It represents the same sound in the Polish alphabet, remaining in active usage by some as an alternative for the letter Ż (called "Z with overdot").

The Ƶ character is similar to the vertical form of the Wolfsangel (German for "wolf trap") heraldic charge from medieval Germany and eastern France.

[5][6] Many people and regions often use Ƶ as a handwritten variant of ⟨Z⟩, especially with mathematicians, scientists, and engineers to avoid confusion with the numeral two ⟨2⟩.

In Greek, the character Ƶ is a handwritten form of the letter Xi ⟨ξ⟩, where the horizontal stroke distinguishes it from Zeta ⟨ζ⟩.

It can also be found in the games EVE Online and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, where it stands for, respectively, the "Interstellar Kredit" (ISK) and the "Osean Zollar".