How to Type ž (Z with caron) on iPhone

Published July 22, 2026, 2 min read

Typing ž (z with caron) on iPhone takes a few seconds once you know the trick. The short answer is Hold z. Read on for step-by-step instructions, the uppercase Ž and what to do when a method does not work.

ž on iPhone: Hold z

Ž on iPhone: Hold z

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the z key.
Slide your finger to ž and lift it.

ž is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Method 2: Add the Czech keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Czech.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

Method 3: Text Replacement

Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, tap +, paste ž as the phrase and type a shortcut such as zca. The shortcut syncs to your Mac through iCloud.

How to type the capital Ž

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

Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the Z key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Ž and lift it.

Ž is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Add the Czech keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Czech.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

About the letter ž

ž is Unicode U+017E, named LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH CARON. It is used in Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian. A small v above a letter, called háček in Czech and kvačica in Croatian. It softens consonants (č, š, ž, ř) and marks the third tone in Pinyin (ǎ, ǐ). See the ž character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

If no menu appears when you touch and hold, make sure you are not using a third-party keyboard that disables it.
Text Replacement shortcuts need a space or punctuation after them to expand.
Some apps with custom keyboards, such as games, do not support accents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ž on iPhone?

Hold z.

Can I just copy and paste ž?

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 ž?

U+017E. In HTML it is ž.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for iPhone