<ruby>: The Ruby Annotation element

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.

The <ruby> HTML element represents small annotations that are rendered above, below, or next to base text, usually used for showing the pronunciation of East Asian characters. It can also be used for annotating other kinds of text, but this usage is less common.

The term ruby originated as a unit of measurement used by typesetters, representing the smallest size that text can be printed on newsprint while remaining legible.

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Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Examples

Example 1: Character

html
<ruby><rp>(</rp><rt>Kan</rt><rp>)</rp><rp>(</rp><rt>ji</rt><rp>)</rp>
</ruby>

Result

Example 2: Word

html
<ruby> 明日 <rp>(</rp><rt>Ashita</rt><rp>)</rp> </ruby>

Result

Technical summary

Content categories Flow content, phrasing content, palpable content.
Permitted content Phrasing content.
Tag omission None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.
Permitted parents Any element that accepts phrasing content.
Implicit ARIA role No corresponding role
Permitted ARIA roles Any
DOM interface HTMLElement

Specifications

Specification
HTML
# the-ruby-element

Browser compatibility

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
ruby

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support

See also