Katakana-hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark Letter
The ー symbol is the Katakana/Hiragana prolonged sound mark used to indicate a lengthened vowel sound.
U+30FC
The ー character, Unicode U+30FC, is commonly used in Japanese text to show that a vowel sound is prolonged. This page gives you reliable copy/paste options and developer-friendly code references.
Katakana-hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark Letter Meaning
ー is the Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark (Unicode U+30FC). In Japanese writing, it visually lengthens the preceding sound, often used with Katakana words (and sometimes in contexts involving Hiragana spelling conventions). For example, it helps represent long vowels in names, loanwords, and common phrases. In typography, it behaves like a mark that extends or indicates duration rather than a punctuation pause. When you need the exact character for text input, fonts, or UI rendering, use the provided Unicode code point (U+30FC) rather than visually similar dashes.
Common uses
- •Writing long vowel sounds in Katakana text (e.g., loanwords and proper names)
- •Formatting Japanese UI labels where vowel length must be preserved
- •Correcting typography in Japanese captions and subtitles
- •Generating consistent text output in templates and forms
- •Ensuring accurate character encoding in software that handles Japanese strings
Examples
ー (Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark)
- ーケーキ
- ートーキョー
- ーおーい
- ーラーメン
- ースイーツー
Variations
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+30FC | |
| HTML Entity | ー | |
| HTML Code | ー | |
| CSS | \30FC | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 12540 | |
| Decimal | 12540 |
How to type Katakana-hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark Letter (ー)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 12540 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 30FC then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 30FC. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 30fc, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ー 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 Katakana-hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark letter mean?
ー is the Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark (Unicode U+30FC). In Japanese writing, it visually lengthens the preceding sound, often used with Katakana words (and sometimes in contexts involving Hiragana spelling conventions). For example, it helps represent long vowels in names, loanwords, and common phrases. In typography, it behaves like a mark that extends or indicates duration rather than a punctuation pause. When you need the exact character for text input, fonts, or UI rendering, use the provided Unicode code point (U+30FC) rather than visually similar dashes.
What is the Unicode code point for ー?
The ー symbol is Unicode U+30FC.
Is ー the same as a normal hyphen or dash?
No. ー is the Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark. It may look similar to dashes, but it has different meaning and should be encoded as U+30FC.
How do I enter ー in HTML?
Use the HTML entity ー.
What code escape formats are available for ー?
CSS escape: \30FC and JavaScript escape: \u{30FC}.