HTML <rt> rt tag


The <rt> tag in HTML stands for Ruby Text. It is used to provide the pronunciation or annotation for East Asian characters, typically when they are annotated using the <ruby> element. The <rt> element is part of the Ruby Annotation feature, which is commonly used in languages like Japanese and Chinese to give phonetic or semantic information about characters.

Key Features:

  • Annotation Text: The <rt> tag contains the text that provides a pronunciation guide or additional information for the base text within the <ruby> element.
  • Ruby Annotation: It is used in conjunction with the <ruby> element to create annotated text, where <ruby> is the container, <rt> provides the annotation, and the base text is placed inside <ruby>.

Basic Syntax:

<ruby> 漢字<rt>Kanji</rt> </ruby>

In this example:

  • The <ruby> element is used to mark the base text "漢字".
  • The <rt> element contains the annotation "Kanji", which provides the pronunciation or additional information about the base text.

Example:

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>Ruby Text Example</title> </head> <body> <p> The word <ruby>漢字<rt>Kanji</rt></ruby> represents Chinese characters used in Japanese. </p> </body> </html>

In this example:

  • The <ruby> element wraps the base text "漢字".
  • The <rt> element provides the pronunciation "Kanji" for the base text.

Attributes:

The <rt> tag does not have any specific attributes. It is used purely to provide annotation text within the <ruby> element.

Use Cases:

  • Phonetic Guides: Provides pronunciation information for characters, which is especially useful for learners of a language or for complex characters.
  • Semantic Annotations: Offers additional information about the meaning or use of a character, which can be helpful in understanding context.

Styling:

You can style the <rt> element using CSS to control how the annotation text appears.

rt { font-size: 0.8em; /* Smaller font size for annotations */ color: #555; /* Color for the annotation text */ }

In this example:

  • The font size of the <rt> text is set smaller than the base text to visually differentiate the annotation.
  • The color is changed to a gray shade for styling purposes.

Key Points:

  • Purpose: The <rt> tag is used to provide pronunciation or annotation text for East Asian characters.
  • Usage: It is used inside the <ruby> element to offer additional context for the base text.
  • Styling: Can be customized with CSS to control the appearance of the annotation text.

In summary, the <rt> tag is an important HTML element for providing ruby annotations, which are used to display pronunciation or additional information about East Asian characters. It enhances the readability and understanding of characters by providing helpful contextual information.