中文语境
1. 简体中文
在规范的简体中文横排文稿中，建议遵循国家标准 1：
- 第一层：使用双引号
“”。 - 嵌套层：使用单引号
‘’。 - 标点位置：句号、逗号等标点符号通常位于引号内。
Example
“他问我：‘你读过《红楼梦》吗？’我说读过。”
2. 繁体中文
在繁体中文（台湾、香港）及日文语境中，或为了追求排版美学，推荐使用直角引号 2：
- 第一层：使用
「」。 - 嵌套层：使用
『』。 - 输入技巧：在 macOS 自带中文输入法中，于
「」内继续输入括号，或按⇧[/⇧]，即可自动切换为『』。
Example
「他問我：『你讀過《紅樓夢》嗎？』我說讀過。」
本人日常偏好使用直角引号 「」。
Western Context
1. English Usage
US Style
- Primary: Double quotes
“…”. - Secondary (Nested): Single quotes
‘…’. - Punctuation: Periods and commas are placed inside the closing quotation mark, regardless of logic. 3
Example
“I read ‘The Raven,’” he said.
UK Style
- Primary: Historically single quotes
‘…’, though double quotes are increasingly common. - Secondary (Nested): Double quotes
“…”. - Punctuation: Follows “logical quotation.” Punctuation is placed outside unless it is part of the original quoted material. 4
Example
He called it ‘meaningless’; however, I disagree.
2. European Usage (Guillemets)
Guillemets («») are the standard quotation marks in many European languages, though styles vary significantly by region.
- French Style: Uses pointing-out guillemets with non-breaking spaces. 5
Example
« texte »
- German Style: Often uses “chevrons” (pointing in) or low-high curly quotes. 6
Example
»Text«or„Text“
- Italian/Swiss: Similar to French but often without the extra spacing.
Example
«testo»
Technical Note
In programming and markup languages (JSON, YAML, JavaScript, etc.), always use straight quotes:
- Single:
'(U+0027) - Double:
"(U+0022)
Smart quotes (curly quotes) will cause syntax errors in code.