Greek Small Letter Alpha With Macron Letter
ᾱ is the Greek small letter alpha with a macron, written as Unicode U+1FB1.
U+1FB1
ᾱ is a Greek character used when alpha needs a macron over it. It appears in Unicode text and can be copied into documents, designs, or code.
Greek Small Letter Alpha With Macron Letter Meaning
ᾱ is the Unicode character “GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH MACRON” (U+1FB1). The base letter is Greek alpha (α), and the macron (a horizontal line) is added above it. In practice, this can be used to represent a specific phonetic quantity, a normalized or transliterated form, or a marked alpha in scholarly, editorial, or typesetting contexts. Because it is a distinct precomposed Unicode character, using ᾱ (rather than alpha plus a separate overline) helps ensure consistent rendering and character identity across platforms and fonts that support it.
Common uses
- •Scholarly writing that uses marked Greek letters or transliteration conventions
- •Typography and editorial work where alpha requires a macron indicator
- •Linguistics or phonetics notes that distinguish marked alpha forms
- •Academic documents and citations that must match exact Unicode characters
- •Developer-facing text systems where consistent Unicode input/output is required
Examples
ᾱ Greek small letter alpha with macron
- ᾱᾱ can be used in Greek transliteration headings.
- ᾱIn notes, compare α vs ᾱ to keep markings consistent.
- ᾱThe form ᾱ appears in some annotated texts.
- ᾱDesigners may need ᾱ in custom Greek type layouts.
- ᾱUse Unicode U+1FB1 to ensure the correct character.
Variations
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+1FB1 | |
| HTML Entity | ᾱ | |
| HTML Code | ᾱ | |
| CSS | \1FB1 | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 8113 | |
| Decimal | 8113 |
How to type Greek Small Letter Alpha With Macron Letter (ᾱ)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 8113 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 1FB1 then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 1FB1. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 1fb1, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ᾱ 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 Greek Small Letter Alpha With Macron letter mean?
ᾱ is the Unicode character “GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH MACRON” (U+1FB1). The base letter is Greek alpha (α), and the macron (a horizontal line) is added above it. In practice, this can be used to represent a specific phonetic quantity, a normalized or transliterated form, or a marked alpha in scholarly, editorial, or typesetting contexts. Because it is a distinct precomposed Unicode character, using ᾱ (rather than alpha plus a separate overline) helps ensure consistent rendering and character identity across platforms and fonts that support it.
What Unicode character is ᾱ?
ᾱ is “GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH MACRON” with Unicode code point U+1FB1.
How do I copy ᾱ into my text or document?
You can copy the character directly (ᾱ). You can also paste it using its HTML entity: ᾱ.
Is ᾱ the same as using α with a separate overline?
Not always. ᾱ is a single precomposed Unicode character; using α with a separate combining mark can be different in character identity and may render differently depending on fonts.
Why doesn’t ᾱ display correctly everywhere?
Some fonts or systems may not support the glyph for U+1FB1. Trying a Unicode-capable font can improve rendering.