Simplified Chinese (zh-CN) finance copy.

Remember

Character     元
Unicode       U+5143
Named entity  (none)
Hex entity    &#x5143;
Decimal       &#20803;
CSS escape    \5143
Not the same  圓 (HK/TW) · &yen; (¥) · 円 (Japan)

Hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: 元. Prefer 元 or 元 in HTML markup. For Traditional/HK/TW 圓 see Yuan Character Hong Kong Taiwan; for the ¥ sign see Yen Sign.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	None	Use numeric or type the character
Hex entity	`元`	HTML markup (preferred)
Decimal entity	`元`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\5143`	Stylesheet `content` (4 hex digits)
Direct character	`元`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Simplified Chinese yuan (Mainland / CNY)	`元` or type `元`
Numeric-only markup	`元` or `元`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\5143"`
Traditional Chinese yuan (圓)	Use `圓` (U+5713)
Yen/yuan currency sign (¥)	Use `¥` (U+00A5)
Japanese yen kanji (円)	Use `円` (U+5186)

See it

Live Preview

元 in a price line and beside related currency characters.

Example 价格：100元

Large glyph 元

Hex entity 元 → 元

vs look-alikes 元 | 圓 | ¥ | 円

With entities Hex: 元 | Decimal: 元

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Yuan Character China with hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Four ways to display 元 in HTML and CSS. No named entity exists.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="zh-CN">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Yuan Character China (元)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\5143";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Built with Hex: &#x5143;</p>
  <p>Built with Decimal: &#20803;</p>
  <p id="point">Built with CSS: </p>
  <p>Typed: 元</p>
  <p>Price: 100&#x5143;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex / decimal: U+5143 → 元 or 元. The browser turns either into 元.

2. Typed: in a UTF-8 document you can paste 元 directly — same glyph, no entity.

3. CSS: use \5143 in content (four hex digits; not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that 元 after the paragraph text.

4. Look-alikes: Traditional 圓 is 圓 (U+5713); currency sign is ¥ (¥) — different characters.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Yuan Character China.

Named

There is no named entity

HTML5 does not define a name for U+5143. Use 元 or 元.

vs HK/TW

Not Traditional 圓

U+5713 (圓) is a different ideograph. See Yuan Character Hong Kong Taiwan.

vs ¥

Not the ¥ currency sign

¥ is ¥ (U+00A5). See Yen Sign. Use U+5143 for Simplified Chinese 元.

Fonts

Need CJK font coverage

Some Latin-only fonts omit CJK ideographs. Prefer fonts that cover Simplified Chinese (zh-CN).

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\5143 belongs in CSS strings. 元 / 元 belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Yuan Character China (U+5143) and its entity forms (元, 元, CSS \\5143) are supported in all mainstream browsers when the page is UTF-8 and the font covers Simplified Chinese.

✓ Universal support

Yuan Character China (元)

Encode with hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same Unicode code point everywhere. No named entity.

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+5143 Full support

Bottom line: Prefer 元 in HTML text. Use 元 as an equivalent, and \\5143 only inside CSS content. Glyph display depends on CJK font coverage.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this character is U+5143 (decimal 20803) — glyph 元.
HTML: prefer 元 — also 元. No named entity.
CSS: use \5143 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: 元 ≠ 圓 ≠ ¥.

One line: U+5143 → 元 / 元 / CSS \5143 (no named entity).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Yuan Character China (元) in HTML using entities?

Use 元 (hex), 元 (decimal), type 元 directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \5143 in the content property. There is no named HTML entity. Prefer 元 for readable markup.

What is the Unicode value for this character?

U+5143 (CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5143). Hex 5143, decimal 20803. It is the Simplified Chinese 元 used for mainland China (CNY) prices and zh-CN finance copy.

Is there a named HTML entity for U+5143?

No. HTML5 does not define a named form. Use numeric references 元 or 元, or type 元 in UTF-8.

How is U+5143 different from U+5713 or ¥?

U+5143 is Simplified 元 (Mainland China). U+5713 is Traditional 圓 (Hong Kong/Taiwan). ¥ is ¥ (U+00A5), the yen/yuan currency sign — a different character.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for Simplified Chinese (zh-CN) prices and financial copy for mainland China. Prefer yuan-character-hong-kong-taiwan (圓) for Traditional/HK/TW contexts, and ¥ for the ¥ symbol.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+5143?

HTML entities (元 or 元) go in markup. The CSS escape \5143 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Prefer four hex digits in CSS.

Did you know?

Yuan Character China is Unicode U+5143 (decimal 20803) — glyph 元 (CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5143, Simplified Chinese 元). HTML5 has no named entity — use 元 or 元. Do not confuse it with Traditional 圓 U+5713, yen/yuan sign ¥ (¥), or Japanese yen character 円 U+5186.

Next: Yuan Character Hong Kong Taiwan

Learn the HTML entity for Traditional Chinese 圓 (U+5713).

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)

8 people found this page helpful

HTML Entity | Yin Yang HTML Entity | Yuan Character Hong Kong Taiwan