<pre class="brush: css notranslate"><code><span class="token comment">/ Selects every fourth element among any group of siblings, counting backwards from the last one /</span> <span class="token selector">:nth-last-child(4n)</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> <span class="token property">color</span><span class="token punctuation">:</span> lime<span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> </code></pre>

:nth-last-child()

The :nth-last-child() CSS pseudo-class matches elements based on their position among a group of siblings, counting from the end.

/* Selects every fourth element    among any group of siblings,    counting backwards from the last one */ :nth-last-child(4n) {   color: lime; } 

Note: This pseudo-class is essentially the same as :nth-child, except it counts items backwards from the end, not forwards from the beginning.

Syntax

The nth-last-child pseudo-class is specified with a single argument, which represents the pattern for matching elements, counting from the end.

Keyword values

Represents elements whose numeric position in a series of siblings is odd: 1, 3, 5, etc., counting from the end.

Represents elements whose numeric position in a series of siblings is even: 2, 4, 6, etc., counting from the end.

Functional notation

Represents elements whose numeric position in a series of siblings matches the pattern An+B, for every positive integer or zero value of n. The index of the first element, counting from the end, is 1. The values A and B must both be <integer>s.

Formal syntax

:nth-last-child( <nth> [ of <complex-selector-list> ]? )
where <nth> = <an-plus-b> | even | odd<complex-selector-list> = <complex-selector>#
where <complex-selector> = <compound-selector> [ <combinator>? <compound-selector> ]*
where <compound-selector> = [ <type-selector>? <subclass-selector>* [ <pseudo-element-selector> <pseudo-class-selector>* ]* ]!<combinator> = '>' | '+' | '~' | [ '||' ]
where <type-selector> = <wq-name> | <ns-prefix>? '*'<subclass-selector> = <id-selector> | <class-selector> | <attribute-selector> | <pseudo-class-selector><pseudo-element-selector> = ':' <pseudo-class-selector><pseudo-class-selector> = ':' <ident-token> | ':' <function-token> <any-value> ')'
where <wq-name> = <ns-prefix>? <ident-token><ns-prefix> = [ <ident-token> | '*' ]?  | <id-selector> = <hash-token><class-selector> = '.' <ident-token><attribute-selector> = '[' <wq-name> ']' | '[' <wq-name> <attr-matcher> [ <string-token> | <ident-token> ] <attr-modifier>? ']'
where <attr-matcher> = [ '~' |  |  | '^' | '$' | '*' ]? '='<attr-modifier> = i | s

Examples

Example selectors

Represents the odd rows of an HTML table: 1, 3, 5, etc., counting from the end.

Represents the even rows of an HTML table: 2, 4, 6, etc., counting from the end.

Represents the seventh element, counting from the end.

Represents elements 5, 10, 15, etc., counting from the end.

Represents elements 4, 7, 10, 13, etc., counting from the end.

Represents the last three elements among a group of siblings.

Represents every <p> element among a group of siblings. This is the same as a simple p selector. (Since n starts at zero, while the last element begins at one, n and n+1 will both select the same elements.)

Represents every <p> that is the first element among a group of siblings, counting from the end. This is the same as the :last-child selector.

Table example

<table>   <tbody>     <tr>       <td>First line</td>     </tr>     <tr>       <td>Second line</td>     </tr>     <tr>       <td>Third line</td>     </tr>     <tr>       <td>Fourth line</td>     </tr>     <tr>       <td>Fifth line</td>     </tr>   </tbody> </table> 

table {   border: 1px solid blue; }  /* Selects the last three elements */ tr:nth-last-child(-n+3) {   background-color: pink; }  /* Selects every element starting from the second to last item */ tr:nth-last-child(n+2) {   color: blue; }  /* Select only the last second element */ tr:nth-last-child(2) {   font-weight: 600; } 

Quantity query

A quantity query styles elements depending on how many of them there are. In this example, list items turn red when there are at least three of them in a given list. This is accomplished by combining the capabilities of the nth-last-child pseudo-class and the general sibling combinator.

<h4>A list of four items (styled):</h4> <ol>   <li>One</li>   <li>Two</li>   <li>Three</li>   <li>Four</li> </ol>  <h4>A list of two items (unstyled):</h4> <ol>   <li>One</li>   <li>Two</li> </ol> 

/* If there are at least three list items,    style them all */ li:nth-last-child(n+3), li:nth-last-child(3) ~ li {   color: red; } 

Specifications

See also