Halfwidth Katakana Letter Ho Letter
ﾎ is the halfwidth Katakana letter HO (U+FF8E) for compact Japanese text formatting.
U+FF8E
ﾎ (HALFWIDTH KATAKANA LETTER HO) is a halfwidth Katakana character. It is commonly seen in environments that prefer or require halfwidth forms. Use it when you need the specific halfwidth glyph rather than the fullwidth Katakana equivalent.
Halfwidth Katakana Letter Ho Letter Meaning
ﾎ is a specific Unicode character: HALFWIDTH KATAKANA LETTER HO with code point U+FF8E. It represents the Katakana sound “ho” but in a halfwidth form, which is typically narrower than the standard fullwidth Katakana used in most modern Japanese typography. Because the character’s shape and width are different, it can matter for alignment, monospaced layouts, legacy encodings, and text systems that distinguish fullwidth from halfwidth characters. If you’re copying from a compatibility source (for example, older terminals or certain datasets), using ﾎ ensures the intended halfwidth glyph is preserved.
Common uses
- •Displaying or matching halfwidth Katakana text from legacy systems
- •Monospaced/console UIs where character width consistency is important
- •Maintaining exact character counts and alignment in fixed-width layouts
- •Web or app content where fullwidth-to-halfwidth formatting must be preserved
- •Copy/paste workflows for Japanese datasets that store halfwidth Katakana characters
Examples
ﾎ — Halfwidth Katakana Letter HO (U+FF8E)
- ﾎほ→ﾎ (halfwidth variant in fixed-width text)
- ﾎﾎﾅﾝ: example place name written in halfwidth Katakana
- ﾎｺﾝﾋﾟｭｰﾀ: followed by ﾎ in halfwidth sequences
- ﾎﾎﾝﾀﾞ vs ホンダ (showing fullwidth vs halfwidth difference)
- ﾎMessage: ﾎ (short halfwidth Katakana token)
Variations
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+FF8E | |
| HTML Entity | ﾎ | |
| HTML Code | ﾎ | |
| CSS | \FF8E | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 65422 | |
| Decimal | 65422 |
How to type Halfwidth Katakana Letter Ho Letter (ﾎ)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 65422 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type FF8E then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type FF8E. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type ff8e, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ﾎ with the button above and paste it wherever you need it — this works on every device and in every app, with no keyboard shortcut to remember.
FAQ
What does the Halfwidth Katakana Letter Ho letter mean?
ﾎ is a specific Unicode character: HALFWIDTH KATAKANA LETTER HO with code point U+FF8E. It represents the Katakana sound “ho” but in a halfwidth form, which is typically narrower than the standard fullwidth Katakana used in most modern Japanese typography. Because the character’s shape and width are different, it can matter for alignment, monospaced layouts, legacy encodings, and text systems that distinguish fullwidth from halfwidth characters. If you’re copying from a compatibility source (for example, older terminals or certain datasets), using ﾎ ensures the intended halfwidth glyph is preserved.
Is ﾎ the same as the normal Katakana HO?
It represents the “ho” Katakana in halfwidth form (U+FF8E). The normal Katakana HO character is typically fullwidth, so the glyph and width differ.
How can I confirm I’m using the correct character?
Check its Unicode code point: U+FF8E. You can also compare the character’s width/alignment in your target font or editor.
Will ﾎ display correctly on all devices?
Most modern fonts support it, but appearance and spacing can vary by font. If alignment matters, test in the same environment where the text will be shown.
What should I use in code to refer to this character?
Use the Unicode forms provided: HTML ﾎ, CSS escape \FF8E, or JavaScript escape \u{FF8E}.