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Regular Expression Reference: Special and Non-Printable Characters

Feature	Syntax	Description	Example	JGsoft	.NET	Java	Perl	PCRE	PCRE2	PHP	Delphi	R	JavaScript	VBScript	XRegExp	Python	Ruby	std::regex	Boost	Tcl ARE	POSIX BRE	POSIX ERE	GNU BRE	GNU ERE	Oracle	XML	XPath
Literal character	Any character except `[\^$.\|?*+()`	All characters except the listed special characters match a single instance of themselves	`a` matches `a`	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Literal curly braces	`{` and `}`	`{` and `}` are literal characters, unless they’re part of a valid regular expression token such as a quantifier `{3}`	`{` matches `{`	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	1.9	basic grep	ECMA 1.54–1.85 basic 1.38–1.85 grep 1.38–1.85	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	no
Backslash escapes a metacharacter	`\` followed by any of `[\^$.\|?*+(){}`	A backslash escapes special characters to suppress their special meaning	`\` matches ``	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	1.9	basic grep	ECMA 1.54–1.85 basic 1.38–1.85 grep 1.38–1.85	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	no
Escape sequence	`\Q...\E`	Matches the characters between `\Q` and `\E` literally, suppressing the meaning of special characters	`\Q+-/\E` matches `+-/`	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	ECMA extended egrep awk	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hexadecimal escape	`\xFF` where FF are 2 hexadecimal digits	Matches the character at the specified position in the code page	`\xA9` matches `©` when using the Latin-1 code page	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	ECMA	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	string	string	string	string	no	no	no
Character escape	`\n`, `\r` and `\t`	Match an LF character, CR character and a tab character respectively	`\r\n` matches a Windows CRLF line break	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	ECMA awk	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	string	string	string	string	no	YES	YES
Line break	`\R`	Matches any line break, including CRLF as a pair, CR only, LF only, form feed, vertical tab, and any Unicode line break		V2	no	8	5.10	7.0	YES	5.2.2	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	2.0	no	ECMA 1.42–1.85	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Line break	`\R`	Matches the next line control character U+0085		V2	n/a	8	5.10	7.0	YES	5.2.2	YES	YES	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2.0	n/a	ECMA 1.54–1.85	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Line break	`\R`	CRLF line breaks are indivisible	`\R{2}` and `\R\R` cannot match `\r\n`	YES	n/a	9 no	5.10 no	7.0–8.12 no	YES	5.2.2–5.3.18 no	XE–XE6 no	YES	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	YES	n/a	YES	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Line break	Literal CRLF, LF, or CR line break	Matches CRLF as a pair, CR only, and LF only regardless of the line break style used in the regex		YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	YES
Character escape	`\a`	Match the “alert” or “bell” control character (ASCII 0x07)		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	no	no	YES	YES	awk	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Character escape	`\b`	Match the “backspace” control character (ASCII 0x08)		no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	awk	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Character escape	`\B`	Match a backslash	`\B` matches `\`	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Character escape	`\e`	Match the “escape” control character (ASCII 0x1B)		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	YES	no	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Character escape	`\f`	Match the “form feed” control character (ASCII 0x0C)		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	ECMA awk	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Character escape	`\v`	Match the “vertical tab” control character (ASCII 0x0B), but not any other vertical whitespace.		V1 only	YES	4–7	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	ECMA awk	ECMA 1.38–1.39 extended 1.38–1.85 egrep 1.38–1.85 awk 1.38–1.85	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Control character escape	`\cA` through `\cZ`	Match an ASCII character Control+A through Control+Z, equivalent to `\x01` through `\x1A`	`\cM\cJ` matches a Windows CRLF line break	V1 only	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	ECMA	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Control character escape	`\ca` through `\cz`	Match an ASCII character Control+A through Control+Z, equivalent to `\x01` through `\x1A`	`\cm\cj` matches a Windows CRLF line break	V1 only	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	ECMA	ECMA extended egrep awk	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
NULL escape	`\0`	Match the NULL character		no	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	ECMA	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\o{7777}` where 7777 is any octal number	Matches the character at the specified position in the active code page	`\o{20254}` matches `€` when using Unicode	V2	no	no	5.14	8.34	YES	5.5.10	XE7	3.0.3	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\1` through `\7`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\7` matches the “bell” character	no	ECMA	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	YES	no	no	no	awk	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\10` through `\77`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\77` matches `?`	no	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	no	YES	awk	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\100` through `\177`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\100` matches `@`	no	YES	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	awk	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\200` through `\377`	Matches the character at the specified position in the active code page	`\377` matches `ÿ` when using the Latin-1 code page	no	2.0–8.0	no	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	1.8 only fail	awk	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\400` through `\777`	Matches the character at the specified position in the active code page	`\777` matches `ǿ` when using Unicode	no	non‑ECMA 1.0–1.1 fail	no	5.14	6.7	YES	5.2.0	YES	YES	no	no	no	3.5 error	1.8 only fail	awk	no	8.4–8.5	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\01` through `\07`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\07` matches the “bell” character	V1 only	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	awk	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\010` through `\077`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\077` matches `?`	V1 only	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	no	YES	YES	awk	YES	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\0100` through `\0177`	Matches the character at the specified position in the ASCII table	`\0100` matches `@`	V1 only	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Octal escape	`\0200` through `\0377`	Matches the character at the specified position in the active code page	`\0377` matches `ÿ` when using the Latin-1 code page	V1 only	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	YES	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Feature	Syntax	Description	Example	JGsoft	.NET	Java	Perl	PCRE	PCRE2	PHP	Delphi	R	JavaScript	VBScript	XRegExp	Python	Ruby	std::regex	Boost	Tcl ARE	POSIX BRE	POSIX ERE	GNU BRE	GNU ERE	Oracle	XML	XPath