What Is This Symbol? Find Its Name and Meaning
Paste a text symbol, enter a Unicode code point, or search by name or appearance.
Try the exact character, a value such as U+00B0, or words such as “degree sign” and “right arrow”.
What Is This Symbol? Start with the Exact Character
When an unfamiliar mark appears in a message, document, formula, website, or app, the quickest answer usually comes from the character itself. Use the symbol finder above to paste the mark and look for its name, Unicode code point, common use, and a copyable version. This is the most reliable route when your question is “what is this symbol?”, “what symbol is this?”, or “what is this symbol called?”
Not every mark is the same kind of thing. It may be a single text character, a sequence of characters, an emoji, a mathematical operator, punctuation, a currency sign, or a graphic icon that has no Unicode equivalent. The steps below help you identify which kind you have before deciding what it means.
How to Identify an Unknown Symbol
1. Paste the symbol whenever possible
Select the actual character in the original source, copy it, and paste it into the finder. Exact text preserves information that a visual description cannot, including the underlying character or sequence. This is especially useful for marks that look alike in a particular font.
If the source is a webpage, message, word-processing file, or text-based PDF, the symbol is often selectable. Copy only the mark itself when possible. Extra spaces, punctuation, or neighboring letters can make a name search less precise.
2. Search by Unicode code point
A Unicode code point is commonly written as U+ followed by four to six hexadecimal digits. For example, U+00B0 identifies the degree sign. The Unicode Character Name Index and code charts let you confirm the assigned name and location of an encoded character.
Search the full value, such as U+221E, or the hexadecimal part alone, such as 221E. A code-point lookup is particularly useful when the symbol is shown in a character map, source inspector, font tool, or technical document.
3. Search by name, appearance, and context
When you cannot copy the character, a symbol name finder works best when you describe the most distinctive features and where it appears. “Vertical line” is broad; “vertical line in a math equation” is more useful. “Circle arrow” can refer to several characters, while “clockwise open circle arrow” narrows the possibilities.
| What you see | Helpful context | Search ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow or pointer | Navigation, logic, mathematics, chemistry | right arrow, curved arrow, equilibrium arrow |
| Circle or enclosed mark | Operators, legal marks, enclosed letters | circled letter, ring operator, copyright mark |
| Cross, plus, or dagger shape | Math, typography, medicine, religion | plus sign, dagger, cross symbol |
| Triangle | Geometry, media controls, logic | triangle symbol, delta, play symbol |
| Greek-looking letter | Math, physics, engineering, statistics | sigma, omega, lambda, Greek letter |
| Dash, bar, or line | Punctuation, subtraction, set notation | minus sign, em dash, vertical bar |
Context is part of identification because the same visible character can be used in more than one field. A correct result should match both the character and the surrounding subject.
What Is the Meaning of This Symbol?
The meaning of a symbol cannot always be determined from shape alone. First identify the character, then read the surrounding text. A mark used in an equation may function as an operator or variable; the same or a similar-looking mark in prose may be punctuation, a unit sign, or a decorative character.
Use the surrounding subject
Look for numbers, formulas, labels, headings, units, or neighboring words. A symbol beside a temperature value, a currency amount, a musical note, or a user-interface control is easier to interpret than the same mark in isolation.
Separate established use from personal or decorative use
Unicode gives characters encoded identities and properties, but it does not assign a universal cultural meaning to every visual mark. Decorative symbols, logos, signs, and community-specific marks may need a specialist source rather than a character lookup. When the result is a Unicode character, use the character name and established subject context as the starting point.
Find a Symbol When You Cannot Copy It
A symbol inside a screenshot, scanned page, photograph, logo, or drawing is not selectable text. The finder does not perform image recognition, but several built-in tools can help you reproduce or narrow down a text character.
Draw or search for a special character in Google Docs
Google Docs and Slides provide an Insert > Special characters dialog. Google documents that users can browse categories, enter a Unicode value, or draw the character in the box provided. Once the likely character appears, copy it and search the exact text here.
Use Character Map on Windows
Microsoft’s Character Map displays characters available in a selected font, shows a Unicode identifier for the selected character, and lets you copy characters to the clipboard. This is useful when you know the general family of the mark but cannot type it from the keyboard.
Use Character Viewer on Mac
Apple’s Character Viewer lets you browse or search emoji, symbols, accented letters, and characters from other languages. Apple also documents searching by a symbol name or code, which can help turn an unfamiliar appearance into searchable text.
When the mark is not a text character
Some dashboard icons, road signs, safety graphics, circuit diagrams, brand marks, and app icons are drawings rather than encoded text. A Unicode character that looks similar is not automatically the same symbol. In those cases, identify the source system or standard before substituting a text character.
Character, Glyph, Code Point, and Sequence
Character versus glyph
Unicode distinguishes an abstract character from the glyph used to draw it. The same character can look different across fonts, while different characters can look almost identical. That is why a visual match should be confirmed with a name or code point.
One visible symbol can contain several code points
Some visible text elements are sequences rather than single code points. Combining marks can attach to a base character, and emoji may include variation selectors, modifiers, or joiners. Unicode defines a variation sequence as a base character followed by a variation selector, so copying the full sequence can matter even when the visible result appears to be one symbol.
HTML character references are another way to write text
HTML supports named character references and numeric references that resolve to Unicode characters. For example, a webpage may store a character as a reference even though the browser displays the symbol itself. When you have an HTML name or number, search the resulting character or its code point.
Commonly Misidentified Symbols
Look-alike characters are a major reason people search for a symbol identifier. Compare the code point and intended use instead of relying only on the font shape.
| Characters | Difference to check |
|---|---|
- − – — | Hyphen-minus, mathematical minus, en dash, and em dash are separate characters with different uses. |
x × | The Latin letter x and multiplication sign are not the same character. |
O 0 | Capital letter O and digit zero can appear nearly identical in some fonts. |
| ∣ | The vertical line and mathematical divides sign have different code points and purposes. |
° º | The degree sign and masculine ordinal indicator are separate characters. |
… ... ⋯ | The ellipsis character, three periods, and midline horizontal ellipsis are different text sequences or characters. |
′ ' | The prime symbol and apostrophe can look similar but serve different roles. |
∕ / | The division slash and ordinary solidus are distinct characters. |
Unicode also maintains data for visually confusable characters because resemblance can vary by font. This matters when checking identifiers, usernames, domains, code, or any text where one character could be mistaken for another.
Why Does a Symbol Appear as a Square Box or Question Mark?
A square box, outlined rectangle, question-mark box, or blank space often indicates that the selected font or application cannot render the underlying character. Unicode describes these as missing-glyph or “tofu” displays. The text may still contain a valid character even though the current device cannot draw it.
Try a different font, an updated operating system, or another application. If the original data has already been replaced by the replacement character �, the lost character usually cannot be recovered from that mark alone; return to the original source if possible.
How to Check a Result Before You Use It
- Compare the exact character. Copy the result and confirm that it matches the source text.
- Check the Unicode name and code point. These are more dependable than appearance alone.
- Read the context. Confirm that the mathematical, typographic, scientific, currency, or interface use fits.
- Keep the full sequence. Emoji and combining characters may contain invisible code points that affect display.
- Be careful with look-alikes. Verify characters used in code, account names, URLs, or identifiers.
Frequently Searched Symbols
Open a dedicated page to copy the character, review its code point, and see established uses:
Explore More Copyable Characters
Visit Copy and Paste Symbols for featured characters and categories. You can also browse the complete symbol directory or open the symbol collections for groups such as mathematics, punctuation, currency, arrows, emoji, music, and scientific notation.
Reliable Reference Tools
For formal character data and platform-specific lookup methods, use the following primary references:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this symbol called?
Paste the exact character whenever possible. The result can show a preferred name, Unicode name, code point, and a detailed page when one is available.
What is the meaning of this symbol?
Identify the character first, then check the subject around it. Meaning can change between mathematics, typography, science, currency, music, and interface design.
Can I find a symbol by its appearance?
Yes. Describe its shape and context with specific words such as “double right arrow in math” or “circle with vertical line.” Several candidates may need to be compared.
Can I identify a symbol from an image?
This page does not perform image recognition. Google Docs can help search special characters by drawing a shape, or you can describe the mark and its context before comparing results.
How do I look up a Unicode symbol?
Paste the character or enter its code point in the form U+ followed by hexadecimal digits, such as U+00B0. Confirm the result with the Unicode name and code chart.
Why do two symbols look the same?
Fonts draw glyphs differently, and separate characters can be visually confusable. Compare code points and intended use rather than deciding from appearance alone.
Why is the symbol showing as a square?
The font or application may not contain a glyph for that character. Try another font, device, or application while preserving the original text.
Is an HTML entity the same as a Unicode character?
An HTML character reference is source notation that resolves to one or more Unicode characters when the page is parsed. The displayed character can then be copied or searched normally.