Symbol Identifier — What Is This Symbol?

Paste any symbol or character into the box and this identifier tells you its name, what it means, its Unicode codepoint, its HTML entity and its CSS code — plus related symbols you can copy. Everything runs in your browser.

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How the symbol identifier works

  1. Paste any symbol or character into the box — one you saw in a post, a document, a game name or anywhere else.
  2. Get its identity instantly. If the symbol is one of the named symbols in our library, you see its proper name, a line about what it means and where it is used, and its whole family of related symbols.
  3. Copy the codes you need. Every character also gets its Unicode codepoint, HTML entity (decimal and hex), CSS code, decimal code and UTF-8 bytes — each with its own Copy button.

Who uses a symbol identifier?

Students and writers checking what a character in a document actually is; developers who need the exact HTML entity or CSS code for a glyph; designers matching a symbol they were sent in a brief; and anyone who has ever asked "what is this symbol?" after seeing one in a bio or a game profile. If you would rather browse by name instead, use symbol search to find symbols by keyword, or read the symbol meanings guide for the stories behind the most popular symbols.

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Frequently asked questions

How does the symbol identifier work?

Paste any symbol into the box. If it is one of the named symbols in our library, you get its name and meaning instantly — and every character, named or not, gets its Unicode codepoint, HTML entity and CSS code computed on the spot.

Is the symbol identifier free?

Yes. It is completely free and unlimited, with no sign-up and nothing to install. Your pasted text never leaves your browser.

What if my symbol is not recognised by name?

You still get all of its codes, which identify it precisely. You can also try symbol search or the category pages to find it by browsing its family.

Can it identify emoji?

Many emoji are single Unicode characters and are identified with their codes. Some emoji are built from several characters joined together, and those are shown one character at a time.

What is a Unicode codepoint?

It is the unique number Unicode gives every character — written like U+20AC for the euro sign. Developers and fonts use it to refer to an exact character with no ambiguity.

Working with codes in bulk — a whole word, name or line of text? Convert it all at once with our symbol code converter ✦ it turns text into Unicode, HTML, CSS and JavaScript codes — and codes back into symbols.