How to Type ă (A with breve) on LaTeX

Published July 9, 2026, 2 min read

ă is a with breve, a letter used in Romanian and Vietnamese. On LaTeX, the quickest way to get it is \u{a}. This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Ă and fixes for common problems.

ă on LaTeX: \u{a}

Ă on LaTeX: \u{A}

Or copy it:

Method 1: LaTeX command

Write \u{a} in text mode. Load \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} for correct hyphenation and copy-paste from the PDF.

Method 2: Type the character directly

Since 2018 pdfLaTeX reads UTF-8 by default, so you can paste ă into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

Method 3: In math mode

For a variable with this accent, use $\breve{a}$ . Math accents are for symbols, so use the text command for words.

How to type the capital Ă

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

LaTeX command

Write \u{A} in text mode. Load \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} for correct hyphenation and copy-paste from the PDF.

Type the character directly

Since 2018 pdfLaTeX reads UTF-8 by default, so you can paste Ă into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

About the letter ă

ă is Unicode U+0103, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH BREVE. It is used in Romanian and Vietnamese. A small cup above a letter. Romanian uses ă, Turkish ğ, Vietnamese ă, and Esperanto ŭ. See the ă character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

Accents on i and j need the dotless forms \i and \j in old LaTeX; modern LaTeX handles this automatically.
If the letter is missing in the PDF, the font lacks it. Switch to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX with a broader font.
Wrap commands in braces when the next character is a letter: \'{e}x, not \'ex.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ă on LaTeX?

\u{a}.

Can I just copy and paste ă?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for ă?

U+0103. In HTML it is ă.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for LaTeX