HTML <q> Tag

The HTML <q> tag represents a quotation from another source.

Browsers usually surround <q> text with quotation marks. If the quotation spans multiple lines, you should use the <blockquote> tag. Most browsers present blockquote text as indented text.

Syntax

The <q> tag is written as <q></q> with the quotation inserted between the start and end tags.

Like this:

Examples

Basic tag usage

When NOT to Use the <q> Tag?

The HTML5 specification states that the <q> element must not be used in place of quotation marks that do not represent quotes; for example, it is inappropriate to use the <q> element for marking up sarcastic statements.. This would also include naming a word from within a sentence.

Therefore, the following example should not be marked up using the <q> tag.

Attributes

Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.

The <q> element accepts the following attributes.

AttributeDescription
citeIndicates the source of the quotation. Must be a valid URL.

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <q> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handlers

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.

For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.