PHP 8 reference · Multibyte String Functions

PHP mb_ucfirst() Function

Make the first character of a string title case, including letters such as é or ı. Added in PHP 8.4.

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Syntax

mb_ucfirst(string $string, ?string $encoding = null): string

Parameter	Description
`string`	The input string.
`encoding` optional	The character encoding; defaults to `mb_internal_encoding()` (UTF-8).

The string with its first character in title case.

Accented first letter

<?php
echo ucfirst("élan"), "\n";
echo mb_ucfirst("élan"), "\n";

Output

élan
Élan

Run this on your computer — see “Get Started” for setup.

mb_lcfirst() does the opposite

<?php
echo mb_lcfirst("Ärger"), "\n";

Output

ärger

Run this on your computer — see “Get Started” for setup.

Version	Change
PHP 8.4	Added

ucfirst() · Make the first character of a string uppercase and leave the rest as it is. Only ASCII letters change.
lcfirst() · Make the first character of a string lowercase, leaving the rest unchanged. Handy for turning PascalCase into camelCase.
mb_convert_case() · Change the case of a string with Unicode rules: upper, lower, title case or case folding for comparisons.
PHP Strings · tutorial