Web/HTML/Element/ruby

The HTML <ruby> 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.

The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.

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`

Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Examples

Example 1: Character

<ruby>
  漢 <rp>(</rp><rt>Kan</rt><rp>)</rp>
  字 <rp>(</rp><rt>ji</rt><rp>)</rp>
</ruby>

Example 2: Word

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

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
HTML Living StandardThe definition of '<ruby>' in that specification.	Living Standard
HTML5The definition of '<ruby>' in that specification.	Recommendation

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`ruby`	Chrome Full support 5	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 38	IE Full support 5	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 5	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 38	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support