<mi>
====

The **`<mi>`** MathML element indicates that the content should be rendered as an **identifier**, such as a function name, variable or symbolic constant.

 By default `<mi>` elements that contain multiple characters are a rendered as normal text, while single character characters are rendered as italic: the same formatting behaviour as the CSS `text-transform` property with a value of `math-auto`.
 The `mathvariant` attribute with a value of `normal` can be used to reset a single character to the normal font.

In order to use a particular form of a character such as bold/italic, serif, sans-serif, script/calligraphy, monospaced, double-struck, and so on, you should use the appropriate Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols.

**Note:** In a previous specification (MathML3), the `mathvariant` attribute was used to define logical classes that could apply the character formatting for mathematical alphanumeric symbols.
 The associated values are now deprecated, and expected to be removed from browsers in future releases.


Attributes
----------

`mathvariant`

The only value allowed in the current specification is `normal` (case insensitive):

`normal`

Use default/normal rendering, removing automatic styling of single characters to italic.

Deprecated legacy values are:

`bold` 
Deprecated

Try and use bold characters e.g. "𝐀".

`italic` 
Deprecated

Try and use italic characters e.g. "𝐴".

`bold-italic` 
Deprecated

Try and use bold-italic characters e.g. "𝑨".

`double-struck` 
Deprecated

Try and use double-struck characters e.g. "𝔸".

`bold-fraktur` 
Deprecated

Try and use bold-fraktur characters e.g. "𝕬".

`script` 
Deprecated

Try and use script characters e.g. "𝒜".

`bold-script` 
Deprecated

Try and use bold-script characters e.g. "𝓐".

`fraktur` 
Deprecated

Try and use fraktur characters e.g. "𝔄".

`sans-serif` 
Deprecated

Try and use sans-serif characters e.g. "𝖠".

`bold-sans-serif` 
Deprecated

Try and use bold-sans-serif characters e.g. "𝗔".

`sans-serif-italic` 
Deprecated

Try and use sans-serif-italic characters e.g. "𝘈".

`sans-serif-bold-italic` 
Deprecated

Try and use sans-serif-bold-italic characters e.g. "𝘼".

`monospace` 
Deprecated

Try and use monospace characters e.g. "𝙰".

`initial` 
Deprecated

Try and use initial characters e.g. "𞸢".

`tailed` 
Deprecated

Try and use tailed characters e.g. "𞹂".

`looped` 
Deprecated

Try and use looped characters e.g. "𞺂".

`stretched` 
Deprecated

Try and use stretched characters e.g. "𞹢".



This element also accepts the global MathML attributes.

Examples
--------


```html
<math display="block">
  <!-- Multiple characters render as "normal" text -->
  <mi>sin</mi>
</math>
<hr />
<math display="block">
  <!-- Single characters render as italic by default (i.e. "A" renders as "𝐴") -->
  <mi>A</mi>
</math>
<hr />
<math display="block">
  <!-- Use mathvariant="normal" to make single character render as normal text -->
  <mi mathvariant="normal">F</mi>
</math>
<hr />
<math display="block">
  <!-- To use a specific variant, such as "B" in Fraktur -->
  <mi>𝔅</mi>
</math>
```

Specifications
--------------

| Specification |
| --- |
| MathML Core # dfn-mi |

Browser compatibility
---------------------

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