Leftwards Arrow to Bar Over Rightwards Arrow to Bar ↹

↹ (U+21B9) is a standard Unicode character that you can copy and paste anywhere text is accepted. This page provides a concise reference with safe tips, internal links, and practical guidance so you can use it reliably across apps and platforms.

What it is and where it’s used: Leftwards Arrow to Bar Over Rightwards Arrow to Bar is part of the Symbols family (block: Arrows). If you need styled or decorative alternatives, try our Fancy Text tool to generate compatible text that works in most modern interfaces.

History & usage: The character U+21B9 is named LEFTWARDS ARROW TO BAR OVER RIGHTWARDS ARROW TO BAR. It belongs to the Arrows block and is in the Common script. It is used as a symbol in text to show a pair of directional actions. In many fonts, the symbol looks like a leftward arrow that connects to a vertical bar on the left and a rightward arrow that connects to a vertical bar on the right. This design signals a transition or a controlled choice between opposing directions. In practice, it appears in diagrams, UI layouts, and technical documents to indicate a step that moves left and then right, or to highlight a toggle between states. Arrows commonly indicate direction and navigation cues in interfaces and documents. The symbol is part of a larger set of arrow shapes that help readers follow flow. When people see it, they interpret it as a paired action rather than a single direction. Writers choose it to show a pathway that involves both sides of an option. Users may encounter it in instruction text or data schemas where clear direction changes matter.

Copy and input: the quickest method is to copy the character here. You can also insert it by its codepoint U+21B9 in many development tools or editors. Some operating systems provide a character viewer or input palette that lets you search by name or code and insert the glyph into documents.

Display and fallback: if you see an empty box (tofu) or a placeholder rectangle, the active font might not include this codepoint. Switching to a font with broader Unicode coverage or using a fallback font usually fixes the issue. On the web, ensure the page’s font stack includes a general‑purpose fallback.

Related references: browse the Categories for similar characters. When choosing a symbol, prefer the official codepoint for semantic clarity and better compatibility with search, copy, and accessibility tooling.

See our category page for related symbols.