Latin Small Letter A With Breve Letter
ă is the Latin small letter a with breve (U+0103), used in languages that require this diacritic.
U+0103
The character ă is called “a with breve” and belongs to the Latin Extended block. It’s commonly used to represent specific vowel sounds in languages that use diacritics.
Latin Small Letter A With Breve Letter Meaning
ă (Latin small letter a with breve, Unicode U+0103) is an “a” with the breve diacritic placed above it. The breve helps distinguish a particular vowel quality or pronunciation from plain “a,” depending on the language. In everyday text, it’s primarily a writing-system character: you’ll see it in proper spelling, names, and standard words where the language’s orthography requires the breve. Because it’s a distinct Unicode character (not just “a” plus a mark), copying it preserves correct spelling and avoids search and typography issues.
Common uses
- •Writing Romanian words that require the breve diacritic on “a”
- •Typing or correcting names in Latin-script documents and forms
- •Designing multilingual UI text where correct diacritics are required
- •Adding accurate characters to subtitles, captions, and transcripts
- •Using the exact Unicode character in searchable content and metadata
Examples
ă (a with breve) — Unicode symbol guide
- ăă
- ămă duc acasă
- ăînțeleg ăsta
- ăsărbătoare
- ăo să vin
Variations
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+0103 | |
| HTML Entity | ă | |
| HTML Code | ă | |
| CSS | \0103 | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 259 | |
| Decimal | 259 |
How to type Latin Small Letter A With Breve Letter (ă)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 259 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 0103 then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 0103. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 0103, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ă 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 Latin Small Letter A With Breve letter mean?
ă (Latin small letter a with breve, Unicode U+0103) is an “a” with the breve diacritic placed above it. The breve helps distinguish a particular vowel quality or pronunciation from plain “a,” depending on the language. In everyday text, it’s primarily a writing-system character: you’ll see it in proper spelling, names, and standard words where the language’s orthography requires the breve. Because it’s a distinct Unicode character (not just “a” plus a mark), copying it preserves correct spelling and avoids search and typography issues.
What is the Unicode code point for ă?
It is U+0103 (LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH BREVE).
How do I copy ă into HTML?
You can use the HTML entity ă or copy the character directly.
How can I type ă using a Unicode escape in JavaScript?
Use \\u{0103}.
Is ă the same as plain “a” with an accent mark?
No. ă is a specific Unicode character (a with breve). Plain “a” is different and may change meaning or spelling in languages that use the breve.