Capital Letter a with Macron (Ā)

Codes for the "Capital-Letter-a-with-Macron" Symbol

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Formal Name:

Latin Capital Letter a with Macron

The symbol:

Ā

The Alt Code:

Alt 256

The HTML Code:

Ā

HTML Entity:

Ā

CSS Code:

\0100

Hex Code:

Ā

Unicode:

U+0100

"A" with a Macron Explained

The letter "a" with a macron (ā) is used in several languages, including Latin, Sanskrit, and some Polynesian languages, to represent a long vowel sound. Here are ten examples of when the letter "a" with a macron is used:

• In Latin, the letter "ā" is used to represent the long /a:/ sound. For example, "pāx" (peace) is pronounced "paahks", with a longer "a" sound than in the word "pax" (pay).
• In Sanskrit, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound as well. For example, "rāma" (a Hindu deity) is pronounced "raah-muh", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "ram."
• In Hawaiian, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound. For example, "mālama" (to care for, preserve) is pronounced "mah-lah-mah", with a longer "a" sound than in the word "mama."
• In Māori, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound as well. For example, "wāhine" (woman) is pronounced "wah-hee-nay", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "wahine."
• In Latvian, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound. For example, "māja" (house) is pronounced "mah-ya", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "maya."
• In Lithuanian, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound as well. For example, "māsa" (sister) is pronounced "mah-sah", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "massa."
• In Maori language, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound. For example, "kāinga" (home) is pronounced "kah-ee-nga", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "kinga."
• In Latvian language, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound. For example, "māte" (mother) is pronounced "mah-te", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "mate."
• In Old Norse, the letter "ā" was used to represent a long /a:/ sound as well. For example, "fá" (get) was pronounced "faah", with a longer "a" sound than in the word "fá" (foe).
• In Avestan, an ancient Iranian language, the letter "ā" represents a long /a:/ sound. For example, "rāθa" (chariot) is pronounced "raa-tha", with a longer "a" sound than in the English word "rata."

Alternative Names

The letter "a" with a macron (ā) is also known as "a-macron" or "a with a long mark." In linguistics, it may also be referred to as a "long a" to distinguish it from the short /æ/ sound represented by the letter "a" without a diacritic. In some languages, such as Latvian and Lithuanian, the letter "ā" has its own distinct name, which is "ā" or "a ar garu."

Test Your Knowledge of the Accented Letters

Here is a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the accented letters.

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View the Symbol in Different Sizes and Fonts

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Video Explaining How to Insert Special Symbols

This video explains 7 ways to insert a special symbol into an MS Office application (e.g., Word) or a website using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript:

How To Insert the Ā Symbol

(Method 1) Copy and paste the symbol.

Click on the Ā symbol from the table above. Press the "Copy" button, and then paste the symbol into your document.

(Method 2) Use the "Alt Code."

The Alt Code for Ā is Alt 256. If you have a keyboard with a numeric pad, you can use this method. Simply hold down the Alt Key and type 256. When you lift the Alt Key, Ā appears. ("Num Lock" must be on.)

(Method 3) Use the HTML Decimal Code (for webpages).

HTML Text	Output
Ā	Ā

(Method 4) Use the HTML Entity Code (for webpages).

HTML Text	Output
Ā	Ā

(Method 5) Use the CSS Code (for webpages).

CSS and HTML Text	Output
<style> span:after { content: "\0100";} </style> <span>Symbol:</span>	Symbol: Ā

(Method 6) Use the HTML Hex Code (for webpages and HTML canvas).

HTML Text	Output
Ā	Ā

On the assumption that you already have your canvas and the context set up, use the Hex code in the format 0x100 to place the Ā symbol on your canvas. For example:

JavaScript Text
const x = "0x"+"100" ctx.fillText(String.fromCodePoint(x), 5, 5);
Output
Ā

(Method 7) Use the Unicode (for various, e.g. Microsoft Office, JavaScript, Perl).

The Unicode for Ā is U+0100. The important part is the hexadecimal number after the U+, which is used in various formats. For example, in Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Word, PowerPoint), do the following:

Type	Output
0100 [Hold down Alt] [Press x]	Ā (Note that you can omit any leading zeros.)

In JavaScript, the syntax is \uXXXX. So, our example would be \u0100. (Note that the format is 4 hexadecimal characters.)

JavaScript Text	Output
let str = "\u0100" document.write("My symbol: " + str)	My symbol: Ā

(Method 8) Use an Image (for various).

HTML Text	Output
<img src = "myImg.png"/>	Ā