CSS Combinators - Selecting Elements (CSS Layout)

CSS Combinators

A combinator is something that explains the relationship between the selectors.

A CSS selector can contain more than one simple selector. Between the simple selectors, we can include a combinator.

There are four different combinators in CSS:

• descendant selector (space)
• child selector (>)
• adjacent sibling selector (+)
• general sibling selector (~)

Descendant Selector

The descendant selector matches all elements that are descendants of a specified element.

The following example selects all <p> elements inside <div> elements: 

Example

div p {
background-color: blue;
}

The descendant selector matches all elements that are descendants of a specified element.

Div Element

Paragraph 1 in the div.

Paragraph 2 in the div.

Paragraph 3 in the div.

Paragraph 4. Not in a div.

Paragraph 5. Not in a div.

Child Selector (>)

The child selector selects all elements that are the children of a specified element.

The following example selects all <p> elements that are children of a <div> element:

Example

div > p {
background-color: blue;
}

The child selector (>) selects all elements that are the children of a specified element.

Div Element

Paragraph 1 in the div.

Paragraph 2 in the div.

Paragraph 3 in the div (inside a section element). It is a descendant element, not a child element.

Paragraph 4 in the div.

Paragraph 5. Not in a div.

Paragraph 6. Not in a div.

Adjacent Sibling Selector (+)

The adjacent sibling selector is used to select an element that is directly after another specific element.

Sibling elements must have the same parent element, and "adjacent" means "immediately following".

The following example selects the first <p> element that are placed immediately after <div> elements:

Example

div + p {
background-color: blue;
}

The + selector is used to select an element that is directly after another specific element.

The following example selects the first p element that are placed immediately after div elements:

Paragraph 1 in the div.

Paragraph 2 in the div.

Paragraph 3. After a div.

Paragraph 4. After a div.

Paragraph 5 in the div.

Paragraph 6 in the div.

Paragraph 7. After a div.

Paragraph 8. After a div.

General Sibling Selector (~)

The general sibling selector selects all elements that are next siblings of a specified element.

The following example selects all <p> elements that are next siblings of <div> elements: 

Example

div ~ p {
background-color: blue;
}

The general sibling selector (~) selects all elements that are next siblings of a specified element.

Paragraph 1.

Paragraph 2.

Paragraph 3.

Some code.

Paragraph 4.

All CSS Combinator Selectors

Selector	Example	Example description
element element	div p	Selects all <p> elements inside <div> elements
element>element	div > p	Selects all <p> elements where the parent is a <div> element
element+element	div + p	Selects the first <p> element that are placed immediately after <div> elements
element1~element2	p ~ ul	Selects every <ul> element that are preceded by a <p> element