Ruby annotations in HTML use the ruby container with rt for pronunciation and rp for parentheses. 1. The ruby tag holds the main text like a kanji character. 2. The rt tag gives its pronunciation or meaning. 3. The rp tag wraps parentheses around rt content for better display and fallback readability. Including rp improves accessibility, ensures consistency across browsers, and maintains clarity if CSS fails. Examples show how to structure annotations for single or multiple characters while preserving sentence flow. Using these tags enhances user experience, especially for language learners.
If you've ever seen small phonetic guides above or next to certain characters—especially in Japanese or Chinese websites—you're looking at ruby annotations. In HTML, the rp
and rt
tags work together with the ruby
element to make this happen. They're not widely used, but they serve a very specific and helpful purpose, especially for language learners or multilingual content.

What ruby
, rt
, and rp
do together
The ruby
element is the container. Inside it, you place the main text (like a Chinese character or a Japanese kanji), and then use the rt
element to define its pronunciation or meaning. The rp
tag is used to wrap parentheses around the rt
content, mostly for browsers that do support ruby but might not fully style it without extra help.
Here’s a basic example:

<ruby> 漢 <rt>かん</rt> <rp>(</rp><rt>kan</rt><rp>)</rp> </ruby>
This would show the character "漢" with "かん" (its Japanese pronunciation) above it. If the browser doesn’t display ruby correctly, the rp
tags help make sure the parentheses around "kan" show up nicely.
Why rp
is still useful today
You might think that since most modern browsers support ruby, rp
isn't needed anymore. But it's still a good idea to include it for a few reasons:

- Accessibility: Screen readers and older devices might interpret the ruby structure differently. The parentheses help separate the annotation from the main text, making it easier to understand.
- Fallback readability: If your site’s CSS breaks or someone is using a very basic browser, the
rp
tags ensure the pronunciation guide doesn’t just show up out of nowhere—it’s clearly marked with parentheses. - Consistency: Some browsers automatically add parentheses, while others don’t. Using
rp
gives you control over how it looks everywhere.
So even if it feels a bit old-school, including rp
is a small step that improves the user experience across different devices and setups.
How to use them in practice
When writing ruby annotations, structure matters. Here’s a pattern you can follow:
- Always wrap everything in a
<ruby>
tag. - Place the main character or word first.
- Add
<rt>
right after for the pronunciation. - Wrap the
rt
withrp
tags to include parentheses.
Here's a slightly more complex example:
<ruby> 明 <rt>めい</rt> <rp>(</rp><rt>mei</rt><rp>)</rp> </ruby>
This displays "明" with "めい" on top. If the ruby display fails, it shows "(mei)" next to the character.
And if you're annotating multiple characters together, just repeat the pattern:
<ruby> 學(xué)校 <rt>がっこう</rt> <rp>(</rp><rt>gakkou</rt><rp>)</rp> </ruby>
This works well for inline annotations without breaking the flow of the sentence.
Final thoughts
Using rp
and rt
inside a ruby
block isn't complicated, but it does make a real difference in how your content is understood—especially by language learners or readers unfamiliar with certain characters. It’s a small detail, but one that improves accessibility and clarity across platforms.
That’s basically it. Not flashy, but definitely useful when you need it.
The above is the detailed content of HTML `rp` and `rt` for Ruby Annotations. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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