Z with stroke

The letter Ƶ (lowercase: ƶ) is known as Z with stroke. It belongs to the Latin alphabet and is created by adding a stroke through the center of the regular letter Z. This special letter looks interesting because of the line that cuts through it, making it different from normal letters we use every day.

People sometimes call this letter "Z bar," but it’s important not to mix it up with other symbols. It is not the same as the Chinese Yi letter, which means “foot,” nor is it the Cyrillic letter Ꙃ. Each of these symbols comes from different writing systems and has its own unique shape and meaning.

The Z with stroke is used in some special cases, like in certain languages or scientific notations, where a regular Z just won’t do. It shows how the alphabet can be adjusted to fit different needs and makes writing more precise in those areas.

Use in alphabets

Ƶ was used in various alphabets created in the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 1930s. The Soviet government wanted to use Latin letters for writing many languages, instead of the Cyrillic or Arabic scripts that were already used. This helped avoid showing too much Russian influence.

One of these alphabets was called Jaꞑalif, used for languages like Tatar, Bashkir, and Karachay-Balkar. In these languages, Ƶ made a specific sound, but today they use the letter "j" instead. Another alphabet, the Unified Northern Alphabet, also used ƶ for some northern languages.

Ƶ was also part of the Mongolian Latin alphabet from 1931 to 1941 and appeared in the Chechen alphabet in 1992. It is still used in the Polish alphabet by some people as an alternative to another letter. Sometimes a line through the middle of a "z" helps tell it apart from the number 2 in handwriting.

Use in heraldry

The Ƶ character looks similar to the vertical form of the Wolfsangel, a special symbol from old times in medieval Germany and eastern France. This symbol was used to stand for freedom and liberty back in the 1400s. It also appeared as a mark made by masons and as a sign to show boundaries in forests.

The Wolfsangel symbol used a version of the Ƶ character, turned around in some cases. In old drawings and coats of arms, the vertical form was linked to something called a Donnerkeil, meaning "thunderbolt."

Appropriation by Nazis

During World War II, the Wolfsangel symbol was used by some groups, which caused it to be seen as a bad sign today. In 2020, some young people on TikTok started using a version of the Ƶ symbol to show unity and rebellion. However, the person who started this trend stopped when she learned about the symbol’s history.

Use in Ukraine

Some groups in Ukraine, like the Azov Brigade, used a changed version of the Ƶ symbol for a political idea. They say it does not connect to old symbols used by others, even though it looks similar. The symbol was placed over another design that also has a hard history.

Allographic variant of Z and Ż

Many people use Ƶ as a handwritten version of the letter Z, especially in fields like math, science, and engineering. This helps to avoid mixing it up with the number two.

In Polish, Ƶ is used as a different way to write the letter Ż ("Z with overdot"). This makes it easier to tell apart from another letter, Ź ("Z with acute"). In printing, the uppercase Ƶ is sometimes used instead of Ż to fit within certain height limits.

In Greek, Ƶ is a handwritten form of the letter Xi, where the horizontal stroke helps to distinguish it from the letter Zeta.

Use as a currency symbol

Ƶ was sometimes used instead of Z to show the zaire, an old money type from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In video games, Ƶ is used as a made-up money symbol, especially in Japanese games where it means zeni (Japanese for "money"). The Dragon Ball series and Capcom games use Ƶ like this. You can also see it in EVE Online and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, where it stands for the "Interstellar Kredit" (ISK) and the "Osean Zollar".

Use in modern runic writing

A 45-degree rotated Ƶ is used as the base for the Gibor rune. This special symbol was created in 1902 by Guido von List, an Austrian mystic. It is often used in modern runic writing, even though it is not an actual ancient rune.

Use in computers

The Unicode standard includes special codes for two letters:

• U+01B5 Ƶ LATIN CAPITAL LETTER Z WITH STROKE
• U+01B6 ƶ LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH STROKE

These codes help computers recognize and display the letter Z with a stroke through it.